FMCA’s ongoing efforts to attract new members, plus a change in provider and contact information for the FMCAssist Medical Emergency and Travel Assistance Program.
Chris Smith
Chief Executive Officer
csmith@fmca.com
November 2020
Member acquisition is a very important part of any association’s success. While it is imperative to retain current members, the reality is that many will choose to leave FMCA, for varying reasons. Some opt to stop traveling via RV; sadly, health situations or loss of a travel partner often prompt that decision. So, FMCA needs to continually add new members. As a nonprofit organization, FMCA has limited resources and must get creative when it comes to marketing and advertising efforts to attract members.
When I took over as CEO in October 2016, one of the first actions I took was to establish an in-house marketing team. At the time, we were working with a marketing consultant to learn best practices and how to track and monitor our efforts to assess their effectiveness. Prior to the marketing consulting agreement, FMCA counted on word of mouth, partnerships, and RV shows to attract members. In the four years since FMCA established its own marketing department, great progress has been made in spreading the word about FMCA and its benefits to potential members.
A big focus of FMCA’s marketing efforts has been establishing partnerships with reputable companies in the RV industry. In the past few months, FMCA partnered with some big names in the RV manufacturing world: Grand Design, Dynamax/Forest River, and Keystone RV have been announced as new partners. FMCA gains exposure to owners of these wonderful brands that may not have been possible otherwise. Arrangements like these are mutually beneficial and cost-effective for both parties. A few of the other ongoing partnerships involve Fantasy RV Tours, KOA, Passport America, and La Mesa RV, among others.
Digital marketing is something else that FMCA has focused on. Google and Facebook command approximately 60 percent of digital marketing dollars spent by U.S. companies. Prior to 2016, FMCA did little to no advertising on these platforms. This now is where FMCA spends most of its ad dollars. These platforms provide FMCA very attractive per-member acquisition costs, the ads are easy to manage, and metrics and performance are easy to interpret. There is good reason these two companies collect so much in U.S. advertising dollars.
Social media also has had a huge influence on getting FMCA’s name out to the public. FMCA had a small presence on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter prior to 2016, but it has evolved considerably since that time. We now have a presence on the following platforms or other communication tools we send to members:
Blog subscribers: https://fmcadventure.com (scroll down on right-hand side of the page to subscribe)
Mile Marker e-newsletter: http://join.fmca.com/enews/
Email marketing: https://signup.e2ma.net/signup/1795503/1758239/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/fmcafans/
Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/fmcarvclub
Twitter: https://twitter.com/fmca_
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/family-motor-coach-association
Instagram: www.instagram.com/fmcarvclub
RVillage: www.rvillage.com/group/830/family-motor-coach-association
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/fmcarvclub
YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCy4u38T109czLI_sxAfKTuw
These efforts combined allow us to reach more than 340,000 people each month. Social media is crucial to promoting and spreading the word about our great RV club. I encourage everyone reading this to follow FMCA on all the platforms listed and to actively share FMCA posts with your friends.
In-person recruiting is still a vital way for FMCA to obtain members. FMCA has a presence at some of the biggest RV shows in the United States. The Quartzsite Sports, Vacation & RV Show in Arizona; America’s Largest RV Show in Hershey, Pennsylvania; and the Florida RV SuperShow in Tampa are the three biggest where FMCA is represented. Recently, FMCA worked with an events marketing consultant to completely overhaul our booth setup at these shows. The new booth combined with our dedicated member volunteers gives FMCA another important avenue to recruit new members.
Finally – and definitely a case of “last but not least” – is the importance of members recruiting new members. I don’t think anyone can explain the benefits and why FMCA is the best RV club in the world better than our members! We have a web page dedicated to helping those recruiting efforts: www.fmca.com/recruit-new-members-earn-rewards. Not only can you help the club you love to grow, but FMCA also offers some very good incentives to do so! Visit the link above to learn more.
New Provider And Contact Information For FMCAssist
I’m excited to inform you that our popular FMCAssist Medical Emergency and Travel Assistance Program has a new provider effective October 1, 2020. After several years with Seven Corners, the FMCA Executive Board, upon the recommendation and tireless efforts of the Risk Management Committee, decided to switch to Chubb Travel Assistance. The change allows us to continue to provide this great service to FMCA members and save money. In addition, the plan comes with some enhancements. More about those and about Chubb in a minute. But first. . . .
Many of you still may be using FMCA member ID cards and referencing a benefit guide that contains the contact info for Seven Corners. If you have not done so already, please make sure you have the contact info for Chubb Travel Assistance close by in the event of an emergency. The Chubb contact information appears below. To learn more about the program and to view the Full Schedule of Benefits, please visit www.fmca.com/fmca-assist.
The same basic provisions are included in the Chubb program. One change is that the coverage for FMCA members now starts when they are 75 miles from home, as opposed to 100 miles from home in the Seven Corners plan. As before, full-timers are always considered to be away from home.
The plan also provides members $5,000 in accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance coverage at no added cost. It also includes an emergency room cash benefit and a trip interruption cash benefit.
Chubb isn’t a new name to FMCA. Chubb is the world’s largest publicly traded property and casualty insurance company and the largest commercial insurer in the United States. Chubb provides FMCA’s commercial insurance, so we have a comfort level with the company that helped with the decision to move FMCAssist coverage to them. The Chubb Travel Assistance program is an insurance product that falls under the regulations of the Ohio Department of Insurance and is monitored as such. In addition to having the backing of a strong insurance company, FMCA also should have some protection against volatile premium changes. As noted, this all comes with cost savings. And that helped with the decision to retain this benefit for FMCA members as part of their dues.
I do want to thank Seven Corners for their years of service to FMCA and our members. The services they provided have been invaluable to so many.
Contact Info
Chubb Travel Assistance Program:
(877) 352-0785 (Inside the USA)
(877) 350-3532 (Canada)
(202) 659-7803 (outside the USA call collect)
OPS@europassistance-usa.com
As I write this, FMCA is on the brink of transitioning to new association and magazine management systems, as well as a new accounting program. We anticipate a smooth transition, but as always seems to be the case, things can and do happen with anything new. So, we ask that you please be patient as the staff acclimates to new processes. I’m proud of the work they’ve done so far in steering us toward this change. And all in the midst of a pandemic that rendered life as anything but normal.
Hope all of you are staying well and remembering to enjoy the journey.
The mission of FMCA is to bring together RV owners who share similar interests in congenial traveling, recreation, and social activities in order to preserve and perpetuate the traditional ideals and spirit of friendly and wholesome family fellowship as manifested by the founders of FMCA.