Growing Member Engagement

By Alyssa Venezia

The imminent start of a new year is the ideal time to reflect on the past and set goals for the future. One thing journals should always be tracking is audience engagement. For societies, members are the foundation of the journal audience, and it is essential to strengthen this base over time.

With over 500 society partners, SAGE is constantly measuring members’ engagement with journals. While it is important to build an awareness that the journal is a benefit of society membership, it is even more important to build active connections between members and the content.

Four ways to refresh member outreach and increase engagement include:

·        Providing Online Access: Most publishing agreements provide online access as part of member subscriptions. Societies should be sure members activate their accounts and access content online. On the SAGE Journals website, users can also sign up for email alerts, which will automatically notify them when issues publish, when new articles post OnlineFirst, and when there are new results in their saved searches. By providing several touch points, online access promotes more consistent engagement with the journal than print mailings.

·        Leveraging Social Media: Societies typically have social media channels for building their brand, offering international reach, and engaging directly with their members. Don’t overlook the opportunity to promote the journal on these channels as well. Members are already following social media for society news, and expanding the scope of posts to include the journal will deepen the connection.

·        Focusing on Visibility: The society’s website and recurring communications hold many untapped opportunities to strengthen ties with the journal. Members are already navigating the society website, so featuring the journal on membership and “About Us” pages and providing links to the journal website will extend the bond between members and the journal. In communications, dedicate a section to promoting articles, issues, or submission information to consistently tie together the society, membership, and journal.

·        Supporting Submissions: Societies often focus on engaging members as readers, but they are also a valuable authorship base. Providing resources to members to find funding for their research and encouraging them to submit their manuscripts are great ways to expand the scope of their interaction with the journal.

Many members report that journal access is one of the top benefits from their society, and boosting their engagement is a great way to strengthen the relationship. To learn more about SAGE’s society partnerships, please visit our Society Gateway.

About