Increasing Member Promotion Thru Extended Directory Searches
We love to share client success stories so that everyone in the Membee hive can benefit from all those great ideas. We recently spoke to The Greater Vancouver Home Builders' Association (GVHBA) who represent the residential construction industry in the Greater Vancouver Area in British Columbia, Canada. We were impressed with changes they made to …
We love to share client success stories so that everyone in the Membee hive can benefit from all those great 
ideas. We recently spoke to The Greater Vancouver Home Builders' Association (GVHBA) who represent the residential construction industry in the Greater Vancouver Area in British Columbia, Canada. We were impressed with changes they made to their web pages to more effectively use their Membee Directory and to extend its search capabilities.
We spoke to Renée Auer, Director of Membership & Sales, Staff Liaison for Membership Committees.
Why GVHBA Made Changes
Renée tells us that, after a year of using the online directory they checked their directory stats (see your stats by clicking Directories) and saw that the first search term site visitors were entering in the directory was “Builder” or “Renovator”. After looking at how people were using the online directory and analyzing those built-in statistics, they decided that it would be easier for users if that initial search was done right off the top.
What Changed
New Directories
GVHBA took their single directory and created 3 separate directories:
- Builder
- Renovator
- Product & Service
That way, when people make that first click, they have already completed the most common search and get directly to the specific set of categories they are most interested in.
New Buttons for each of the directories are prominently located at the top right hand corner of the home page. This makes it easier for directory users to find the right listings.
Because there are separate directories the listing Categories can be more specific to each group.
Advanced Searches
From the home page GVHBA have links to each of the different directories (Find a Builder, Find a Renovator, Find a Product/Service). Once the person gets to the directory GVHBA has provided a link to the new extended search their web developer created.
A native Membee directory feature is the ability to build query strings. In GVHBA’s advanced search query strings are built as the person selects the checkboxes and then, when they submit, the query pulls the specific listings from the directory. The advantages are:
- It's simple – All you need to do is point and click
- It’s very visual – Site visitors can see at a glance all of the categories
- It’s intuitive – Site visitors simply check boxes that answer their questions (E.g. "I am looking for …" )
| "Thanks to Membee for turning an idea into a reality." – Renée | Renée came up with a great idea and Membee helped her make it happen. This all started from a simple inquiry about how to make the Membee Directory work better for their site visitors and is the outcome of Renée’s deep understanding of her own membership and some standard but rarely used capabilities in Membee's Directory. |
What's Next
Now that the changes have been made, Renee faces the challenge of getting her members who are “not computer guys” to make the most of their online listings.
If anyone out there has suggestions about how to engage and encourage members to use their Profile Update to maintain their listings and add more details / photos etc., please post a comment to this blog.
For how to information on Directories – click here (remember to have your username and password ready).
Thanks you Renée and the Greater Vancouver Home Builders Association for sharing your ideas and experience!
What a fantastic idea. I would love to hear ideas from others on the “how to encourage members to use the Profile Update feature”.