Page 4 - UTC 2023-24 Proposed Membership & Engagement Strategic Framework and Marketing Plan Part One

Next-Level Approaches For UTC Growth and

Engaged Utilities Of The Future

UTC 75 Years. Serving Utilities. Serving You.

UTC 2022-23 Membership Landscape
UTC is the leading organization that gives utilities of all ownership types a forum to discuss common telecommunications and
technology challenges, opportunities, and solutions. UTC also facilitates relationships between core utility members and key vendors,
who can join UTC as associate members. UTC provides educational opportunities to telecommunications and IT professionals,
engineers, analysts, and technicians new to the field on pertinent issues, often at a highly technical level.

UTC is known for its high retention rate. In 2022, UTC retained 96% of its overall membership: 95% Core Members and 77% Associate
Members. Five (5) new core members joined UTC in 2022, and four new core members in 2021. 100% of the core members who joined in
2021 were retained; however, as of February 1, one (1) new core member who joined in 2022 has renewed their membership.

My research identified that the most significant problem holding back membership growth for UTC is not consistently asking
prospective members to join, as well as not having the following:
A recent membership marketing plan includes defining UTC's value proposition and identifying segmented utility target markets
with a marketing/communications timeline.
Segmented marketing materials - promoting UTC as a one size fits all organization
No organizational incentives or special offers. Membership is a push product. It is sold, not sought.
Overreliance on a single channel (email and events) - Dependent upon annual, regional meetings, and email acquisition efforts.
Email acquisition efforts have burned out email lists through overuse. No existing omnichannel strategy that uses a variety of
methods like mail, phone, social media, paid digital ads, and sales efforts to get potential members.
Need for more frequency of contact. Membership recruitment requires ongoing and consistent outreach.
Lack of testing. When carefully measured, structuring statistically valid tests can determine what is working and what is not
successful. Some test outcomes, even minor changes, impact results by well over 100 percent. Without a testing strategy, UTC's
recruitment program will substantially underperform.
Neglecting the Call to Action - We are good at describing the benefits; however, we often need to tell the prospect what to do
with the information.
Promoting engagement opportunities on all levels 365 days a year.

The UTC 2023-24 Proposed Membership Acquisition & Engagement Strategic Framework and Marketing Plan will outline short and long-
term objectives for implementation for providing optimal member service, organizational growth, and member engagement, all starting
with the 2022-2024 UTC Strategic Plan