Winter Holidays Are Coming Soon!
News about expanded member benefits, and an invitation to join FMCA in Tucson, Arizona, in March.
National President
Rett Porter, F369084
rporter@fmca.com
We hope you are back on the road traveling as the world is starting to become more normal after the last two years of masks and COVID-19 restrictions. More people are discovering the RV world and the safe experiences RVers have while traveling our beautiful North America.
With the new FMCA clothing and expanded benefits, you can do your shopping for holiday gifts at FMCA.com (click on Store at the top of the home page). I want to be sure that you are learning about FMCA benefits and the changes we are seeing as FMCA continues to grow.
Let me start off by telling you about the Michelin Tire program for Canada. Previously available only to U.S. residents, the Michelin Tire program now allows our Canadian members to participate. The Michelin Tire program can be used for any of your vehicles, not just your RV. So, the next time you need to put tires on your car, truck, or RV, go to FMCA.com and check the tire you want and get the price quote. Now, it doesn’t matter if you live in Canada or the United States; we have the Michelin Tire program for you. I have been present when tire dealers have asked how our FMCA members can get tires at lower prices than the dealers can purchase them. As an FMCA member, you purchase the tires directly from Michelin at our FMCA discounted price, which is how you get terrific savings.
I mentioned last month that FMCA has Tech Connect+, which is the best Wi-Fi program for only $49.99 per month. You can stream movies, stay in touch with family members around the world on the internet, and never be throttled back to a slower pace. This system now is supported by T-Mobile, and coverage is unbelievable. I have traveled all over the states, including Hawaii, and still had wonderful reception. This program is exclusive to FMCA members, and you can only have one hot spot per FMCA member number. If your friends learn about the FMCA Tech Connect+ Wi-Fi and they aren’t RVers, then they may go out and buy an RV just to become an FMCA member to qualify for this super deal.
The FMCAssist Medical Emergency and Travel Assistance Program is medical evacuation and repatriation coverage included as part of your FMCA membership. I’m telling you about this again because I have had so many emails from members who found themselves needing this service, provided by Europ Assistance and underwritten by Federal Insurance Company, a member of the Chubb Group of Companies. It hasn’t always worked perfectly, but we’re still working a few kinks out of the system. The important thing is to call (877) 352-0785 (United States) or (877) 350-3532 (Canada) when you discover that you need FMCAssist services after medical evaluation. Once you have opened the case, we hope all will be better soon. If you run into any problems, call me at (303) 910-3900. You are family, and we make sure that our family members are receiving the best service possible.
With $50 annual dues, members are renewing and new members are joining us as we continue a steady growth, with over 75,354 RVs as of November 1, 2021. We are making some changes in advertising for membership, so if you are in the Quartzsite, Arizona, area in December and January, look for our billboards on both eastbound and westbound Interstate 10. We hope to recruit the RVers who travel the roads in this area for the warm winter months and still don’t know about FMCA. Tell your friends that FMCA is the best program for all RVers.
The holidays are coming fast. I hope everyone is safe and enjoying this time of the year. The FMCA office will be closed from December 24 to January 3. If you are traveling, please be careful.
If you haven’t made your reservations for FMCA’s 104th International Convention and RV Expo at Tucson, Arizona, March 23 through 26, 2022, then please do so soon. We’re going to have a great time, with more than 100 seminars, over 150 vendors, terrific entertainment, block parties, repair personnel, and RVs on exhibit. In Tucson, you also will have the opportunity to reconnect with friends you haven’t seen for a while, as well as make new friends. Visit FMCA.com; call (800) 543-3622 or (513) 474-3622; or complete and mail in the registration form on page 51 of this issue to get signed up. We look forward to seeing you there.
Let’s Grow!
FMCA members play a key role in helping to spread the word about our association among RV owners, and a new affiliate program will help to expand those efforts.
Chief Executive Officer
Chris Smith
csmith@fmca.com
Did you know that, according to RV Industry Association statistics, 11.2 million families in the United States own an RV? Plus, the Recreation Vehicle Dealers Association of Canada estimates that 2.1 million RVers reside in Canada. That leaves plenty of room for FMCA to grow, and you are invited to help!
Acquiring new members is very important to FMCA’s future, as it is for any association. Of course, it’s vital to retain current members, but the reality is that for various reasons, every month members leave FMCA. 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 be creative when it comes to marketing and advertising efforts to attract members.
After working with a marketing consultant to learn best practices and how to track and monitor our efforts to assess their effectiveness, FMCA developed its own marketing team in 2016. Since then, 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. These arrangements are mutually beneficial and cost-effective for both parties. Examples include RV manufacturers Entegra Coach and Keystone RV; RV dealers La Mesa RV and RV Country; plus Fantasy RV Tours, KOA, and Passport America.
In recent years, FMCA has focused heavily on digital marketing. Advertising on platforms such as Facebook and Google provides FMCA very attractive per-member acquisition costs. Plus, the ads are easy to manage, and metrics and performance are simple to interpret. There is good reason these two companies capture more than half of all U.S. advertising dollars.
Social media also has had a huge influence on getting FMCA’s name out to the public. FMCA has 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/user/fmcaonline
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fmcarvclub
These efforts combined allow us to reach more than 385,000 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.
We are going to formalize this sharing with a new affiliate program set to roll out soon. FMCA members who wish to help will obtain a link to share on their own social media platforms and then receive credit for RV owners who follow that link and join FMCA as a result. This is similar to the existing member recruitment program, which gives members a $10 voucher for each member they recruit, but with a technological twist.
In-person recruiting remains a vital way for FMCA to obtain members. FMCA has a presence at some of the biggest RV shows in the United States, including the Quartzsite Sports, Vacation & RV Show in Arizona; America’s Largest RV Show in Hershey, Pennsylvania; and the Florida RV SuperShow in Tampa.
Plus, I don’t think anyone can explain the benefits and tell 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 good incentives to do so! Visit the link above to learn more, and stay tuned for information about how to become involved in the affiliate program.
Contact An FMCA National Chaplain
Chaplains Connection Line: (833) 458-0778
Email: chaplains@fmca.com
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.