companies have for long valued the insights that online communities can provide and many have them have turned them into revenue source by charging a membership fee.
Many individuals are launching their own membership communities, aiming to bring together people around a shared interest.
Ensuring the success of an online membership community is a challenge. You have to attract enough members to create a dynamic community and create a challenging high-quality user experience that keeps them engaged and willing to pay over time.
Some principles to maximise benefits to members and ensure they view the site as something worth paying for
launch with a sufficient user base: If a user goes to the website and finds there is hardly any activity they will not be inclined to become a member. make sure you have already 50+ members before you launch membership plans. One way would be to create a waitlist and launch when you have sufficient members. To identify your early participants reach out to your mailing list, use social media, call personally or emails to see if they would like to join. bundle your membership with online purchase of your goods and services.
Focus our messaging around our site's content: What drives participants to join is the promise of interesting educational content, so emphasize this in our messages and let them discover the value of community interaction on their own over time.
Be heavily involved early on: Your active participation is essential as the members have a direct connection with you and not others and you need to spark conversations to foster these relationships and get in the habit of engaging. You should also set the tone of discussions and make sure it is civil and relevant.
If there is a misunderstanding or a flare-up, have a private conversation and resolve the issue immediately so that it doesn't spill over to the community. Set a clear tone on what type of behaviour is expected in the group and the importance of supporting and encouraging other members.
Do not let your site become a clique Long time members may be dismissive towards new members and their "rookie" questions, those who know each other may respond warmly to each other's posts while largely ignoring other's post. It is essential to create a culture where everyone feels welcome
Help relationships flourish offline. Online communities are great but limited. Encouraging real-life meetups would help grow strong bonds between community members. Hold conferences, meets where members can come together and get to know each other. The more that participants connect with each other the more likely they will stay involved over time and to purchase your product or service.
Get the sales ratio right. Do not oversell. Ask the community about the struggles they are facing and the product or service they feel would be helpful to them. It is important to recognise the difference between an online community and yet another sales channel. Avoid selling too hard.
Today we are overwhelmed with opportunities to interact online and it is not easy to convince people to make effort to engage in another community. be a resource that is truthful to the participants and adds value to their lives while building a robust business model for yourself.
How to Create an Online Community That People Will Pay For
by Dorie Clark HBR September 25, 2019
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