In this article, we will focus on your existing members, and ways to make them feel extra special. Here is where a lot of businesses go wrong, as they only focus on attracting new members and customers, but not enough on member retention.
That’s a big mistake, as it’s a much better investment and healthier business strategy to keep the trust you already gained than to rely only on finding new members. We’ll show you how to keep members happy…
Which will make them want to stay subscribed forever!
1. Give Them Free Stuff
Who doesn’t like gifts? If you want your members to feel special, surprise them from time to time with something free.
Yes, their membership plan already gives them extras non-paying customers don’t get. But, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t treat them with more on special occasions.
For example, you can give them a month of subscription for free on their birthday. On Black Friday, you can offer them a huge, members-only discount for your other products. Or, if the membership includes you sending them physical products every month, include a gift from time to time. That can be something as simple as a mug with your logo and THANK YOU message on it, or a calendar. It doesn’t really matter what it is, this is about you showing appreciation, and it won’t go unnoticed.
And don’t think about this as wasting money. First, you’re not sending them Bitcoin, but symbolic acts of kindness. Second, members are giving you their money and they are going to continue doing that for years to come if you treat them fair.
2. Get Personal
While it’s true that people sign up for memberships to get a better service/product, and not primarily because they want to meet business owners, you should still treat them as humans, personally.
Once they sign up, send them a personal email, addressing them by name, and introducing yourself as the company owner, thanking them for joining your tribe.
Also, you should have virtual office hours where members join via Skype or Zoom and ask you questions. This is particularly useful if you have a coaching business, or something like that, where people apply your advice to their businesses and lives.
And whenever you get an email or support call, address your members by name, and never forget to thank them for continually using your services. Don’t be ashamed to tell them how membership is one of the most vital sources of income for your business, and how much it helps you going forward and developing services.
Lastly, meet your members face to face. Whenever you are a part of a conference, don’t hesitate to let them know, and meet them in person. If you don’t have a too big following, take them to a local coffee shop, and buy the whole group a cup. They will never cancel after that.
3. Notice Active Members
Notice the people who are the most active in your Facebook and Twitter communities, and always like their posts. You can even tag them when asking questions, which will spark up the discussion. And if you ever happen to meet them in person, take a selfie, and post it on the group.
If you are brave enough, and if you feel like your members are trustworthy, you can even offer them a position at the company. That can be something like letting them admin your Facebook page, or even something bigger than that if you have a vacancy. That person will probably do a great job (as they were already a fan before you hiring them), and it will show other users how much you appreciate and trust the community.
One more thing: if you ever notice that one of your most active community members left, contact them, or ask on the group/forum. You want to know what went wrong. If a very active person decided to quit your membership, that might mean something is very wrong with your company, and you will get valuable feedback. Make sure you thank them for all the time they spent as a member of your tribe.
4. Celebrate Achievements
This one is simple and short—you want to create a genuine community among members. Whenever one of them reaches a new milestone, let everybody know.
This can be something huge like a big financial win, or something small like a membership anniversary (you should give them a badge for this). You can even ask them to share personal information. If they agree, you can post how they got twins or another grandson, or how they graduated from college and started their own business.
Of course, if you are running a fitness-related business, sharing their weight loss wins is always great. Just make sure they give you permission to put pictures as proof.
5. Emphasize Members-Only Content
Make sure that the content you produce only for your members goes far beyond ordinary. Send them blog articles that go deep, and also videos whenever applicable. Send them case studies that show how other members achieved their business goals with the help of your service.
But whatever you do, make sure it is of premium quality. You don’t want them to feel scammed, so don’t send them cookie-cutter information they can get with a two-second Google search. All of the content should be targeted, curated, and specific for your audience, having their needs, and wants in mind.
6. Cultivate The Community
Although membership sites give people access to your company, services, products, or yourself, it is a good idea to spark up communication between members themselves.
Stay active in your groups and forums, and notice members that like to share information with others or those who are professionals with specialized, niche kind of knowledge. And then, when someone asks a specific question, feel free to tag the person who is an expert on the topic, and spark up a discussion.
Not only that you will seem like an honest person that doesn’t pretend to know everything, but you will also make both those members feel good. This will create a family-like environment, and people will be more likely to help each other if you spark this kind of communication.
With these six simple ways to make your members feel special, you are guaranteed to keep them happy for a long time. Membership sites are one of the best ways to earn money online, and if you set up your site right, they will get you as close to earning passive income as possible.
We hope these tips will help you reach your goals, and make your members happy for a long time to come. Have tips of your own to share? Join our private Facebook group and share with our active community!
