Do you remember the days when selling a free membership was considered a marketing strategy? Don’t sell a free community (memberships) to maintain a good standard for your community. Nowadays, we see companies offering paid memberships as a way to increase their revenue. This seems really smart from a business perspective. After all, they add value to their customer’s experience and provide them with something useful.
So why, then, aren’t free memberships more attractive? There’s no doubt that they offer great benefits and are highly effective at building brands. The problem is that companies often confuse freebies with real value. They believe that giving away free perks or services is enough to build loyalty and trust. In reality, they’re expecting too much. Freebies are simply an inexpensive way to get started with your brand. If you want your customers to stick around for good, you have to earn their trust and show them that you care.
By creating valuable and meaningful experiences, you can build customer loyalty and create lasting relationships.
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Why does providing a “freemium” feature doesn’t help your community’s growth
One thing that is difficult for community builders who are new to grasp is that “Free” is your enemy.
“Freemium” or the “Freemium model” has a high success rate overall however it’s not the same for communities. One word in your CTA could:
- Attract the wrong kind of people
- reduce any quality in your neighborhood
- and leave you with an ongoing engagement issue
“Free” attracts the wrong kind of person. It draws people who are looking to try the product for free. There’s no need for them.
People you’ll need in your community are people who will need your community equally. It is crucial to find people eager enough to join the community with no pressure to buy a “free” product. They are the ones who can bring energy to your organization!
Also Read: The Advantages Of Building A Website Using WordPress Over Weebly
What is a target audience?
A target audience is a basic category of people whom you want to become a member of your online community. You decide the target audience based on the type of content you create. For instance, you have a course selling business and you have created a community to promote your courses. And for that, you will sort your audience differently. Let us learn about different types of ways to sort your audience.
Also Read: How To Figure Out When The Best Time To Send A Survey?
Ways of sorting your community audience
- Age: There is no need to go into detail here. Concentrate on finding out which year your target audience for the community is currently in or what generation they are.
- Place (and the time zone): Where in the world do your community users reside? This will help you determine the areas you should concentrate on. Also, you’ll learn about the hours that are crucial to ensure your customer service representatives and sales reps are on the internet. Also, when making sure to schedule your social advertisements as well as posts in order to maximize exposure.
- language – What languages do your potential customers use? Don’t assume it’s your language. Also, don’t assume that they speak the predominant language in the area they live in.
- Patterns and spending power – How much money do your potential customers in the community will be spending? What is their approach to buying in your price range? Do they have any specific needs or financial concerns you should be aware of?
- Interests – Which are the interests of the people you are targeting? What shows on TV are they watching? What other companies interact with them?
- Problems – How many issues is your audience facing in the community?
- The stage of life – Are your community users people who are college students? New parents? Parents of teenagers? Retirees?
Also Read: Steps For Any Online Community Moderation Process
Identifying Your Existing Online Audience
Analytics tools help businesses understand their customers’ behavior. They allow you to track the number of visits, bounce rates, page views, and conversions. These metrics give you insight into how well your marketing strategies are working. If you haven’t already done so, install a free tool like Google Analytics to start tracking your traffic. You can track website visits using Google Analytics. You can see if people are clicking on certain links, and which ones, and even see how long they spend on each page. This helps you figure out what people like about your site and what could be improved.
Also Read: How to Create a Community Forum For Discussion & Customer Service?
Tips and tricks to find your community target audience in 2024
Let us go through a detailed step-by-step explanation of how things work in a community and how you can find your community’s target audience in 3 easy and quick steps.
1. Compile old and current data on your community’s audience
Who is most eager to interact with you via social media? Begin with those who are already purchasing from you, following your posts, and engaging with your content. Some of the data points we have already discussed above. So, I am just gonna leave a list with no explanation here:
- Age
- Location
- Spending Patterns
- Time Zones
- Language
- Interests
- Problems
- Stage of life
Also Read: Ways To Successfully Pitch Business Ideas To Convince Clients
2. Effective social listening can help you find conversations about your community
Social listening helps communities understand what their members think about them. It gives them insight into what members are saying about them on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Google+, LinkedIn, Quora, Reddit, YouTube, and others. Social listening allows communities to identify trends and opportunities before their competition does. Communities can use social listening to gain insights into customer behavior, including buying patterns, preferences, demographics, and interests. Communities can also use social listening to determine whether members are satisfied with their service and product offerings.
Also read: Social Media Trends For Strong Marketing Strategy
3. Research what social channels your community members use
Social Media Analytics Tools will help you see where your audience is spending their time online. You’ll get insights like: Which platforms your audience spends time on, what kinds of posts they share, where they interact with other users, etc. These tools also allow you to analyze specific demographics, like age, gender, location, interests, and more.
Also Read: How To Make Your Own Social Network Like Facebook?
4. Figure out the competition
Social media analytics can help you understand how your audience behaves online. You can also see if there are any opportunities to reach them where you weren’t before. These tools will tell you what your audience likes, what they share, and how they engage with each other.
5. Figure out what your community members want from you
You first need to understand who you’re making your product for. Is it for an individual, family, or company? What problems does your product address? How will it make their lives better? You should also think about what benefits your product offers. Maybe it helps someone save money, or maybe it makes their life more fun. These two aspects — who your product is made for and what benefits it provides — are crucial when creating a benefit statement.
Sell A Free Community- Final Thoughts
A modern community requires a good investment, be it time or money. It may seem tiring and expensive, but the results are overwhelming. Invest in a community, feeling inspired? Start your own community today with Wbcom Designs. Our collection of themes, plugins, and blogs will help you maintain a good and updated community! Secure the future of your community with Wbcom Designs.
Interesting Reads:
How to promote your brand on social media
Digital Marketplace Business Model Overview
Marketing Through Social Media: Establish Relationship with Audience
