Attracting members on the front end of your online business is exciting, but keeping people around for the long haul is what builds a strong membership community.
And ultimately, that’s what you’re after, right?!
Retention is what you want, and it’s the difference between a consumer and a raving fan.
You can figure out what keeps a customer by trial and error—and a lot of lost resources—or you can get the inside scoop from us here at Team Searchie as we dig into the content approach that keeps your community coming back for more.
Ready? We’re dropping 4 ways to ensure your members will stick around–let’s go!
1. Get Your Members Rocking Results
Sweet and simple: the first reason people stay part of a membership—and usually the reason they join in the first place—is to get a result.
The market doesn’t matter; your audience is looking to either solve a problem or progress towards a goal.
Both are essential skills for any successful membership. So, ask yourself: how does the value I provide in my membership help my audience achieve one or both of these results?
As your members move through your program, it’s really important to remind them of the results or progress they’re making.
As long as you’re focused on helping members move toward their goals, people will stay.
After all, no one ever leaves a membership because they’re making too much progress.
2. Renewable Relationships: Keep Members Coming Back For The Community
The second reason people stick with a membership is the relationships they form. People come for the content but stay for the community.
So, one of your goals as a membership site owner is to help people form relationships.
Having built strong relationships is what draws people to participate in Masterminds. It’s not that they learn something magical every time they attend. The real reason is they get to form deep relationships and friendships that last for years or even decades.
It’s the relationships that cause them to invest time and money into the experiences.
There’s a lot of power in creating a community of like-minded people.
3. The Power Of Convenience On Call
Another reason people stay is convenience—if your membership fits easily into their daily or weekly flow.
Here’s an example…
One of the great, time-consuming chores of everyone’s week is grocery shopping. Finding time in the busy schedule. Driving across town. Wandering through the aisles.
Ugh, I forgot the peanut butter.
But now, certain grocery stores have apps you can use to pre-order your entire grocery list from the comfort of home. You can make sure you get everything you need and have it delivered right to your door.
Think about some of the teaching membership sites out there that make teachers’ lives easier by making it more convenient to create monthly lesson plans.
Why have businesses like these taken off?
Because customers don’t have to choose between value and convenience.
And when you can deliver that combo on a regular basis, you’ve got the secret sauce to a stellar membership!
4. Keep Your Members Intrigued, Engaged, And Coming Back For MORE
There’s one more BIG element to customer retention: entertainment!
Yes, memberships are supposed to be enjoyable! 😉
Like in most of life, the more people enjoy the experience, the more likely people will do it again. You can identify this element most obviously with media subscriptions.
Think about Netflix for a sec…
Movies and TV shows are entertaining and fun, right? But what makes people return so often is the anticipation, episode cliffhangers, new seasons, and rewatching old favorites.
Believe it or not, the same exciting elements can be applied to almost any membership.
As you plan entertaining content, remember that providing unique value needs your unique voice and personality.
Authenticity is as much a part of an engaging, entertaining membership as the information involved. Why should members stick with you as opposed to someone else providing the same content?
The answer is your special spin, the one that makes them feel seen, heard, and served.
That is the secret ingredient to keeping your members intrigued and glued to every single “episode” of your content.
Now Let’s Get Started!
Results. Relationships. Convenience. Entertainment.
There’s your recipe for creating amazing content that keeps members coming back for more.
Some of these elements will come easier than others, but it takes all four to create a membership that stands a head above the rest.
Get out there and try ‘em out!
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