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Over time, creating a free yet robust online community could be a great way to generate all of the top of funnel leads you'll ever need. Sounds too good to be real? Maybe. It's an issue that's not easy to resolve, as you don't want to provide so much value through the unpaid community that paying members aren't enticed to sign up for your paid-membership community.
If there's already a thriving, free community in your industry Do you have an unique benefit proposition that can draw people away from their current community they're comfortable being part of - the place they know people and have a reputation - to become part of yours?
If so, power to you. If not, think about how you can come alongside this vibrant community to become a valued participant. This will be discussed in a moment. Two platforms that are commonly used to build an open community are Facebook Groups and discussion forums. If you choose to use Facebook it is recommended to create a closed Facebook Group where non participants can see that the group exists however they aren't able to join without being approved by the group's organizer. If you've created an public group, discussions that happen often revolve around the lowest common denominator and devolve quickly. You want to create a welcoming, friendly environment to encourage people to participate as they do in the paid-for subscription. Facebook has also hidden "secret" groups, which are invite-only groups, but you don't require this because you're using it as a top of funnel source and absolutely need to be found.
The most significant drawback with Facebook is that you're essentially playing with another's sandbox. If they change the rulesas they have been known to do in the past and your group could vanish in a matter of minutes. Controlling the situation and taking less risk is important, considering the time and effort required to create such a community. Discussion forums that are free to join forum could also be an effective community choice. Find out if the software that you're using in your membership allows you to create an independent community outside of the paywall.
In any case, be sure to clearly state the rules of your community and prepare to moderate discussions as required. If there are moderators in your community that are paid, extend their territory to include patrolling the community that is free as well.
In conclusion, I would strongly suggest establishing a formalized free and paid. paid-for content strategy. Once you have one, you can seed discussions in your community using your free content and thereby increase the value of your membership in a non-pushy way.
No matter where you manage a community that is free there is a need to invest a significant amount of time into participating there at the very beginning. It is essential to make yourself the head of the community and also an industry professional. Provide a lot of value at the beginning and respond to questions in depth and promptly. However, as time goes forward, and you're sure to have the necessary number of people and you are able to do so, then withdraw your participation from the free group back. For instance, let your members know that the times you'll be available on Tuesdays and Fridays to answer questions and participate. If they'd prefer to talk to you faster, then there's always a person available to talk with them on your membership paid community forum.
You also need to leave less detailed answers to questions as time goes on. Provide answers, by all means, but don't offer the complete information as you would members who pay. Offer a sample and direct the community member to your membership that is paid for so they can get the entire solution to this question as well as other questions. It's also helpful if you can point to the content in your membership that answers specific questions posed in your free group. As with any acquisition channel it is essential to have a method to capture leads and get potential customers into your marketing funnel, aka download your lead magnet, and then begin sending out your email nurture series. Make sure you do this.
Additionally, make sure you're constantly promoting your paid membership within the community you're in. Be respectful, not pushy or overtly announcing it, but putting links to all of your free content (which obviously include lead magnets for opt-ins throughout the piece) Podcasts, episodes of podcasts and announcements about the addition of your membership that you pay for, as well as promotional offers to encourage conversions.
Create a community for free after very careful consideration on your part. This is a long-term endeavor similar to running your own show, and if you're able gain momentum, you can start the races toward your paid membership!
Become a leader in the existing communities
If there is several online communities that are devoted to your field of expertise it is possible to join one of them and contribute regularly, aid others, and contribute value, rather than making a fresh start by creating your own community.
The idea of this could be thought of as an extension of your existing social strategy and participation is an integral an element of your daily routine. That is you must keep a list of the social media interactions you aim to engage in over the course of a week. Participating in these no-cost communities one of the line items on that checklist. Put it on your calendar and keep it there, as if your involvement is spotty, you're wasting your time as it's unlikely to be seen or get noticed with a significant impact.
In time, if you're consistent to this method, you'll establish yourself as an authority who is worth the attention of and look out for in those free communities. Don't hear me say that you shouldn't bombard someone else's community with junky sales, spammy emails. This will earn you a one-way ticket to the departure of the community's coordinator. Respect their rules and promote your membership as allowed in your organic influencer strategy the first priority is to become a helpful individual who adds lots of value to the group.
Reddit and Quora
Reddit as well as Quora are often overlooked treasures that function as an all-in-one resource for those searching for something online. I'd be astonished when you scoured these two websites and didn't find anything relating to your membership topic.
Responding to questions on Quora as well as Reddit that pertain to your area of membership creates the gift that keeps on providing. If you're a useful resource on those sites, people will find your responses over and over again.
You can add participation in these websites to your social media strategy checklist as well. Even if you only check these sites once per month , or even once per quarter, you should establish a certain amount of presence if your industry topic is discussed on either site. Spend an hour searching those sites to find questions that you could answer or threads you can add something of value to. If you can write up a dozen replies in that period of time, you've planted seeds that will eventually produce fruits as these threads are referred to often later on.
If you're visiting these websites, remember the golden rules for marketing: first be helpful, then be even more useful, and then you'll be extremely helpful, providing so much value that you have no choice but for the people you want to reach give you money to get more of that sweetness and worth.