5 Steps to Turning Strangers Into Members and Members Into Advocates

Every business is a membership business, and the most successful companies are the ones that understand their customers as members. We are all members of many different groups, but we only think of ourselves as members of a company if it offers some kind of service or product we use regularly.

Membership businesses differ from transactional businesses because they require ongoing client relationships. Companies must build trust and loyalty over time rather than simply selling a product or service and moving on. Here are five steps to turning strangers into members and members into advocates for your organization:

Offer top-notch customer service

People are more likely to become members if they have a positive experience with your brand. If you can deliver on that, they’re likely to recommend you, which is the ultimate goal of loyalty programs. That’s why ensuring you have an excellent customer service team is essential.

Make the program easy to join and easy to use

While most people consider a membership program an annual subscription, other ways exist to drive adoption. For example, some programs offer a free trial period or allow members to invite friends into the program for free. These tactics can work well for companies with seasonal products or services, like ski resorts or restaurants, where consumers only visit during certain times of the year.

Create customer loyalty programs and rewarding system

Rewards come in many forms: discounts, points, cash back or even free products. The key is to make the rewards desirable enough for customers to want to earn them. The more desirable the reward, the more likely a customer will refer others to earn it themselves.

Make customer advocacy a part of your business model

It’s important to clarify that customer advocacy is essential to your business model and that you value their opinions and recommendations. This message should be sent through all mediums, including an email newsletter or an article on your website. When customers know they are appreciated, they will be more likely to become advocates for your company.

Seek feedback and implement them

Customer feedback is a great way to understand what your customers are looking for, what they like and don’t like, what they would change etc. It’s a great way to get an idea of what type of content you should create and how you could improve it.

You can use tools like SurveyMonkey or CustomerPerception to get initial customer feedback. However, it is better to have one-on-one conversations with them through social media or email. You can also use tools like Intercom or Desk to get feedback directly from your website visitors.

Conclusion

Getting someone to sign up for your membership site is only the first step; keeping them around, and encouraging them to become true advocates, is entirely different. The key is to treat every interaction you have with your members as an opportunity to get closer to them. When you do that, you’ll find yourself with a much more engaged membership base and an easier time generating repeat customers than ever before.

Social Media Marketing by Glen Huff

Hi, I'm Glen Huff!

Blogger, marketer, and coffee addict. I constantly have my head involved with the inner workings of the internet. I have a love-hate relationship with Social Media, SEO, PHP, and algorithms. With the industry constantly changing, it's hard to know what works.

This blog aims to take my 13 years of marketing experience and give you a clear path to success. My passion is helping business owners thrive online. I hope this blog becomes a valuable resource to you. May your funnels and social media campaigns shower you with leads.

It can be a difficult task to plan social media posts. What should you share with your followers? What will you post today, tomorrow, or the next?

I recently updated my article on this topic. It’s called: 121 Social Media Post Ideas – Never Get Writer’s Block Again! 

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