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Over time, creating a free yet robust online community could be a great way to generate all of the high-quality leads that you'll ever require. It sounds too great to be real? Maybe. This is a problem that's not straightforward to fix, because you don't want to provide such a high value for your community without paying that members aren't enticed to join the paid-membership group.

If you have a vibrant, free community in your sector Do you have an unique benefit offering that could attract people from the community they're currently with where they've met individuals and are renowned for to join yours?

If you are, then good luck to you. If not, you should think about what you could do to be part of the vibrant group to be an active participant. The topic will be covered in a moment. Two platforms that are commonly used to build an open community include Facebook Discussion forums and Groups. If you choose to use Facebook it's recommended to start a private Facebook Group that non-participants will be able to see the group exists however they aren't able to join until they have been approved by the group's organizer. If you've set up a open group, the discussions which take place tend to revolve on the lowest common denominator , and devolve quickly. The goal is to create a welcoming, friendly environment to encourage people to participate like they would in a paid-for subscription. Facebook is also home to "secret" groups that are only for invites, however, it's not necessary since you're using it as an end-of-the-funnel source, and must be discovered.

One of the biggest drawbacks with Facebook is that you're essentially playing around with the sandbox of another. If they alter the rules, as they've been known to have done in the past, the group can disappear within a few minutes. Making sure you are in control and taking the least risk is crucial, taking into consideration the effort and time necessary to establish an environment. Forums that allow members to post discussions that are open to all members could also be an effective alternative for community members. Discover if the application which you're using for your membership allows you to create an entirely independent community that is not bound by the cost of the paywall.

Whatever the case may be, be certain to state clearly the guidelines of your community and be prepared to moderate discussion as necessary. If moderators are present in your community that are paid expand their responsibilities and include the patrolling of your community that is also free.

In closing, I'd strongly advocate establishing a formalized free and. paid-for content strategy. If you've got one, you are able to start conversations in your group using your free content and thereby boost the benefit of membership without being pushed.

In any case, when you run an online community, even if it is not free, there is a need to spend a substantial amount of your time and effort into joining the community at the very beginning. It is crucial to establish your self the leader of your community as well as an industry professional. Give a lot worth at first and answer questions with a thorough and prompt response. But, as the time moves forward, and you're sure that you'll have the required quantity of participants and are able to do so and withdraw from the free group back. As an example, inform your members know that the times you'll be available on Tuesdays and on Fridays to respond to questions and take part. If they'd prefer to talk to you quicker, there's always someone to talk with them on the forum you have paid for as a member.

You also need to leave some less specific responses to the questions over time. Answer questions, through every means, but you shouldn't give all of the details as you would members who have to pay. Provide a sample, and then direct users to your membership which is paid for so they can obtain the full answer for this issue as well as other questions. It's also helpful if you can point to the contents of your account that addresses specific concerns that are asked by your forum. As with any acquisition channel it's essential to establish an effective method of capturing leads and get potential customers to your funnel for marketing, which is to download your lead magnet and start sending the email nurture sequence. Be sure to do this.

Additionally, make sure you're continuously promoting your paid membership to the group which you're part of. Keep it respectful and not overly pushy or openly declaring your membership, but putting hyperlinks to your free content (which naturally includes the lead magnets to sign-up for your newsletter throughout the piece) podcasts, episodes of podcasts and announcements about your new subscription that you purchase, as well as incentives to increase conversions.

Create a community for free with careful thought by you. It's a long-term project as is hosting your own show when you've gained momentum, you can start racing towards your paid membership!

Be a role model in existing communities

If there are many online communities dedicated to your area of expertise, it is possible to join one of them , and give back regularly, help other and add value instead of having a new starting by creating your own online community.

This can be thought of as an expansion of your current strategies for social and it can be a key part of your everyday routine. That is you must keep track of any social media interactions you aim to participate in during the course of one week. Engaging in these communities at no cost is are among the top things on the list. Make it a priority on your calendar and make sure you keep it there because if your participation is spotty, you're wasting your time because it's unlikely to be seen or get noticed with a significant influence.

As time passes, if you stick to this strategy it will establish you as an authority worthy of the respect and attention of those who you should be looking out for in those open communities. Don't hear me say that you should not bombard another community with ad-hoc sales or and spammy email messages. You'll be handed only one ticket for the departure of the community's coordinator. Follow their rules and spread the word about your membership in accordance with your natural influencer plan. Your first priority is to become an active participant who can add lots of benefits to the organization.

Reddit and Quora

Reddit as well as Quora are often overlooked treasures that function as an all-in-one source for anyone looking for something online. I'd be astonished when you scoured these two websites and couldn't locate anything related to the topic of your membership.

Responses to queries on Quora and Reddit related to your area of membership gives you the opportunity to keep going on to provide. If you're a valuable information source on those websites, people will find your responses over and over again.

You can add participation in these sites to your social media checklist. Even if you check the sites every month  or each quarter, you must have a presence if your industry topic is mentioned on any of the sites. Spend an hour searching those websites to locate questions can be answered or discussions that you could add value to. If you can write up a dozen replies in that period of time, you've planted seeds that can eventually yield fruit when these threads will be referenced often later on.

If you're on these sites keep in mind the rules of marketing that are timeless to be helpful: first, you must be helpful, then be even more useful in the next step, and you'll become highly helpful, offering such value that you have to make those you wish to reach give you money in order to increase that sweet and value.

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