Hows and Whys of Making Your Membership Site Interactive
If you wish for your website's members to become a success, making it more interactive is essential.
WHAT'S IN THE INSIDE Toggle
Social media platforms like Facebook and forums for discussion like Reddit have shown that people are hungry for online interaction. The days of content that is passive consumption are, if not gone, at least diminished.
In this piece this article, we'll go over eleven strategies to enhance your membership site to be more user-friendly, and include hyperlinks to various tools that could assist WordPress users swiftly implement these suggestions. But before we get to these suggestions Let's take a quick review the reason you'd like to make your membership site more interactive.
Why Make Your Membership Site more interactive?
Encouraging and increasing user engagement is among the primary motives. When users are engaged, they're more likely to return to your site again in the near future, and also subscribe to receive the more engaging content you offer.
And adding content that's more stimulating and interactive on your site's membership pages can improve the value of your product. It's much easier to market a membership site boasting interactive webinars, quizzes and discussion boards, and interactive tools than one simply comprised of images and text. Additionally it will appeal to a wider audience if it makes use various methods of content consumption.
If you are able to convince visitors to engage in a micro-interaction through your website it will be easier for them to make a larger contact in the coming years. The approach is similar to the classic method of selling through the door which is where asking for something small improves the chances of getting a yes to a bigger demand later. Asking visitors to do something such as leaving a comment will increase the chance of them doing something like joining a club or buying products later on.
In the end, interactive features on your website make it easier for visitors to revisit your site. When a user comments or creates information, there's a greater likelihood that they'll return to see if someone has replied or if they've succeeded.
In light of the numerous benefits of making your site more interactive, it's recommended that you offer your interactive functions available to both non-members and registered users. There are 11 ways you can accomplish this:
How To Make Your Member Site More Interactive
Now that we've covered the basics, let's think about the ways to do it.
1) Start a Blog or Podcast and allow comments
When you enable a commenting system for your blog, readers are able to interact with every blog post you make. Be sure to respond to messages in a timely manner to stimulate discussion. It is possible to upgrade your system for commenting with an online service such as Disqus.
2.) Set up an Online Content Ratings and Review System.
There are times when comments from visitors aren't the right fit for your content, or they require too much time/effort for visitors. There's a good thing, you can allow your readers to have their say about your site content and reap the benefits from making your website more engaging by using a no-cost plugin, such as Rating-Widget's Star Review System, which lets visitors easily engage in your content by simply hitting a button.
3) Add a Discussion Forum
It doesn't matter if you'd like to add an online discussion forum in your protected zone of membership or make it publicly available to all visitors, this cost-free bbPress WordPress plugin will make it simple.
Offering visitors a forum to talk about ideas and exchange opinions can be a fantastic method to make your site more interactive. If you decide to set up your discussion forum, users are able to receive email notifications every time new activity takes place, helping to draw users back to your website.
Delivering support, offering assistance, or even making a space in which your members can get together are only a few methods to make use of discussion forums.
4) Leverage Social Networking Features
5) Let Visitors Submit Content
6) Begin an Email Newsletter
7.) Create Quizzes, Polls, and Surveys
Certain people simply love taking polls and taking quizzes. Others find them essential to provide them with the data they're looking for. If you decide to include amusing polls or quizzes that help people decide the next step, there are plenty of resources to assist WordPress users incorporate them into their sites.
Not only can these features increase membership site engagement rates, they can also allow your content to be shared while also giving your audience a reason to come back to your website at some point in the future. Surveys can also help you gather important feedback to steer your membership program to the correct direction.
8) Publish Interactive Tools
Depending on the topic of your membership website, developing online tools, such generators or calculators is one of the best ways to make your site more interactive. If you're running a finance-related website the mortgage and savings calculators are an excellent option; for design-related projects consider color palette generators. If you're not planning to create one of these programs yourself, it's a simple Google search can provide you with options to add them to your website in just a few mouse clicks.
9) 9. Run Contests and giveaways
It's fine to induce your visitors to engage with your company. For one thing, a person who's put in the time to sign up to win a prize will be more likely to sign up for your newsletter by email or even become an active member.
Once again, WordPress users are spoiled of options for hosting customized raffles and contests through their website, with the complimentary ContestFriend and Pick Giveaway Winner apps being a good starting point.
10.) Enable Live Chat
Live-chat tools are used with great success by many eCommerce stores as well as websites that offer services. With the installation of a no-cost plugin it is possible to communicate live with customers on the spot. The level of interaction lets you answer any questions at the last minute that might keep potential users from taking the final step towards joining your site.
11.) Do not forget Your Contact Page
Not least, be sure to add a contact page to your website. This should actually be your first task when it comes to making your website more interactive. If you wish to assist users move one step closer to becoming members offering them the option to get in touch with you will not just ensure that they are able to contact you if they need to, but it also gives them the confidence that you're available to them in the future.
Final thoughts
As you can see, there are many methods to make your website more engaging. Whether you want to keep contact with your visitors even when they leave your website and give them reasons to come back and provide additional benefits to current members, improving the interactivity of your site's membership is a smart step towards successful.
How can you improve your membership website to make it more engaging? Let us know in the comments below.
Joe Fylan Joe is a certified WordPress expert who is constantly making WordPress websites, which includes websites, regularly. Joe is passionate about sharing his knowledge to other WordPress users. Check out all his latest WordPress updates and news at the website Get Web Tips.