Online communities are becoming an increasingly important factor in many entrepreneurs’ marketing game plans. Whether you have created your own, or belong to one of the thousands of interest-based groups that can be found online, you’ll want to make the most out of your V.I.P. status. This post will touch on a few ways you can reap the benefits of such a membership.
- Start Out On The Right Foot – As soon as your membership is approved, be sure to say hello and introduce yourself to the other members. Make sure you’ve read any rules the group may have about posting and abide by them at all times. This will ensure your good-standing with the group owner and keep you from being kicked out for some minor infraction.
- Ask Questions – Make it a point to ask questions relevant to the group’s interest and help keep the conversation flowing. When people answer your questions, welcome you to the group, or otherwise interact with you, be sure to respond to them in a timely manner, thank them, or keep the conversation going with more questions.
- Answer Questions – When you see others asking questions, help them find the answer without offering to sell them anything. Being helpful is a great way to make a good impression and allows you to build relationships and establish trust.
- Have a Completely Filled Out Profile – Many online communities allow you to create a profile or are hosted on a social media site that does. Be sure that yours is filled out completely and is welcoming to someone who may be looking at it to find out more information about you.
- Comment On Other Peoples’ Shares – Let other people know that you are paying attention to what they have to say or what they are sharing by commenting on their posts.
- Create a Killer Signature Line – If you are in an online community that allows you to have a signature line, take advantage of it. If you’re collecting leads in that particular niche, create a lead capture page offering information pertaining to their interests and incorporate it into your signature.
- Establish Yourself as an Expert – Be an excellent resource of information to those who are seeking answers to specific problems about which you have knowledge. If you want to be known as an authority in that particular niche, don’t keep all your information behind some lead capture page or membership site. Give it away and gain the massive return on investment that generosity brings.
As you can see, being a member of an online community can be a valuable resource for network marketers. They are a place where people who have a common interest and are looking for answers to similar problems gather, which makes them wonderful places to conduct market research. More importantly, they are a great way to meet new people that you can help, build new relationships, and serve more people.
