For any webmaster or website owner who runs a membership site, a top priority is how to make the site as interactive for users as possible.
The internet is filled with so much content and so many options for users. To keep members of your site interested and give them an incentive to keep coming back, it is essential to provide them with engaging and interactive content.
Below, we will discuss a few ways that you can make sure your website is full of clickable, shareable, and interactive content. You will attract new visitors to your site and turn these visitors into members!
Create Engaging and Unique Content for Your Members
Think about your favorite websites.
What makes them so interesting to you? Why do you keep returning to them?
The most likely reason is because they are providing you with new content that you can’t find anywhere else. Not only is this content new, it is also geared directly towards your interests.
In order to run a successful website, it is key to know your audience so that you can know what kind of content they are looking for.
If you operate a technology website, you know your visitors likely come to the site to read about the latest and greatest new tools, gadgets, and gizmos. Producing content that fulfills this need is the first step to keep visitors coming to your site. It also makes it more likely that visitors will become members of your website, especially if they are offered access to additional content.
Providing visitors with an incentive to become members may seem like a challenge, but really it should not be so difficult if you already know how to create engaging content. Many membership sites allow for members to have access to more interactive features of the site.
For example, members of a website may have the ability to comment on an article or have access to forums and message boards. These features allow members to interact with one another, exchange ideas, and build community. Visitors would not benefit from these features, giving them an incentive to become members.
Give Your Membership Site A Voice
One way you could immediately boost the interactivity of your website is by adding a chatroom.
Chatrooms add so much value to a website for many reasons. We will discuss a few below:
- Members only chatrooms create an incentive for visitors to become members. If a visitor to your site has a question or wants to participate in a conversation, giving them the option of accessing a chatroom may be the deciding factor in whether they become a member.
- Chatrooms help members get to know one another. In the online world, it is more challenging to build connections with people. Having the ability to talk to other website members in a chatroom makes this process a little bit easier.
- Chatrooms allow you to interact with your users. Depending on the type of website you operate, there will likely be times when you want to speak to your members directly. While you could always post a blog update or an article, talking with members in a chatroom allows for real-time interaction. Users may have questions that you can respond to quickly. Interacting with users in a chatroom is the closest thing to a real-life conversation you may ever have with your users.
- Chatrooms have many interactive features. Some chatrooms allow users to send files in the chat. This can be helpful if you want to send photos or documents. Another popular chatroom feature is the option to voice chat or video chat. This features is really helpful if members are trying to get to know one another.
Use Your Chatroom Wisely!
After recognizing some of the benefits above, you may make the move of adding a chatroom to your membership site. Don’t make the mistake of stopping there!
Chatrooms can drive new visitors to your site, make membership to your site worthwhile, and increase your website’s interactivity. However, you must be sure to take advantage of the chatroom’s potential.
When you first incorporate a chatroom into your website, it is up to you to make sure members benefit from it, especially at first.
One way you can ensure members are using the chatroom is to set up regular members only chats.
What would this look like?
Well, you could tell your members that you will be available in the chatroom during a set time each week. You could facilitate discussions, answer questions, and get to know them during this time.
After a few regularly schedule chats, members will become familiar with using the chatroom. Depending on your site’s chat capabilities, they may return there on their own to have private conversations.
Once you get the momentum rolling, the chatroom is sure to take off in your membership site.
We only discussed a few of the more obvious ways you can boost member engagement and make your membership site more interactive. There are many more! What other methods do you use?
