Web 2.0 is one of the most overused as well as misunderstood terms in recent years. In brief, it means providing a user-driven website. Most membership marketing sites are Web 2.0, particularly social networking sites. The users have control over the content in the blogs, forums, reviews, article posting and so on.
To enhance your website’s usability and hence benefit members, here are some concepts to provide some member benefits or interactive extras.
Training courses are ideal for providing benefit to members. There are a wide range of forms for course delivery. You could use email-html or text or both, website content pages, streaming, pdf downloads and downloadable audios and videos.
E-mail training courses
Getting members to sign up for such a course that runs for several weeks is an ideal way of keeping the members interacting with your website over time. The course could be a paid course, a free course or both. You could give the initial lessons for free and once they are into the course, ask for payment for the rest of the program.
Video Tutorials
This is an effective method of training since it is much easier to demonstrate what you are doing, instead of trying to give an explanation. This prevents frustration among your students when they cannot understand your explanations. You can either do the videos yourself using available software, or you could hire the services of video creation experts. You could create basic power point slideshows and give a narration, or you could sit/stand in front of a video camera and talk.
Tele-classes
Tele-classes, just like conference calls, are conducted via the telephone. They are an ideal way for members to participate in live learning, and also interact personally with you and other members. You can choose to record your calls, make transcripts and sell them as another product. In addition, you could offer resell or reprint rights to these calls and sell licenses.
Product Reviews
Reviews posted by members are a great interactive medium. Controversy (whether good or bad) is known to generate traffic fast. Allow your members to speak openly about services or products they have used. This will help other members and visitors, and will also add much content to your website, something search engines love.
Guest Interviews
Guest interviews with a recognized personality who is linked to your niche subject will enhance the credibility of your website. Promote guest interviews in your newsletter and in your website. This is a quick strategy of getting content. Allow your members to post comments and reviews to the interviews.
Forums
A forum is a kind of virtual community which provides the chance for people with related interests to talk to one another. Have a good admin and forum monitors to make sure everything is smooth. The forums could be kept open to everyone interested. However, this may attract forum hackers and spammers. You could opt for a private forum for members to keep things more focused and secure.
Competitions
Encourage members to post on the blog or forum by running a competition. Each month, award a prize to the member who has contributed the best post. You could also give a prize to the member who posts the most comments every month.
Author Bio : Charles Mburugu is a professional content developer and an entrepreneur. He often writes about real estate, finance, business start-ups and internet marketing. In the past few weeks he has been writing for blogs where you can get the latest symantec code and coupons go daddy.
Well put, sir, well put. I’ll crtenaily make note of that.