Great Ways To Build Trust With Members Online

There are two reasons why people usually subscribe to membership websites and it comes down to necessity or desire.  In the case of necessity, subscribing to the membership offers one access to information or a network they need that they wouldn't get without becoming a member.  As a result, they have reluctant commitment to the community and will likely leave when the benefits end.

If people join membership websites due to desire, they do so willingly which means their commitment to the community is genuine.  Consequently, the organization benefits since members are loyal and tend to interact more online.  Here is how to build trust with members and make them stay due to desire rather than necessity.

 

Part of building trust with members requires delivering value at some point.  You can either deliver practical value which involves offering useful benefits; or emotional value which is about connecting with members on matters they deeply care about.

 

This can be a tangible or intangible item but it is often visible.  For instance, a couple of possibilities might be access to premium content or increased recognition when a member has helped the membership expand.  Tangible items will require shipping as it may be anything from books to DVD’s.  Since practical value is typically visible, it is measurable so that is one advantage to this way of building trust.

 

Value regarding emotion is intangible and it targets how a member feels about the organization.  Although it’s hard to measure, the effects can be assessed by viewing what members say online about the organization.  When many members are participating actively in the discussions and give positive feedback, that’s an indication they receive great emotional value.

If you’re looking to build trust with your members, focus on creating a good balance between practical and emotional value.  Also, keep in mind that when members feel they’re not getting enough of either, their engagement and commitment slowly dwindles.