Word of mouth publicity is probably the most profitable exposure your membership site will get. Word of mouth recommendation is more valuable to you than any affiliate program for one very simple reason. If a marketer says that your site is great, that is seen as marketing. If a member says that your site is great, that is seen as fact. Word of mouth is significantly more powerful than the strategic marketing you pay for. Word of mouth marketing means more than one person speaking with another to discuss or promote your website. Email, forward to a friend, forums and chat rooms, and blogging are fantastic word of mouth means of promoting your site as are testimonials and reviews.
What are the key to successful word of mouth promotion? First and foremost…you must offer a valuable membership site. Your members will only promote your site if they feel they are getting good value for their subscription. Increase the value of your membership by: Providing quality, up-to-date content and make sure you post new content and articles on a regular basis, Offering your members free downloads, such as e-books and seminars, and make sure they know what they are worth, Send out newsletters telling your members when new material is going to be available on the site and what it will be. Make sure that the release date for the new material is after they have to renew their subscription so they keep their membership for another month. Provide free, downloadable content. And also operate a successful forum that offers multiple benefits like problem solving, announcements, shared experiences, lively discussion and special offers for members only.