 | Content Driven or Communication Driven?Saturday, September 22nd 2007 @ 8:29 AM (not yet rated) |
Think about an online group to which you belong. Now ask your self why you joined. Was it primarily because of the content available in the group provided by the author or the contributors? Or was it primarily because of the association with the other members of the group and your ability to communicate with them?
Content driven groups attract members by offering content written by experts on the subject. Good examples of content driven online groups (or membership sites) might be online magazines, author sites, or "how to" sites. These groups attract members by including many "teasers" on their homepage with links to full articles only available to members. Content driven group sites can attract paying members from day one, providing there is enough content. The number of members who belong to these groups are usually irrelevant to the member. What is important, is the information they get from the site.
Communication driven groups on the other hand have a different marketing approach, because the members are not necessarily looking for "authoritative information", but they are looking to communicate with others with the same interest. These sites tend to be more social where entertainment plays a more important role. The sites are about connecting people with similar interests. Good examples might be enthusiast sites, reunion sites, community groups, etc. The key strategy for groups like these to attract members is encouraging members participation, and marketing features that allow for ease of communication, such as online chats, private messaging, and teleconferences. With communication driven groups, the number of members is very important to the member, so these groups are usually more difficult to launch unless you are starting with decent sized list.
So which type of group is yours? The answer is probably somewhere in the middle. Most groups are a little of both. But think about what your group is most like, and create your marketing strategy appropriately.
