How Good Communication Can Boost Your Membership

The other day I went to a website that looked great.  It was well designed, the service they offered looked attractive, and the price was reasonable.  I was just about sold -- but I did have a question or two before I made the commitment.  I went to their contact page and was immediately turned off from buying.

Nothing screams "shady operation" more than a company that hides behind the anonymity of the Internet.  This company, like many others, only provided an online feedback form -- no address, no telephone number, not even a lousy e-mail address. To make matters worse, there was a bold note that "someone will respond within 24-48 hours".  Two days?  I have a question that can be answered in 30 seconds! (breathing.... breathing.... thinking of my happy place....) O.K.

Yes, this is a pet peeve of mine, and perhaps I do feel a bit more strongly on this point than most, but I could tell you from over 13 years of experience in running websites that the easier you make it for customers and prospects to contact you, the more business you will get.

First let's look at some of the top reasons why people do not put contact information on their site.

1. They forget about it.  It is easy to overlook this, especially in a group community where your other members can easily contact you through one of the many online group tools.  If this is you, well, consider yourself reminded :)
2. They are concerned about privacy.  Many small businesses do not have a separate business number or address and do not want to post home information (rightfully so).  This does not instill confidence in potential members.  It is well worth it to at least invest a few bucks a month for a separate phone number and a mail box address at a local UPS store or Post Office.
3. They are concerned about spending too much time on the phone.  Yes, I will admit, some people do abuse the telephone and just want to talk.  Get a gabber on the phone and a good portion of your day can be wasted.  However, the efficiency of a two way real time conversation can save hours of back and fourth e-mails.  And don't forget the people like me that will go elsewhere if a phone number is not listed.  In reality, you will not spend as much time as you think on the phone.

At this point, I hope I have convinced you the importance of making yourself available to your visitors and group members.  Now, here are some tips on how you can do this with your online group:

1. Activate Meebo(tm).  Meebo is that neat real-time chat widget you see on just about all of my online groups, and on the iGrOOps main site.  It allows me, the administrator, to be available for real-time Q&A to both members and prospective members.  It is a great sales and support tool.  With iGrOOps, you can activate that feature easily in your home page editor.
2. Add a link to your private message box to your "featured links".  Encourage your members to contact you.  You can also link to your PM in articles, postings, footers, and more.  Like this.
3. Include a phone number and address on your homepage.  If you are not providing (or encouraging) phone support, then specify that it is a sales number.  This will keep most people from using it as a support line, but you will undoubtedly still get calls for support.  If that is a problem, you can choose to keep the number off.  But your memberships, especially paid, may suffer as a result.

Good communication between you, the group administrator, and both your potential members and existing members, can be a crucial factor in the success of your online group.  How easy is it for your members and prospects to contact you?