The Future Online is Subscription-Based: Why I Joined Third Tribe

Clearly, the title left out a few pieces of information. I believe there is still a future online for free, but increasingly, the way to get things done, to go from conversation to agent, is subscription-based. Why? Accountability, resources, self-selected network, and opportunity to syndicate service, for a fee.

The service for a fee model interests me most. That's why I joined Third Tribe as a member this week. The whole velvet rope community concept should make brands pay attention. This is not just a build a community to push your products, or just engage customers in your stuff kind of model.

It's a legitimate way to build a pipeline for consulting services with customer buy in.

The social network equivalent of or answer for lead nurturing programs. The missing link between customer portal, where they see only the information about themselves, and in person user group forum events, where there is only opportunity to talk about current issues with a limited number of company people.

I don't know if Chris, Brian, Simone, and Darren meant their model to be leveraged this way when they set out to offer a private membership forum and information/education place to share openly about internet marketing strategies, tactics, and ideas. That's the business opportunity I see for brands.

What each party gets out of it

We keep hearing that staying up to speed on skills is paramount to remain competitive -- in the marketplace, and your own organization. This is front and center in the mind of your customer base.

The other valuable piece is of course to help them succeed in the day to day normal course of work.

Subscription-based for customers means they will receive additional education and training, and opportunity to cross network. Instead of getting direct mailers or emails as part of a campaign, they vote to participate in surveys about products, services, marketing campaigns, communication preferences. 

We lament the state of our budgets and how we need to learn to be more efficient and a big part of that is expanding within your existing customer base.

The other valuable piece for marketers is learning about what makes customers click on the purchase button with more frequency.

Marketers get to seed a community manager and experienced consultants in a customer community where they can learn about the burning issues, questions, preferences, and needs of the people they used to push marketing at.

This is permission-based. People actually want to talk to each other in there. Worth considering.

How to Operationalize this concept

Ideas are free, right? It's the making it happen part that needs figuring out.

Imagine this as your new customer loyalty program. You give a little, you get participation and enrollment.

You start with a limited time promotion -- accounts that bill xyz per month (read profitable), get to join in for free.  Accounts that bill between xyz and abc, get to sign in for the special discount price of $__/month. Accounts that bill below abc, get to join in at a higher $___ /month with the option to downgrade to a lower subscription fee if they buy services that put them in the higher recurring revenue range.

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This is one simplified execution idea. I have a few more where that came from. Makes sense? What would you add, change, object to?

Subscription-based is the future of online models. In an environment where customer intelligence is at the core, brand advocates need to get up to speed on executing these kinds of ideas for their organizations. They are the connection between CRM systems, marketing platforms for lead nurturing activities, research outputs, and content marketing.

What are you waiting for? Join Third Tribe and start figuring out how you leverage the ideas we're brewing in there for your business. This was my first idea and I just joined. As of this post, I have no financial incentives to encourage you to sign up.

A little less conversation, a little more agent.

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Sidebar on commitment: how do you stick with participating in an online forum? You do it the same way as you stick with everything else in life. You set goals that fit into a strategy to get you to what's next, and build deliverables under them.

For example, check in every day/other day (your own frequency) and commit to: sharing 3 things and asking 1 thing.

© 2006-2010 Valeria Maltoni. All rights reserved.

Comments

[Joe Cascio]

I like the term "velvet rope". But seriously, Not Free changes the entire dynamic of a social network. Exclusivity has value. As the ad says, "Membership has its privileges."

It's been pretty much assumed that you had to let everyone in to have a successful social networking product, but that was only because it was based on an advertising model. Funny how conventional wisdom relies on invisible assumptions.

[Eric]

I agree with you on this for a lot of reasons. One of which is that as the online space becomes more saturated with content and voices people will increasingly be looking for ways to filter out that which isn't relevant or wanted. Subscription-based models and velvet-rope communities (great term) are one way to fulfill that demand.

[Trevor Young PR Warrior]

Hi Valeria, love your work :)

Re: Third Tribe, I think there are a couple of reasons why this initiative will work -

1) Darren, Chris & Co have tremendous credibility as individuals...even more so collectively. And with credibility comes trust, an important factor when you're asking people to shell out money, particularly in the early days of a 'concept'.

2) The prospect of gaining valuable 'inside information' and getting ahead of the masses is quite a big selling point.

The thing with Third Tribe is the ease in which you can get out of it if required - simply hit a 'Cancel' button. The ease and simplicity in joining up and, if need be, cutting loose is important.

I joined yesterday and had a look at the forum and saw Darren had noted he'd copped a bit of flak for being involved in the project. Probably some people felt he was selling out, which is pretty unjust I would have thought.

Like you, I will be following the concept closely!

[LisaNewton]

I joined and so far, I'm lovin' it. Learning a lot, reading so much, and just having some fun.

With so many great minds in one "room," how can you go wrong.

[Peter Rodgers]

You make a great case for quality subscription-based interaction. I was inspired to revisit the Third Tribe concept as a result of your ideas.

To the people that have made comments... it's refreshing to see the kind of conversations that happen here on Valeria's blog. I benefit from your reflections and additions. Thanks to you all!

[Valeria Maltoni]

@Joe - Chris Brogan was the first person who mentioned that term. It reminded me of the years when I was working in a club and it stuck with me. It makes total sense to transfer online. Exclusivity does help with cutting down on those who are not committed to the network's success.

@Eric - the filter is important. Many of the people I love reading do just that for me: they filter the information, stay up to speed, give me their take on what's important.

@Trevor - thank you. Glad you're finding the content helpful. Trust matters and they built it by delivering value. See you in there ;)

@Lisa - so many smart and motivated people in there. Which is the other point. Unless you're motivated to participate (in the network and in life), you won't get much out of anything.

@Peter - Third Tribe makes me want to be even more motivated. Which is the point of hanging out with folks who make things happen. Glad you're finding the dialogue useful.

[Jamie Favreau]

I joined a subscription based community back in 01-02. It was called Red Wings World and I believe it might still be around today if they had updated their content and fulfilled the promises they had. Now they got rid of it and it was shut down in 09.

I totally agree on everything you stated which is why I am totally sad the community is closed. The possibility for the Red Wings to have that much content from a paid community is priceless and everyone was an evangelist for the cause.

The Third Tribe I will join once I start working full time. I can't afford it right now. I am sure there is amazing content coming from everyone. I should have read my email when it was the lower price.

As a member of a paid community and member of free communities. I think there are advantages to both.

[Gemma Went]

Love this idea and can really see the value in it Valeria. It does help that the guys behind it have such credibility that you instinctively 'know' there is value attached to it. Love the model you've come up with for client subscriptions, may look into this myself.

Thanks