#149 The Best Marketing Strategy For Your Membership or Program
I have two philosophies about marketing memberships & programs:
Provide an incredible experience that drives real results – AKA create a great product – and marketing is A LOT easier
The best possible marketing you can have is organic word-of-mouth marketing
When I started working in this industry full-time and took my job as Head of Product at bossbabe I couldn't get over the marketing world of this industry and how our members poured more into their marketing than what they were actually building. It was so different than every other industry I've worked in that ignores marketing (which is also a problem).
We spend SO much time thinking about the perfect funnel... the freebies, webinars, urgency, bonuses, etc. and we don't spend nearly enough time thinking about the product experience.
Don't get me wrong... marketing funnel strategies can & do work, and if you want an ETHICAL marketing referral to build you an organic funnel, I've got an intro ready to send for you.
But it's not the most important strategy to think about.
Most community builders treat word-of-mouth like a marketing tactic –something you ask for (like testimonials), incentivize, and remind people to do.
But real word-of-mouth is a byproduct of experience.
When someone is actively getting value, seeing results, and feeling connected, they naturally talk about it. Not because you asked them to, but because it becomes part of their identity.
And when that’s not happening, no amount of “please post about us” is going to fix it.
Inside Beyond Connections, we have alumni from multiple cohorts who stay connected in the community.
They’re engaged, but like any long-term membership, there’s a spectrum. Some people are highly active. Others drift in and out over time.
We wanted to bring everyone back together in a way that felt fresh, energizing, and aligned with the core transformation of the program.
So we created a 10-day connection challenge. Here’s what it looked like:
For five days, members would:
Respond to a reflection prompt based on what they learned in the program
Share their insights on LinkedIn
Make two intentional connections each day
The challenge was a huge success.
By the end of the week, participants had made ten new connections in a program that is literally designed to help people build stronger relationships. The experience itself was the value.
75+ people signed up and 1/3 completed the full challenge
There were 150+ LinkedIn posts mentioning Beyond Connection that week
Members really enjoyed it and are excited for future opportunities like this
We had 2x the amount of applicants for new members than we usually do that week.
Sometimes the fastest way to grow your membership isn’t to go find new people. It’s to create something so good for the people already inside that they can’t help but talk about it.
The question I want to leave you with today is, "What kind of experience can I create for my existing customers that adds VALUE so that people want to talk about it?"
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