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The New Virtual Normal – Memberships & Subscriptions

Subscribe to get subscribed - The Virtual Barter

By MonaMamPublished 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago 5 min read
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Courtesy Pixabay - "Promote Yourself" added by me !

Here i go with my second story on Vocal again for a challenge and again just a few hours before the deadline : ))

Deciding to join Vocal+ was a big question mark ? as i am still not ready to publish as much to justify the Plus Badge; but couldn’t resist as the “Membership” ecosystem fancied me a lot. Even though the term is no new to me but i was not aware of its monumental growth as a full-fledged business service offering starting with a minimalist approach catering to individual short-term needs to complex long-term corporate needs. Now, what are these NEEDS ?

The post-millennium or to be precise the post dot-com bust era witnessed mushrooming of technical integration or in layman’s language automation of all aspects of business functions like Accounting, HR, Recruiting, Production, Distribution, and to top the list were Sales & Marketing.

Growth in technology had a multiplier effect on the growth of all consumer related domains like banking, telecom, real estate, education, healthcare to name only a few but the biggest new sector that opened up was “Subscription Based Services” in domains like employment, real estate, publishing, healthcare, education – especially short term and certificate courses, entertainment, dating sites, publishing and many more.

Coupled with the technical advancement was computer becoming a necessity and a MUST possession for all. Cheaper android mobile phones were a boost to already exploding online space and lockdown was the real catalyst when even the naysayers to technology upgraded themselves. This was the time when OTT thrived and continues to do so. People learned to embrace and trust the virtual presence of real people and deal exactly the way they would; in person.

Content creation was the game changer !

People began working on their niches and showcasing their talent to the masses; offering to share their knowledge and skills transacting online. It is amazing to see how the old SOHO can be more powerful with unlimited growth potential in virtual presence. WFH is no more a residual option but a primary and strategic decision aiming at high revenues and consistent growth. It’s a more robust, long-lasting and reliable self-created financial ecosystem.

Thanks to subscription-based models. E-commerce, training, coaching, made-to-order, tuitions and the list is endless.

While many sites facilitate low-cost business setting up services; the solo brand promotion has been made easier with companies like Substack, Revue, locals and Memberful to name only a few that help you reach out to customers.

The best thing is these companies allow you to start with a free package to facilitate gauge your satisfaction before switching to paid models which are also very affordable. Quite like registering with an OTT site where once you register, they offer a short preview of a movie for free or some promotional engagement activities to generate interest before you pay to see the full movie. Another example is registering for a course that offers online in-person classes and access to their entire resources and life-long support.

With numerous social presence options available, i also decided to jump on the bandwagon and promote myself to reach out to potential beneficiaries.

I owe it to my passion for interviewing that i ended being a recruiter for a major part of my professional career. It was almost 3 decades ago around 1990 when i was interviewing Government officials and converting them into articles for an Infrastructure magazine that showcased infrastructure development updates. I fell in love with that profession for that also fulfilled my passion for writing for a magazine. In years to come, i became a successful recruiter interviewing and closing posts from entry-level to CXO. Cut to 2015 when social media handles starting ruling the internet and i decided to capitalise on my forte and my area of expertise – Interviewing !

Be it product or service, it’s the person behind it that people are more interested to meet and there’s nothing like being interviewed by a professional who is able to bring forth the best of that person. The interview can be face-to-face, questionnaire-based, a person’s own story in his/her words, or storytelling by the interviewer. While there can be many media to display that information like Youtube, Twitter, Linkedin, Instagram, Facebook, et al but how to pull the audience to reach there? This is where sending regular news updates helps. It’s important to build a trustworthy and engaging audience base and grow it consistently. They should be happy to join your user base and become your brand ambassadors. Word of Mouth of Publicity is still the best marketing. And for the subscriber, a newsletter is the best learning and something that can be accessed anytime when needed. While i may be promoting my services and seeking audience to consider my services that i educate them on through my newsletters; but at the same time i am also a seeker and a user and hence i subscribe to as many. It really helps.

In this pursuit, i decided to write a book which is questionnaire-based interviews on “Wisdom & Faith” from a superb mix of people (male and females both) of varied qualification, experience, age, gender, religion, working, non-working, never employed and even atheists and agnostics. And i had such an enriching experience talking to these wonderful contributors. I am hoping to bring it out soon maybe in the form of blogs if not a book.

I have worked and researched many topics which cover Indian Culture, Films, Interests & Hobbies, Solar, Environment and start-ups as of now. While it goes without saying that there are many traditional and modern brand promotion activities but there is nothing like an interview that captures the audience's attention.

But that’s not all, to foster growth and create trust; i will need services of platforms like Memberful to stay active and visible to my existing and potential audience. It’s not only for engagement but also to gain new clients who would use Interviewing as a tool to promote themselves and their products/services.

Courtesy Pixabay-Outline drawn by me

Every individual is a brand unto himself and goes in tandem with the services/products offered.

Virtual presence is the new normal and no solopreneur can escape this. Business is all about give and take. Virtual barter is value addition. So subscribe to get subscribed.

This is also an invitation to all those who have not yet upgraded themselves to Vocal+; do it now as you are getting one month free if you use this link - https://vocal.media/vocal-plus?via=mona

This link shows all the benefits of joining Vocal+ and if you join from here, i also get some affiliate reward :)

Happy Marketing !

p.s. : Grammarly wants me to replace small " i " with capital " I " but please do bear with me as i prefer to use " i " for myself and not " I " and all the spaces that i give may stay as my style. Thank You :))

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About the Creator

MonaMam

me : a corporate professional and ghostwriter with interests in business, films, life, cooking, gardening, naturopathy, palmistry, astrology, real estate, human rights & the environment.

[email protected]

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