Membership
Site Formula
A Quick Start Guide To Creating
And Running Your Own Membership Site
These days, membership sites are getting a
lot of attention, thanks to the recurring revenue that it can generate for any
savvy businessperson. Looking around on the Internet, it seems as though
everyone has a membership site or are looking to get one started. But what
exactly is a membership site, and how will it benefit you?
A membership site is nothing more than a
website that has a restricted-access part of your online business where only
those members who subscribe, either paid or not, are capable of accessing the
content that you’ve placed behind closed doors.
Membership sites provide several benefits for
businesses that are looking to generate recurring revenue. You can use your
membership site to grow your loyal followers and customer base, or you can use
a membership site to support your current clients with how-to videos and other
information that is only available to those who are members.
Either way, a membership site can
prove to be an incredible asset for your business.
Once you’ve decided to build a membership
site, the next thing that you need to do is decide on the kind of membership
site you want to start.
A membership site is an excellent way for you
and your business to earn recurring income. However, deciding on what kind of
membership site you should start can get a little tricky. This means that you
will need to brainstorm for possible membership site ideas.
Your membership site needs to revolve around
one central idea, which is solving your members’ problems. This means that you
have to have a deep understanding of the challenges and difficulties that your
members struggle with and provide them with a practical solution.
Once you’ve determined two to three possible
membership site ideas, you have to go through the process of validating the
ideas to ensure you won’t end up investing too much time and money in an idea
that won’t be profitable. You have to know if your idea is going to work before
you start the process of creating your membership site.
If you’re not sure where to start when it
comes to brainstorming and validating a membership site idea, here are five
membership site ideas that have proven to be profitable and that can jump-start
the process of starting a membership site.
Online Courses
One way to build a profitable membership site
is by offering online courses to your members. You can create educational
content that can only be accessed by paying members. Online courses are common
because they are in high demand in just about every niche.
You can think of a random thing that can be
taught, and the chances are high that there is already an online course
tackling the subject. Online courses are also great revenue-building sites
because you can tailor the course so that the mode of delivery, content, and
frequency of payment fits with the subject matter and target audience.
For example, you can create a substantial
online course, upload all of the content, and then charge a fee to those who
want to access the material. Once they’ve finished reading through the
material, the members can cancel their membership.
You can also apply a fixed-term model to your
membership site where students pay upfront for a set number of months to access
the site. Then, their membership to the site is automatically canceled at the
end of the fixed period. If you want to establish more long-term members, you
can drip feed new content to members every month.
With this kind of membership site, you can
also include a message board for students so they can interact with one another
and share notes, inspiration, and resources. The most popular format for an
online course membership site is video. However, you can include any kind of
related content like checklists, eBooks, self-assessment tests, and worksheets.
If you have the time, you might also want to
consider offering a higher membership tier, with a higher fee that provides
perks to your members like a dedicated support line or email, additional expert
guidance, coaching sessions, or one-on-one mentoring.
Library
If your particular niche is an entire
industry, or if you are looking to cater to a broad target audience, you might
want to consider setting up a library of premium resources, like industry
reports from prominent research companies, published eBooks, expert interviews,
and more.
A drip-fed model is the best fit if you want
to start this type of membership site. A drip-feed provides members with a
regularly updated resource.
With a library membership site, you can even
add a VIP membership tier that provides members with special privileges, like
giving them access to premium content or allowing them to upload their own
content.
Like with other kinds of membership sites,
you can also set up a member forum so members can discuss and compare notes
regarding particular material.
Job Board
Another membership idea that can generate
recurring revenue for your business is to run a community-based membership job
site that focuses on helping people get hired for jobs in a certain industry or
niche and providing them with the tools and resources to do the jobs well.
You can create a membership site that becomes
a link to those companies that are looking for hard-working and experienced
employees and the applicants that are looking for jobs.
Along with providing a job board for your
members, you can also host forums for your paying members to interact with
others and exchange useful industry information. You can even provide resources
on how to be the perfect candidate for certain positions and how to do the jobs
better.
Additionally, you can provide a frequently
updated company directory that lists companies, associations, training
facilities, and other relevant industry organizations for your members to
utilize.
Society or Club
Establishing a membership site for the
genuine enthusiasts in your niche can end up being a thriving site with a
potential for substantial profits. With a society or club membership site, you
can provide your members with training and resources for beginners, a forum for
them to get into productive and educational discussions, and the latest news
surrounding the niche.
Since this is another community-driven
membership site, you can promote members to forum moderators instead of
tackling everything yourself or delegating the tasks to a third party. This
results in your members having the impression that you trust them enough to do
the job, which then increases their trust in you.
The most challenging part of this kind of
membership site is making sure that everyone is participating and regularly
contributing so that everyone gets value from the membership.
This can be accomplished by setting up forums
and subforums that help to promote regular interaction. These can be anything
from progress logs where members check-in and provide a progress report, to
daily inspirations.
Dating Site
Before you begin to laugh you should know
that sites like eHarmony have more than 750,000 paying members and has seen
more than 600,000 of their members get married since first setting up shop.
Online dating isn’t an easy prospect for many, which is where a membership site
comes in.
The last thing that you want to do is become
the next eHarmony because it is going to be an uphill battle. The key to
creating a successful membership site for online dating is to be extremely
specific with the types of members you accept. You will need to narrow down
your ideal member. You can accomplish this by choosing specific hobbies,
religion, or other various affinities and interests that your potential members
might have.
For example, you might decide to start a site
that only allows Harry Potter fans as qualified members. Or you might choose to
start a website that is solely for gamers. The possibilities are endless.
Conclusion
Setting up a profitable membership site isn't
at all difficult; the challenge lies in deciding on a niche that will continue
to generate recurring revenue for you and your business. Before you get
started, make sure you do your due diligence and brainstorm a few ideas and
make sure that you go through the proper steps to validate your idea.
These five membership ideas are sure to be
successful and should take you no more than two hours to create your first
content, especially if you are already familiar with the niche.
Membership websites and the recurring revenue
that they generate can be incredibly stable, scalable, and rewarding. While
they involve a lot of work, it is extremely rewarding and allows you to serve a
broader audience than you will with your other products and services. Once
you’ve settled on the kind of membership site that you want to start, the real
work begins.
You’ll need to create content, determine your
membership fees, build your website, and attract members. Once the word gets
out about your membership site, you can sit back and watch the recurring
revenue come in.
Membership
Site Formula
A Quick Start Guide To Creating
And Running Your Own Membership Site
Get Your Copy Today!