A membership site is one of the best ways to form an online business.
Think of it like a gym membership.
Before you’re allowed to pass the turnstiles, you’ve got to sign up as a paid member or for a free-trial. Once you’re inside, you have access to everything, usually on an unlimited basis.
Sometimes you can also have different membership levels. One level might have access to all the fitness machines, while another level up gives you access to a sauna and heated pool.
Simple enough, right?
Well, membership sites work the same way. Before you can get access to their content, you have to become a member, and you can also offer different levels of membership with varying benefits.
It’s the same idea as a gym membership, except on the Internet. That’s pretty much the only difference.
Now that we’ve cleared that up, let’s look at why a membership site is a smart idea.
A membership site is part of your online business where only members who subscribe can access the content you’ve placed behind the gates.
Once you’ve got that barrier in place, members can log in and access exclusive content, special offers, and even be part of a community of other members. They can also interact directly with you. Your membership site can be paid or free or a mix of both.
When we talk about “content,” we mean digital products like ebooks, webinars, online courses, and podcasts rather than physical goods that require shipping.
That’s not to say that if your business offers physical goods you can’t expand to the digital products side.
For example, if you’re a photographer and you own your own studio and camera store, you could offer digital products like webinars on how to shoot at night or sell your photos in ebooks. There’s your content!
Pretty simple, right? We think it is, and we can help you build it. We’ll show you how it’s all going to work and how to convince customers to pay for your content.
Let’s take a look at some successful membership sites so you can see firsthand what they’re all about.
First, find a niche in your industry where you’re offering something specialized enough that customers are willing to pay for your content and services.
Consider the photographer example above: What does this photographer offer that no one else offers? An e-course on shooting your own portraits? A webinar on starting your own photography business? A membership of fellow photographers who look to this photographer as an expert in landscape photography and who want to learn from him or her?
Additionally, you should consider the length of the memberships you offer. Will you be able to provide premium content weekly, or monthly, or is your content going to be limited?
Members will quickly leave your site if they discover they’re paying for content that’s repeated, recycled, or easily accessed by a simple web search.
You’ll be juggling a lot of things as you launch your site, but of these three particular things be sure: show you’re an expert in the field, that you’re passionate about what you’re doing, and that you want to share it.
A surefire way to build a membership base is to offer free content on your site.
Why start with free content? Well, for one, it’ll help you build a solid customer and membership base with those experiencing your content firsthand and who will be more open to paying for premium content in the future.
Once you’ve built up a base, it’ll be easier to sell memberships to those who already want to learn from you.
Make sure you’re a trusted, credible source with plenty of information. Your content should be of value to your customers and illustrate your knowledge. Additionally, if you mix content—free and paid—you can easily draw new members with your free content.
The more members you draw, the greater your chance of securing buyers for your products. As always, consider your audience.
Struggling students might not be able to afford your content now, but once they graduate and get those high-paying jobs, they’ll remember how your content helped them, and they’ll become members as soon as they can pay the dues. The same can be said for entrepreneurs just starting out and building their businesses (perhaps just like you!).
- Ebooks
- E-courses
- Webinars
Got a pretty good idea of how to start a membership site now? What else would you like to know? If you’re already a successful membership site owner, please share a few tips with our readers!