A membership site can be as simple as an email list that receives content, a web portal that houses information on your topic or even a full-blown private website along with a forum where members can interact with one another.
A membership site’s most attractive feature – recurring monthly income.
Members pay a monthly fee to become a part of a community, get value-driven content and learn more about the niche you have created your site in.
Who is this ideal for:
If you are the type of a person who likes talking to people, loved getting people involved in activities and like guiding them, then this may be ideal for you.
What skills will you need:
There are two significant skills you will need. The first is knowledge about your subject at hand.
Sure, you can have general knowledge, but keep in mind that people won’t keep paying you a monthly fee if all you ever give them is general information that can be found elsewhere.
This is where the second skill comes in handy. This skill is the ability to do some legwork and research.
As you will need to provide valuable content consistently, you will need to see what is new online in your area, share new tips and techniques and just show them that you value their membership.
How much time is required to get started:
Like we mentioned earlier, a membership site can be simple or complex. This is where knowing your audience will come in handy.
If you know that your audience doesn’t really like the technical stuff, then don’t build a complex site that may be hard to navigate for the non-tech savvy individual.
If you don’t have the knowledge necessary in your niche area, then it may take some time for you to gain that knowledge.
You’ll also need some time to set up the membership site.
All in all, this could take days or weeks, again depending on your experience.
Some helpful tips:
1) Start low
As you are just starting out and working out all of the details, keep your price low.
The point here is to launch and get it going, not to get it perfect and “just right.”
There will be plenty of time to add the bells and whistles. For now, just get it going.
2) Get your feet wet
If you’ve never been a member of any membership site, then now is the time to do so.
Don’t think of it as money you have to spend, but as money, you need to spend to learn.
You can get some ideas of what you like and don’t like and can use that information in building your site. Not to copy, but to learn.
It would be ideal to do so in the niche you want to go in to.
3) Pay attention
You will begin to see what is working in these sites and what isn’t. Take a look at how they are justifying their fees.
Some base their value from the forum that they house and the content that gets produced by other members, while some just continue to drive top-notch content.
Keep your eyes open so you can see what you need to be doing more of.
4) Get to know your members
Members of your site will figure out pretty quickly if you are just in it for the money.
If all you are doing is adding a new module every week and not listening to what members are saying, then you’ll start losing them.
Interact with your community and genuinely get to know them.
Set some time aside each day to answer forum questions, messages and emails.
It WILL definitely pay off.
5) Get them engaged
You can do this in a variety of ways besides a forum. You can create events, challenges, and other activities.
You can offer prizes and have a public leader-board showing who is at the top of the list.
6) Never stop learning
Take a look at your site every few weeks or every quarter to see what needs to be tweaked.
Listen to what your members are saying so that you can make the necessary changes.
For instance, if your members prefer video content over written articles, then you should create more video content for them.
7) Don’t be afraid to try new things
Try out webinars, calls, Q&A sessions and more. One piece of advice here is not to throw everything at them at once.
Try things out one at a time. It will also help you to better gauge if what you are doing is working or not.
How to make money:
Ready for the best part?
If you have done all of the above and people are signing up, then you are getting paid.
The more people you get to sign up to your site, the more you’ll make through your monthly membership fees.
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