How to Build a Membership Site
Online business models are growing in this digital age and one of these is a membership site, providing access to premium content for a regular fee. There are a number of sites online that cater to a specific market with content targeted to their members.
What is a membership site?
Membership is basically a group of people that is brought together by similar interest or a common idea. Online, this means that people sign up because they are interested in the content of a website. A membership site works by subscription, with access granted through a regular fee that can be monthly, quarterly, or even yearly.
This is a place to connect to people. If you are running a business, your membership site is a place to offer more for your customers. Forums are also an essential aspect for this, since one of the selling points of subscribing to a site is the human interaction found with people whose interests are similar.
Why start one?
A membership site may be a bit of work to setup, but it can result in a regular monthly income doing something you love and with people you share a common ground with. Membership fees are a sustainable income, where you can expect a regular stream over a period of time.
If the site is successful, you can have a continually growing income as long as your subscriptions are greater than your cancellations
People are inherently looking for a place to belong, even online. A membership site can provide this to people. You will have to keep publishing new content that your members can use, so that they will keep up their subscription. As the number of your members grows, though, these members can help add to the content themselves and make the membership grow.
How to start
Check out a membership site you are currently a member of, or try one if you aren’t a member yet. Why are you subscribed to the site and what works for you with the site. Knowing what a site can offer and focusing on these areas can help to make your eventual site a success.
First, you need to figure out before you start making your own site is that problem that you need to solve or the niche that you want to fill. Make sure that you are able to provide great solutions to a problem and people will flock to your membership site and sign up. Aim to become the leading provider in that area, while still making content that is easily understandable and the site easy to navigate.
Once you’ve decided on a topic for your site, go and start building up content for it. You will have to keep adding content to your site, so you’ll have to keep up with the news in that topic. At the very launch of the membership site, though, you’re going to need a lot of content that will ensure that your new members find the site worth their while and their money.
Building your own site doesn’t have to be hard. Don’t start from scratch, unless you’re highly proficient with coding HTML and CSS. You can hire a web developer for that, or if you’re trying to minimize cost, use one of the numerous free tutorials online.
Easy accessibility is an important factor for members; no one wants to have to navigate a maze of links just to get to the content they want to find. Make sure that you have a great homepage, showcasing what your membership site has to offer and why newcomers should fork over the membership fee. Links to the most important pages, such as the About page or the Frequently Asked Questions page, should be there right at the start.
How to keep and grow your membership
Your membership site has to have a viral aspect to it. Remember to use the various social media to promote your site. Have social network sharing buttons on the site so that your members can easily share them on their own networks. Marketing can be as simple as members letting others know about your site through word of mouth. What is important is to make your members excited enough about your site to share them with others.
Try hosting online and offline events for your membership site. If you have members in your local area, try to host an event for them so that they may get to know each other offline. This gives them a place to bond and build relationships with both you and each other. If they feel like they are a part of a community, they will be eager to help build the site and spread the site to others.
The customers are the backbone of a membership site. Never neglect them or you might find yourself losing members rather than gaining them. Respond to your members as quickly and as knowledgeably as you can. If possible, give it the personal touch.
Always give your members news about any changes in the site or its content beforehand. No one wants to suddenly be faced with changes without prior warning. Also, making announcements will build the anticipation and make the actual launch even more exciting for members.
Keep growing as a membership site and never let it become static. Members will only stay if they see that there is always new content to be found at your site. Monitor what parts of the site your members are focusing on and work on those. What worked a month before may not be working this month. Always adapt to what your members want and not just produce content that you’re the only one excited about.
A few last words
In conclusion, if you’re interested in starting a membership site, start one now. There is a variety of material online to help you out. Remember that your customers know best and to always keep their needs in the forefront as you’re running your site. With some tending, this can lead to a regular source of income for you.