Membership Sites: What's In It for You?

What are the benefits of a membership site? I'll give you six key benefits here.

1. Recurring Income

If you're charging a monthly or annual subscription fee for your membership site, of course one of the biggest benefits is that it gives you a source of recurring income.

2. Market once

When you convince somebody to sign up for your membership site, you can then charge their credit card every month or every year over and over again without having to convince them to re-sign each time. Of course, you have to give them enough value so they won't cancel their subscription. However, the marketing only takes place the first time they sign up.

3. A vehicle for value

If you're an expert in your area, you're always finding new material - reading books and e-books, finding blog posts, finding articles, listening to podcasts, and so on. The membership site gives you a place where you can share that material with your members.

A few years ago, before I started my membership site, I published a monthly e-mail newsletter called "The E-book of the Month", exclusively for my clients. Each month, I sent them a useful e-book to download. I started this mailing list because I was reading so much and I was frustrated that I had no way to deliver that value to clients. Now that mailing list is obsolete and has been replaced by the membership site. However, the principle is the same - it's a place for me to share what I learn with selected people.

4. Build loyalty

Your membership site builds loyalty because the members remain as your clients and customers. I remember somebody saying once, "The only time clients hear from you is when you send them an invoice". Is that true for you and your clients? If so, a membership site is a wonderful gift to clients, so they look forward to hearing from you regularly.

5. Reward loyalty

Your membership site also rewards loyalty. Members get access to things that non-members don't.

For example, in the eGurus community www.eGurus.info, you can download - as part of your membership - most or all of the products available for sale to the public at www.GihanPerera.com. Members don't have to pay for them individually; they are available as part of their membership. It's a reward for being a member.

6. Maintain relationships

A membership site helps you maintain relationships. You might consider giving all your clients - or at least your top clients - free membership, just so you can maintain that relationship with them.

Key words: membership sites

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Gihan Perera is the author of "Get Active: Web Sites for Speakers, Trainers, Coaches and Consultants" and "Fast, Flat and Free: What You Need to Know to Stay Ahead in a Connected World". Visit http://GihanPerera.com and get your complimentary copies now.

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