What To Put In Your Membership Site

In another article, I talked about the three things you should have in place before you launch a membership site. To recap:

Value: Do you have proven valuable expertise that people are willing to pay for?
Products: Do you have a suite of high-value products you already bundle in with your services?
Database: Do you have a database of clients and prospects who might be interested in joining your membership site?

So let's suppose you answered "Yes" to all three questions.

Now what? What sort of value should you provide to your members?

This will vary for each business. But broadly, I suggest you consider your offering in these three categories.

1. Resources

Create a collection of valuable resources for your members to download - things like e-books, audio programs, recommended Web sites, software tools, templates (Word, Excel), slide shows (PowerPoint), manuals, tip sheets, on-line courses, video clips, multimedia tutorials, and so on. As an expert, there should be no shortage of material available!

Most of this material will be included in their membership fee. However, you might consider offering some as "premium" material, for an additional fee (Like a cable TV company that offers most programs as part of the monthly licence, but has some pay-per-view offerings).

2. Community

Give your members some way to interact with each other. You'll still be the expert, but you're also allowing your members to share ideas, questions, comments and suggestions with each other.

It's easy to do this with an on-line forum, which your Webmaster can create for you. In fact, it's now possible to get software that creates a Facebook-like on-line community.

3. Access to you

Don't fall into the trap of only providing electronic resources. Your members are living, breathing human beings, who still value having access to you in person.

Actively participate in the on-line forums.
Post regularly to a members-only blog, and invite comments.
Conduct regular teleseminars.
Offer member discounts to your live events.

Be approachable and active in the community, not distant and aloof.

Are you still willing to go ahead?

One of the biggest advantages of a membership site is the recurring stream of income it generates for you.

On the flip side, one of its biggest disadvantages is that it commits you to providing value regularly.

Are you willing to provide resources, foster an active community, and deliver greater access to you? If not, a membership site probably isn't right for you. But if it is, it can bring you great rewards.

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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