I believe there are natural and logical reasons to have a membership site (also called a subscription site or continuity site) based upon the needs and desires of your audience and the niche you are in.  Subscriptions or recurring payments are not the best model to choose simply because you would like a monthly income stream you can count on.

Private recurring payment sites have been around for quite awhile. Most are set up with membership site software or plugins that perform the magic of keeping non-members out while still allowing paid members access to all the content, downloads, and other resources offered by the site owner. Some premium software packages include lots of additional capabilities like a community forum, image gallery, built-in emailing, affiliate program, member profiles and other bells and whistles.

Costs for a membership site will vary significantly depending upon the complexity of the site, whether the software is self-hosted or hosted remotely on the vendor’s servers or in “the cloud,” and other considerations. You could pay a one-time fee of $25 for a WordPress plugin to build your membership site or $997/month for a hosted enterprise solution. There are even some “free” alternatives; but I normally wouldn’t recommend them because they often place vendor ads and limitations on your content pages.

Good subscription software is set up to handle recurring payments, new member set-up and welcome, lost password recovery, dripped content (which is scheduled content which appears on a pre-set time schedule), emailing to members, ways for members to interact, downloads of digital products, product payment transactions, automatic monthly billing, and other features all without a lot of site owner intervention.  Having said that, don’t assume that membership sites are “hands free” solutions that handle all the owner’s daily tasks – far from it.

Be aware that membership sites can be set up for a specific number of weeks or months or they can be set for unlimited recurring periods (typically months) into the future until the member requests to leave and have his payments stopped.

Membership sites are often touted as the best business model on the planet! Why? Promoters say they are easy money. The pitch goes like this: “You sell a membership once and stand to gain monthly additional payments (in theory) forever.” What could be easier, right? But people who promote the membership model in this way often don’t mention one huge downside. Most membership site owners will tell you that the average member only stays with the site for 3 or 4 months and then they quit. To be honest, I have never seen any valid or certified stats to confirm the average online membership length (if there is such a thing), but what I have shared is what I have heard from a number of successful membership site owners that I know personally.

Some membership site owners keep their average member much longer than 3 months.  Obviously, there are a number of factors related to average length of stay (sometimes referred to as “churn” – the process of signing new members to replace current paid members that leave).

Some members will attempt to join a site, download everything, then either request a refund or quit the site after the first month’s payment. To combat this “hit and run” behavior, many membership site owners will “drip” content over time so that a member only gets specific pre-determined content each month … he will not have full access to everything all at once.

What does this turnover mean for the site owner? Of course it means that the owner must be constantly replenishing paid members that leave if he wants to maintain his/her monthly income from the recurring payments. He must constantly promote his site for new subscribers.

In order to combat this attrition or turnover, some site owners offer fixed one-time pricing for a set period of time or year long (or greater) membership terms at a good discount in order to persuade new members upfront that they should join at the lowest price available and stay for the duration of the period.

I believe that the best way to keep members for longer periods is to make the site experience a very user-friendly one, make the price very reasonable (so the cost-benefit ratio is outstanding), and deliver benefits (content, interaction, downloads, site features, customer service, etc) that are unique and highly valuable in the eyes of the members. Think about it … if the content and experience at the private site is relevant to the desires of the member, and if all the benefits are unique, highly prized, and not to be found elsewhere … why would the members want to leave?

Long standing members will be those who are highly targeted to the niche of the site. Rabid and fanatical members who love the subject of the membership site will be the core element of the membership program. It’s why some niches don’t really lend themselves to this business model – the people in the niche are luke-warm about it or they are only casual participants. You want avid, “converted,” and life-long nichers that are in this marketplace everyday if possible.

So what kind of niches and member audiences lend themselves to the membership business model?  I believe that membership site platforms are a logical solution for these situations:

1- A niche where there is ongoing and important news, events, happenings, changes and the need to contact members with ongoing updates. Examples of this type of niche would include a stock market advisory service or a daily discount site where new offers come out continually.  Members can visit the site whenever and as often as they like for the latest news!

2- A niche where there are a ton of downloads that will be of interest to the members like a cooking site where new recipes are given or a sewing site where there are lots of patterns and advice (instructions) to consume.  With the membership platform, the owner can give members access to a huge amount of information and let them choose what suits their fancy and when they want to consume it.

3- A niche where the members would like continual on-going training or help in learning a new skill or mastering a process. Examples might be a site that gives ongoing tutorials of Photoshop tips, or a site offering guitar lessons, or a site on how to run your small business or an on-going series of different yoga exercises.  Many of these sites use video tutorials to show the members how to accomplish things.

4- A niche where a particular skill or hobby is a passion for the members – it is an important part of their daily lives and they want to stay abreast of everything about the niche. Examples might be serious runners, professional photographers, genealogists or scrapbookers.  Skill and hobby sites are often “hangouts” for their members who come to both learn and engage with others in their niche.

5- A niche where professionals or serious participants might gather as part of an organized group, like an association of local business owners, a local charity, a club, a group of drama enthusiasts, or a volunteer organization.  The membership site is not for just anyone – members gain access because of the credentials or their current employment or service status.

6- A niche where the impetus is on community and the social side of membership. Such groups like local senior citizens, Harley Davidson motorcycle owners, cruise ship travelers, trailer and RV owners, etc, often come together at membership sites to gain new friends, talk about their common passion, exchange useful consumer information, and share their own experiences in the niche with other like-minded people.

7- A niche where there is a monthly (or at least steady periodic) need to provide information or a product.  You’ve seen services and web sites of this type – “Book of the Month Club,” or “Weekly Games for Moms with Active Kids,” or “Song of the Day.”  It makes sense to gather a private audience into a membership site in order to deliver regular periodic treasures or products that are meant only for paying subscribers.

There are surely other reasons to have a membership site as well. What I’m suggesting is that certain niches and types of audiences lend themselves to subscription sites better than others. This is where the business model (membership platform) really shines.  Without a membership platform, think of what a business person would have to spend in time, money and energy to gather a audience of (say) 1,000 people, subscribe them to the service, keep monthly payments coming in, keep up constant contact with them, and provide content, engagement, assistance, products and marketing.  The automation of the membership platform allows the solo entrepreneur to manage all of these things from his software dashboard and still keep his sanity!

Here’s a caution:  I don’t think just extending the offer of one product after another to your audience is the way to run a subscription business. It’s not a reason, in my opinion, why your members will keep coming back to the site. Ditto for worthless general and “found anywhere online” information like rehashed PLR content. Consumers don’t like to be continually sold, day after day, and they will see through your “membership” idea if all you do is hammer them with dubious paid offers under the guise of a niche community.

Another caution is this:  sometimes consumers come online to find a specific solution to a curable problem.  If that is the kind of information you offer, a membership site is probably not right for you.  Once the problem is fixed, or solved, or cured . . . then what?  Why does the site member need you further?  What else do you have to offer that he is passionate about?

TIP: Even though you may currently not have a subscription site, it’s time to think about offering a private membership  when your customers and prospects begin asking for “premium” content or they want access to a higher level of what you have already given them. When the niche information on your blog or at your web site is not enough to satisfy some customers, or maybe they want direct help or access to you and your brain, then the natural extension of a blog site or information business is a paid private membership site with more in-depth premium content that those willing to pay will enjoy. Coaches and mentors can often benefit from giving this added help based in a membership site.

I think it is a gamble to go to the effort of setting up a membership site if you first don’t know whether there is a real interest in what you’re going to offer to the niche participants. Do some focused targeted online research, listen to your audience, ask them if they would like to see a members only area and if they would be willing to pay for it. I hope this all makes sense to you.

To your online business success!

Steve Browne

www.stevebrownedirect.com

Marketers have long understood the value and importance of a strong and powerful Call-to-Action (CTA, for short).  It’s not enough to simply present an offer and leave the final decision on what to do to the prospect.

The CTA is actually a command, a motivation to take some action, and an invitation to take another step in the sales process.

Successful marketers understand the power of guiding the prospect toward making a purchase once the sales offer has been presented in full.

I would like to offer some ideas or suggestions on how the make you next CTA a more powerful sales agent.

First, be sure that your CTA is direct, specific, and detailed enough that there’s no question about what action you want the prospect to take next!  Credibility and believeability are important so think about using any supporting material you can think of . . . like statistics, percentages, endorsements, testimonials, etc.  Your prospects will see you as a more credible marketer when you use supporting data and facts that make your case stronger.

Second, coupons, sales, and freebies can be a part of any CTA.  They usually increase the perceived value of an offer.  They often motivate people sitting on the fence and not able to make a decision.  A flash sale, a one-time coupon, and even quantity discounts can be just what a CTA needs to move a non-committing prospect.

Here’s an example:  instead of simply ending your sale page with “Click Here” or “Buy Now” . . . you might want to say something like “Get this Free training that has been increasing my sales conversions by 50% this past month!”  Or something similar – be creative and come up with your own hot idea to add value and power to your next CTA!

Third, add the principle of urgency to your CTA.  Many would-be purchasers are in a hurry, a rush, or are anxious to get on with life.  If you don’t give the prospect good reasons to buy now . . . he probably won’t buy at all.  But here’s a caution – most marketer’s overdo this principle and insult the intelligence of the buyer in the mean time.  We all hear many marketing messages on every form of media telling us that we have to act fast before the offer is gone forever!  People see right through fake or false urgency and when they do . . . often they feel manipulated and not inclined to buy from this merchant.

If there is a buying deadline, tell prospects exactly what it is (i.e. Friday at 10:00pm Eastern time.)

Instead of saying “download your free copy” of something, provide a specific number or quantity that will be available.  You might say it this way:  “Hurry, there are only 25 copies being given away!”  It’s important that the marketer follow through and be truthful about the CTA happening as stated.  Don’t give away 50 copies if you said you were going to give away 25.  Be honest and up-front as some people will check to see if you are good for you word!

Fourth, be sure to make the CTA simple and uncomplicated.  Only promise one offer, one gift, or one solution at a time.  Too many results complicates the CTA and sometimes confuses the buyer.  If you want to add additional “goodness” to any offer, do it after the fact (for example, on the download page or as a “surprise unannounced bonus.”  It’s best to keep the CTA short and hard hitting.

Fifth, only give one command in the CTA, otherwise you stand a good chance of making it boring and not so urgent.  Don’t ask the prospect to do more than one thing – like visit multiple web sites, remember multiple facts, or take a series of actions.

Sixth, make the CTA stand out!  Boring, run-of-the-mill, vanilla or “lazy” CTAs don’t cut it these days.  We are all bombarded with hundreds, even thousands of marketing messages each day and it is easy to a prospect to filter out or ignore bland CTAs.

Often the design or graphical elements used in the offer’s CTA can make it really pop and be something that is difficult to ignore.  It can grab attention and direct a prospect to take quick action.

There is a big difference between a small narrative link that is black and says “Click Here” compared to a large red button, a pretty model pointing to it, and a CTA that entices the prospect to “Download 101 Tips Guaranteed to Triple Your Online Sales.”

Seventh, be extremely clear and straightforward in “commanding” the prospect in whatever action you want him to take next.  Remember, one action only per CTA.  Make the CTA easy to understand, easy to execute, and easy to justify as being the next logical step in the buying progression.

Eighth, keep track of all your CTAs and split test them so that you can compare their performance based on facts rather than hunches!  It will pay you dividends to track how well various CTAs perform and keep a swipe file on hand so you can use the best ones over and over in your marketing.  Just use split testing and keep all other variables of the offer constant.

I hope these eight suggestions will make sense to you.  Crafting a powerful and valuable CTA is not really a difficult thing.  CTAs can make a noticeable difference in your marketing results so don’t underestimate their power!

To your online business success,

Steve Browne

www.SteveBrowneDirect.com

There are many skills that come in handy for small business owners. I’d like to take a minute to share what I feel is one of the most helpful and valuable skills anyone can develop with some practice.

I am the first to suggest that if a business owner doesn’t personally possess a skill, he can outsource to find it, take on a partner who has it, or simply study and learn and practice until a skill becomes part of his talent.

But if you know how to do this, you will have all the content, products, and online help a business owner could ask for.

Anyone can do it. Most newbies avoid it. It takes some effort, but it gets easier every time you do it. It’s a skill that has literally made people millions! Seriously.

We learned it’s basic steps in elementary school (if you paid attention), practiced it a lot in high school, and refined it in college.

Here’s a hint if you haven’t figured out what this skill is:

According to Samuel Johnson . . . “Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves, or we know where we can find information upon it.”

The answer is of course . . . drum roll . . . research!

Nowhere is the lack of this skill (or at least the willingness to do it) more evident than in many people’s failing businesses.  Often owners and webmasters avoid it at all costs.  Certainly research takes some effort, knowledge, and patience.  But I believe even those who aren’t experts in research have a distinct advantage over others that don’t or won’t do any research.

In the business world, knowledge is power!  Knowledge and understanding of the niche marketplace, of consumer preferences, of cutting edge techniques and strategies, and of news, events, and the competition all increase the business power of an entrepreneur.

Let me tell you this (of which I’m 100% certain):  those business owners that do their market research (or have someone on staff do it) will have a distinct advantage over competitors that don’t do research.

I believe that, in many instances, small businesses fail because the knowledge and understanding of the solo operator about his/her own niche market is not sufficient … or is just plain out of touch with reality.  Smart research helps to eliminate that problem.

Research has many “pluses” (things beside owner knowledge):

• You get a more sure and detailed answer to your questions
• You benefit immensely just from the actual process of “digging” for an answer
• You become exposed to both (or many) sides of a question or issues so as to enhance your total understanding
• You learn a lot about related or peripheral issues that affect the subject so that you are better informed
• You learn what doesn’t work or what has failed in the past (things about the subject to avoid)
• In the end, you become a better business owner because of what research has exposed you to

You will never be at a loss for content, blog posts, articles, information products, or help in solving a problem because knowing how to do research means the knowledge of others will always be available to you (especially when you draw a blank and don’t have clear ideas of your own).

How do you do research?  Excellent question.

Why don’t you go research that subject.

After you’ve had a chance at personal discovery, I’ll come back with a few ideas and tips of my own.

To your online business success,

Steve Browne

www.SteveBrowneDirect.com