Is now the right time for you to start a membership site?
You might have been thinking about this for a while…
But you’re not sure how or when to start exploring this further…
Or even if it’s a good idea to start one at all!
(Let’s be honest… owning a membership isn’t for everyone.)
The thing is, memberships are a complex business model…
There are a lot of moving parts and things to consider to keep the machine spinning…
And timing is everything.
Memberships aren’t the type of business you should start on a whim…
The last thing you want is to realize a few months in that you probably should have waited or prepared a bit more…
And once you’re up and running, it’s a lot harder to roll back your plans because you’ve got people counting on you (and paying for their subscription.)
So, to avoid getting into that situation, you’ll want to think about timing first.
So are you ready?
Let’s take a look at some good indicators that will help you decide…
Read More
As membership site owners, we’re constantly looking for new ways to market ourselves…
But the world of online marketing moves quickly.
Things are always changing, always evolving.
And it can seem like every day there’s a new tactic or platform we need to jump on to drive member sales.
However for as fast-moving as things may seem, it’s important to recognise something:
There are some core universal marketing truths that will never, EVER change.
Before you get too carried away with that shiny new platform or this months hot new marketing trend – here are a few key things you need to remember…
Read More
As true Membership Geeks – the main thing Callie and I pride ourselves on is, obviously, our ability to give good advice about memberships!
The feedback we get and our track record in the space suggests we do it very well…
But what about the bad advice out there?
Sadly there’s no shortage of it…
Especially when it comes to online memberships.
We find that it often comes from people who have a very small amount of exposure to our industry…
But think that’s enough to tell others how to run their membership business.
And quite frankly… their advice usually kinda sucks!
Unfortunately, we’re often left to cut through the noise to sort the good advice from the bad…
And it’s our job to help you to do the same.
So here it goes…
Here’s some seriously bad advice about memberships that you NEED to ignore…
Read More
How do you build an audience before you launch your membership?
This is a question every successful membership owner has had to contemplate at one point.
Because doing things the other way around – launching a membership and then trying to find an audience – simply doesn’t work.
When Callie and I decided to launch Membership Academy, we started pretty much from zero…
We had little to no audience and our marketing activity was inconsistent…
Yet we’ve gone on to build a seven figure business that has attracted thousands of members…
So how did we do it?
Here’s the story of how we built our audience before launching our membership…
Read More
How can you increase the “sticky factor” of your membership, making it a place that people don’t want to leave?
One simple way is to signpost future value…
This is one of the areas where many membership site owners typically fail.
They focus too much on the now…
They don’t focus enough on building awareness of the value their membership will bring in the future.
If this is something you do, then you’re missing a huge opportunity…
Because, if members are considering leaving and find out there’s engaging content is on the horizon, it will make their decision more difficult…
Signposting future value will play into the ‘pain of disconnect’ and create FOMO (the Fear of Missing Out) for future content.
So how can you increase the stickiness of your membership by signposting future value?
Here are seven simple ways…
Read More
You did it! You’ve launched your membership…
All the hard work, blood, sweat and tears has paid off and your vision has now become a reality.
Congratulations!…
Now what?
You see, launching a membership isn’t just about opening the doors to your site…
It’s about what you do post-launch…
The first 30 days after you launch your membership are absolutely crucial…
So how can you make the most of this time and get your membership site off to best possible start?
Here are six things you should do after you’ve launched your membership…
Read More
Every superhero has an origin story…
And as we’re celebrating a huge milestone of releasing 300 episodes of The Membership Guys podcast…
Callie and I decided it’s finally time to share ours.
This is something we’ve never done before!
We’re typically very private, focusing on creating content that helps people rather than creating content about our personal lives…
But seeing as we’re superheroes of the membership industry…
(because we are, right?)…
And “with great power comes great responsibility” and all that…
We’re sharing how we got to where we are today – overcoming some very big challenges along the way – with the hope that maybe it can help you on your journey to achieve the freedom, flexibility and fulfilment that comes with owning a membership site.
Because for us, that’s what it’s all about.
Enjoy!
Read More
What should you do when your membership topic has a natural ‘end date?’
A fixed point when members have achieved what they set out to do and simply don’t need to stay subscribed to your membership.
For example, planning for a wedding or a birth, working towards a qualification or navigating the application process for college…
All of these topics have a very definitive outcome, that once achieved renders your membership redundant.
There are also topics that your members will simply outgrow…
Like a beginners level membership on podcasting, for example, which members will eventually complete and potentially want to move onto the next level.
If your membership topic has a natural ‘end date’, you might be banging your head against a wall trying to figure out what you can do to make people stay in your community after they’ve achieved what they joined to do…
But should you just accept it?
Or do you find ways to adapt your business to prevent members from leaving?
Let’s look at your options…
Read More
If there’s one thing you need to have at the core of your membership strategy, it’s member retention.
Attracting new members is one thing…
But making them actually want to stick around in the long term is a completely different ball game.
And the last thing you want to have is a business that’s leaking members left, right and centre!
So, how can you make sure that your retention rate doesn’t spiral downwards?
Avoiding these six common member retention mistakes will help…
Read More
Membership sites are a value exchange…
When a member makes the decision to enter your community and pay you on an ongoing basis…
It’s important that you hold up your end of the bargain and consistently deliver.
In other words, you need to give members a reason to stick around…
And very often this comes in the form of creating content and being present every day in your forum or Facebook group …
These are the primary means of providing that value…
But there are other simple tactics you can utilize that ensure you deliver massive value to your members…
Ones that don’t rely on you constantly creating premium content.
Let’s find out what they are…
Read More
Choosing whether or not to host your membership site on a separate domain sounds like a straightforward decision.
But the reality is, it’s not that simple…
Deciding where your membership site will live has implications on every aspect of your business, from tech and member experience to branding.
So it’s no wonder that people struggle with this…
And why it comes up time and time again inside our Facebook group and Membership Academy community…
It’s a big decision!
So where should your membership site live?
Read More
Let’s be honest… running a membership business is not as easy as it seems.
Like with all good things, it does have its challenges.
And when you’re at the beginning of your membership journey these challenges can seem all the more overwhelming.
If this sounds familiar, don’t worry, we’re here to prepare you for what’s ahead!
So let’s dive in…
Here’s how to tackle the six biggest challenges every new membership site owner faces.
Read More
It’ll probably come as no surprise to you that I am a huge fan of podcasting…
And I mean huge…
That’s why I’ve recorded hundreds of episodes over the years…
In fact, I’d go as far as to say that The Membership Guys and Membership Academy wouldn’t be where it is today without our podcast…
It has genuinely helped us grow our business.
But while we’ve always seen podcasting as a great way of attracting new members, it’s not something we’ve ever really explored as a medium for serving people inside your membership…
Read More
Here’s a question which may terrify you:
Do you know what the revenue ceiling is for your membership business?
It’s entirely possible – even likely – that this is something you’ve never contemplated…
Perhaps you had no idea until now that a revenue ceiling existed, in which case, you’re not alone…
Or maybe you’re aware of the revenue ceiling, but you’re not sure how to calculate it for your membership.
Whatever the case, it’s important to be aware of it, because whether we like it or not, the revenue ceiling exists for every membership…
Yes, even the most successful ones!
So, how can you figure out what your ceiling is and whether or not you’ve already hit it?
We’re going to help you answer that and explain what you can do to raise that ceiling higher.
So let’s dive in…
Read More
Everything’s working well for you running your membership…
It’s growing nicely, is giving you a good income and you enjoy it so much that it hardly feels like “work”…
But the advice you’re constantly hearing from others around you is making you question whether you should be working harder at growing it faster, or exploring additional revenue opportunities alongside your membership.
They’re telling you that you MUST offer private coaching… develop other products… run live events…
And then they tell you: “If you don’t, you’re leaving money on the table”
This is a phrase we’ve heard so many times over the years…
People being told that they’re running their business the wrong way if they’re not exploiting these opportunities…
But the truth is, you’re the only one who can determine that…
So are you leaving money on the table in your membership business?
Let’s find out…
Read More
There’s fine line between encouraging engagement in your membership and simply nagging your members.
The last thing you want to do is get on their nerves…
As membership site owners, we want our members to consume content, interact in the community, and use the membership they pay for…
After all, if they don’t, they won’t be a member for very long…
But once someone becomes disengaged, your constant messages reminding them what they haven’t done won’t make them want to login.
It will most likely have the opposite effect…
So, how can you encourage engagement without alienating your members?
Here are some of our top tips…
Read More
