Building a membership site is a labor of love. It takes time and thought, and can also be one of the most fun things you do in your business!
But how do you know if you have everything you need in your membership site? I mean, so many membership sites exist nowadays, make sure yours stands out in the crowd? How do you ensure yours delivers?
By 2022, 53% of all software revenue will be generated from subscription models. (Digitalist)
The more content you can deliver, the more in demand you will be. The more questions you can answer from your tribe, the more they will talk about you and the amazing knowledge they get from you.
And the more they will love paying for your membership every month.
So what does your site need to have in it? Let’s take a look at some of the more standard, and valued, features that you can add to your membership to provide that exceptional customer experience you want to provide.
Glossary
This isn’t necessary for every membership site, but for those that are more industry specific, or in an industry where a lot of jargon is used it is essential. For instance our membership site, The Club, includes a glossary because there is a lot of terminology in technology that is new to some people.
Since our goal is to simplify tech in your business, we have to start with making it easy to understand.
What jargon does your industry use that someone new to your group may not be familiar with?
Community
There are a lot of ways to provide community to your group. You could do this through a message board, a community that lives directly on your site through a plug in, or through a Facebook group.
What matters is that it is a place where people can connect with each other, and you or your team, to get answers, network and learn.
Different types of content
Make sure your content is diverse. You can include PDF downloads, videos, audios, access to closed events, discounts on products, early access to new launches…
The list is endless! One other interesting thing you can do is to provide not only permanent content, but also limited time content. This can help to make sure people are coming back to their membership site frequently, and that they are being rewarded for frequency of visits.
The more they come back, the more they will consume. And the more they consume, the more they will learn. The more they learn, the more they share. And the more they share, the more you grow.
Courses
We all join membership sites to learn things, right? Whether it is a new process or skill, or a new industry completely, learning is something we all value.
Providing access to courses is a great way to offer value to your members. I remember I was in a mastermind with a high powered marketer once and every month we were able to request access to one course that we would get lifetime access to.
Over the year that I was in his group I acquired all of his courses, each valued at over $1K, so it felt like a MAJOR bonus that, even on months when I couldn’t do anything else in the membership, made the monthly cost totally worth it and probably extended my membership just by offering that to me.
Of businesses, 82% are adopting subscription models because it enables them to become leading disruptors. (Citibank)
Standalone Products
Just like courses, standalone products teach us, but they do so outside of a course environment. These could be guides, cheat sheets, mini courses, and more.
They are standalone products that you offer, preferably on a monthly basis, that your membership will have access to as a bonus for being a member.
Checklists and Templates
We all love having a checklist to follow or a template to start with. Creating things like this and sharing them with your membership each month allows you to stay relevant, offer tools that will move your members forward, and provide solid, actionable value each month that they will love.
It also puts things in front of them that they will want to refer back to that will remind them of the value you provide.
A full 76% of businesses claim that a subscription-based model helps create customer retention and long-term relationships with customers.
Your Presence
Make sure you are active and present for your members. The most value you can provide your membership is access to you.
They want to see you, hear from you and learn from you. So send them personal emails. Jump on Facebook Lives in your FB group, make videos just for your membership.
Share valuable content and let them know how much you appreciate them. When they ask a question, refer to them by name. It’s a small thing, but it means the world to them
Filling your membership up with valuable resources will eventually become a game, deciding what new content you can deliver and what format will be the most appreciated.
Providing the absolute best membership out there, letting your members feel like you know them, and offering more value than anyone else are the things that will have your membership feeling attached to you.
Once you get started your members will tell you what they want more of. You will get messages and feedback that will direct your future content creation. And you will have fun seeing everyone’s reaction to it all!
