INTRODUCTION
In the words of the famous marketer Jim Kukral, people use the Internet for two purposes, either to seek a solution to a problem they face or to entertain themselves.
So what are these problems that people want solutions for?
Some of the omnipresent problems are such as How to make money, How to get a job, How to lose weight, How to raise a child, etc. etc.
The problems have always been the same online or offline, what is different now is the ease and availability of solutions, particularly online.
Why should you go in to provide the solution online?
Low installation cost
Low overhead
Single owner
No physical assets
no inventory
Ease of operational location
Open for business 24/7
Easy to reach billions of customers
multiple streams
5 basic steps
One of the most coveted niches for generating income online is through an interactive membership website. This is a very popular niche but extremely difficult to break into unless you are prepared with the necessary knowledge and tools.
There are five basic steps (qualitative) and eleven detailed steps (quantitative and operational) that you must follow to set up a successful online membership site.
The five steps can be summarized as follows:
Step 1
Choose the type of membership website you want to set up
Step 2
Planning and configuration of your OFFER
Step 3
Actual SITE Configuration
Step 4
Publicity of your SITE
step 5
Maintenance and growth of your SITE
· Step 1
Choose the type of membership website you want to set up
A Membership site is not a small business that you can approach casually or unplanned, which would be a sure recipe for its demise! The first step is to set up a membership site that has the potential to hold your interest in the long run, as it will require constant maintenance on your part. Also, the fact of the matter is that your job is twofold, meaning you not only need to keep old members engaged, but you also need to attract new ones. So, if it’s a topic that doesn’t really hold your interest going forward, you’ll lose your passion, which will sound like the death knell for your online business.
Take your time to do high-quality research which, if necessary, should be extensive to come up with a topic that is of interest to you and also of interest to other like-minded people!
This research will lay the groundwork for your business, so don’t stop at this stage or it will look unfavorable later on.
Niche topics are the best and all you need to do is make sure that there are enough people who are interested in the topic to the extent that they consider signing up for your offer and subsequently paying for it too!
Some common examples that are sure to draw a crowd are those focused on weight loss, income generation, video games, travel, etc.
Once you decide on a topic, you should break it down into sub-topics to encourage and start interested discussions. This is of the utmost importance to keep the audience engaged and also attract new faces to it.
You have the power to start any kind of membership site under the sun without knowing anything about it, as long as you have a healthy interest in it and it’s something you can stick with for a considerable period of time. an interest in your chosen niche, you and your audience will be fine!
The membership site should naturally be in a profitable niche and you should have done enough research to make sure it’s not one of those topics that are freely available online and more importantly that people don’t want to spend money on! ! The target customer base has to be hungry and willing, hungry for information and willing to part with their money for it!
Do the necessary market research to ensure that your target clientele is willing to pay for your service, information, and/or product.
Finally, if you can set up a membership site that is based on a niche that interests you and is profitable, then half the battle is already won and you are on the road to assured success!
· Step 2
Planning and configuration of your OFFER
The next step you need to take is to determine what your target customers are buying. This is the time for intensive research without limits that will shed some light on this vital aspect.
The way to do this is to do an intensive search and research online, eg. Search Google for the topic and subtopics and keep track of the number of Google ads that appear. A strong Google Ad presence is usually a very strong indicator of a buying market that you are targeting. In addition, you can also visit affiliate sites and check the numbers there, for example Clickbank can help you see what is really selling like hot cakes in the market.
After this, you need to start working on your content, be it a product, a service, or the information you are selling. Get ready to spend some quality time here as you only get one chance for your audience and you have to give everything you’ve got to make it count! Once a prospect is unimpressed, bored, or indifferent, it’s virtually impossible to re-hook them, so make sure the first look at your content wows people!
What is also very important is that you take your time to make sure that the site looks like a professional site that shows the audience that you really are on top of things and that you know what you are doing. This does not mean that your offer has a utopian perfect site, but that everything is placed in the right place to allow your visitor to take note of everything you need them to take note of!
Once you’ve put something together, don’t forget to step back and see it as a visitor would see it or, better yet, have someone take a look at it. This someone has to be a person who had nothing to do with the development of your site and is essentially there as a first-time visitor with no prior information and no strings attached, which is what most of your prospects will be. The question to ask is whether the site appears to have something of such perceived value that people are willing to pay for it and actually make a purchase.
· Step 3
Actual SITE Configuration
Setting up the site is a fairly simple and straightforward step if you have prior experience with it. Today there are some customizable word press membership sites that you can buy and take advantage of that are extremely simple to set up where all you have to do is follow the step by step instructions.
There are a number of tools available in the market to help you set up your membership site and the best part is that several of these tools are totally free as well. If this is your first venture online, then you would do well to opt for a wordpress option that comes with a number of free plugins that are essential to getting great rankings and also improving your SEO presence. There are also many specialized software programs that will allow you to have an excellent customer support system and also a forum. However, if you feel that you are not technically savvy and prefer not to go down this route, it is very easy to hire a professional in the internet marketing industry to organize everything and even teach you a thing or two if you wish. !
When it comes to graphics, you can easily get a lot of high-quality stuff on the internet and that too for free. If it’s a specialist graphic cover you need, then it’s also pretty cheap to hire a graphic designer from any of the hundreds of forums online!
Using the free online tools to set up your membership site will allow you to get started without too much of an initial investment, which in itself is a great way to start any offline or online business. Of course, later on, when your site generates good revenue, you’ll always have the freedom to upgrade your site by purchasing products like Dreamweaver or Frontpage.
· Step 4
Publicity of your SITE
Once your membership site is set up and ready to offer your offer, be it a product, service or whatever, it’s time to get your customers/clients/members.
There are thousands of ways to advertise, but you don’t want to rush through everything and wait for one method to click and hit the jackpot! That, of course, can happen, but then the statistical probability of that happening is the same as your winning the lottery, so it’s best to formulate a well-thought-out marketing plan that you then implement step by step.
As the saying goes, different styles for different people, some businesses get great results from AdWords, some do well with forum advertising, some are great with social media, while others thrive through article marketing, etc. The key to success here is to identify a variety of promotional techniques and then test the waters with them. Taking into account that the generated results adhere to the two or maximum three methods to optimize their production.
The most common problem that membership sites face upon launch is that many potential customers are reluctant to part with their money right away for something they haven’t tried before. A great way to convert these people who are essentially sitting on the sidelines is to offer a free trial membership for the first month or charge a token amount of one dollar for one month. It’s actually better to charge a minimal amount, like even a dollar, for two reasons, one is that you’re still earning something, even if it’s small, and the bigger reason is that you have the prospects’ credit card details on hand. the ones that it is now much easier for you to convert him or her and have now come one step closer to putting their trust in your product.
Once you have the numbers, it’s relatively easier for you to drive them with great content and persuade them to stay and even spread the word by acting as their ambassadors. Be sure to give them what they joined your company in the first place.
· step 5
Maintenance and growth of your SITE
Once you have the membership site up and running with a good number of members/subscribers, you need to strike a balance between maintaining your current membership base and adding new members to the current base. Not only do you need to maintain an efficient and effective follow-up stream with your current members, but you also need to keep posting content designed to engage and engage new faces in your audience. Now you have your finger on the pulse of your customers and know exactly what their likes and dislikes are. Keep adjusting your content accordingly and you should be fine.
Keep sending out surveys that will keep you in the loop on what members want and what you can do to not only satisfy them but completely delight them!
If you play the game right and follow these steps, it would be obvious that your membership site will soon be a booming success and will keep you and your members happy for a good number of years. Plus, once your system is locked down and in place, you have the luxury of outsourcing your current business to focus on setting up new sites, etc. That way you secure multiple streams of income and effectively replicate your success over and over again!
