In my recent post, WordPress Website Design – How to Create a Membership Website (Part 1), I provided guidance on choosing the website structure that is best for you. Now it’s time to dive into content creation (it’s a BIGGIE!).
Creating content for your membership website should be a process similar to any other content you’re creating. It should be high-value, varied, and easy to access. You can create videos, blog posts, expert articles, slideshows, infographics, monthly Q&A calls, expert interviews, and even feature guest bloggers who may receive a percentage of the monthly membership fees (this allows you to share the workload and the commissions).
The challenge you have to overcome is deciding how often and in what way you add your content to your membership site. And I know you can do it!
Building a Lifetime Membership Website
Early in 2014, I created a teleseminar called the Authentic Business Success Summit. This was a series of one-hour video interviews with online business experts….we’re talking people with six-, seven-, and eight-figure incomes….who offered out-of-this-world value to my members. They gave away all of their secrets about how they built their empires.
I charged people $197 dollars for lifetime access to the membership. This included access to all of the summit videos, plus access to a Facebook group and almost $6000 worth of bonus business-building gifts. Once they paid their one-time fee, they automatically had access to everything and there was nothing I had to add to that membership model. Once I set it up and created the content, I was done – no ongoing work required.
Building a Recurring Monthly Fee Membership Website
On the opposite end of the spectrum is the Authentic Leader Academy, my recurring fee membership website. This requires me to create high-value content every month in order to keep my members coming back for more.
With this model, I’m adding new videos to the membership site almost weekly. But that was my choice to make. I’ve let my members know that I’m dedicated to making sure that they’re getting the most value possible for their investment in the Academy, and that means high-value content is available every week. Therefore, I have to schedule the time to work on this content every week.
Which membership website model is best for you?
With these ideas in mind, you have to ask yourself which choice would be the best for you and your business. Some things to consider:
- What is your schedule like?
- Can you provide weekly or monthly content for your members?
- Do you really have time to be adding video, audio, blog posts, interviews, and even Q&A calls to your schedule?
Hey, I understand the entrepreneurial mindset. I know you really want to think of yourself as Superman or Superwoman, but you have to account for the time it’s going to take you to sell the membership, handle customer service and deal with any other things that come up on a weekly or monthly basis. Believe me, these are only a few of the moving pieces you’ll need to handle. My advice is to make it as simple as possible for yourself.
For example, you could create and add in all the content in advance, then go live and then maybe offer a monthly live Q&A call after that. This way, you don’t have to prepare anything for that Q&A call.
The bottom line is this – you need to know what you’re getting yourself into and what is required to make your membership website successful. I’m not trying to scare you away from the idea……no way! Membership sites are fantastic!! I just want you to go in with your eyes wide open. 🙂
Something helpful I would suggest is for you to participate in a lot of different types of membership sites that are out there. You can literally type the phrase internet marketing membership website, copywriting membership website, or relationship membership website into Google and come across all the different membership sites. You don’t even have to join to see what their model looks like.
Some will charge $47 a month while others require a lifetime investment of $2000. You’ll also see what’s included in that membership….with all of that information right on their sales page. I really encourage you to go out there and do a lot of research on membership sites so that you can decide what exactly it is that you want to do and create.
The next post in this series will shed light on how your members get access to your site and what that will require of you.
Would you like me to help you build your very own membership website? Get in touch with me today and apply for a 45-minute free strategy session. Then, I’ll get to work on your behalf, supporting you and keeping you motivated in every way I can!
Like these tips? Comment below and let me know to “keep it comin’!”
xoxo
Amber Vilhauer
