We’re back for Part 5 of our latest WordPress Website Design series – How to Create a Membership Website!
By now you should have decided the best way for your clients to access your website.
So, what next? Now you’re ready to choose the software that will run it for you and an application that will automate all of the critical steps for you (sign-up, payment, delivery, and email autoresponders). There are tons of different options available, and I’m not an expert on every single one of them, but I can tell you that my favorite is a WordPress plugin called WishList. One of the reasons I love it? There is a one-time fee with single-site or multi-site licenses available. So once you pay for it, you never have to pay for it again.
Choosing your membership website software
Basically, you buy WishList and upload it to your WordPress website, just as you would any plugin. Did I just lose you there? If I did, then you’ll probably have to hire a web person to help you out! My team and I are available to help you with this entire setup. We can easily knock this out for you with super fast setup and installation (we know all the ways to maneuver and set up the website!).
Setting up the WishList plugin
So, let’s get back to the WishList plugin. You upload the plugin into WordPress, activate it and then you start working through all the different options. The options include:
- How many tiers or levels do you want to offer your members?
- What content are you going to assign as the membership content?
- What’s the price point you want to offer for single or multi-level memberships?
- You can integrate your wish list into a shopping cart like PayPal. (I personally use Premium Web Cart, but there are a lot of different ways that you can integrate WishList to automatically connect to your shopping cart. That way, as soon as somebody buys into your membership site, you automatically get paid, and they automatically gain access.)
- Integrate the plugin to work with your email management system. (Whatever system you’re using, WishList automatically integrates with those systems.)
I’ve probably developed well over a dozen different types of membership models using WishList and I have never run into an issue. WishList. It’s definitely at the top of my recommended list.
Of course, there are other options. Kajabi is very popular but has a monthly fee associated with it. With prices ranging from $100-$300 per month, it just worries me to add that kind of expense. Who needs that? Plus, while Kajabi is a phenomenal system (another one is Customer Hub), you don’t own your membership site – they do!
For me, I want something that integrates into my website – something that I own and control – but hey, that’s just me! I also love getting away from the monthly recurring charge, and you should too, because you have enough expenses in your business, right?
As you might have guessed, I love WishList and highly recommend it. Again, if you need a team to help you set that up, just send me a message and I’d be happy to go over pricing and set up options with you. We can get you set up within a few hours and train you how to pick up the ball and run with it from there.
In the next and final blog post on How to Create a Membership Website, we’ll get into the most effective way to market, boost membership and increase value.
If you thought these tips were helpful, please help me share them on your favorite social network by using the share buttons below! Thank you for your support!
xoxo
Amber Vilhauer
