A short video with a big huge thanks, some updates and new stuff on the horizon!
Summer Wrap Up 2011
August 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment
What features should I include in my membership program?
May 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment
In my humble opinion… there is no wrong or right way to set up a membership program. However I do think there are a few guidelines on what the “right” is and should be:
1) You can manage it! – This is a biggie; if you go with a piece of software or a purchased solution that you or someone on your team can’t manage, what is the point? You are going to be so frustrated you may never launch or you launch, and your members are frustrated because they are not getting what they paid for or expected.
2) User friendly – This has to be looked at. When you know who your target audience is, and their comfort level with technology, you have a much better idea on what type of program features to offer. Can your audience barely navigate email? Are they more web-savvy and understand how to login and navigate around your website?
These 2 are the most crucial considerations in my book – and must be looked at before deciding on any membership site software solution.
Back in the post “Stop Making It So Difficult”, it was pointed out that we tend to over-complicate projects, that we need to take a step back and break it down to its most basic component. I tend to get excited and overcomplicate things myself, especially when I am listening to too many “gurus” who each are saying, “This is the best way….”. Once I know what I want to offer my members, and how I want to present the information–keeping in mind my audience’s comfort level of comfort with technology–the solution many times presents itself. Start simple! Remember you can always add on later.
There is a LOT of information out there–lists of pros and cons, arguments of what is better then what, reasons why this is the “must have feature” – it can quickly become overwhelming. Read one more review, and you just might go bonkers or even worse- not take that first step of getting your site started.
It is worth repeating; start simple!
- How much money do you have right now to spend on this project?
- How many features and bells and whistles do you really need?
- What are you realistically going to be able to maintain and keep up with?
Is it possible that all you need to get started is a weekly email with a link to a page on your site to access the training?
On the other hand, you may find you need to have a place for protected files, a place for members to connect. That is when you take a step up and move beyond email.
But there is NOTHING wrong with starting with a weekly email! It is quick and easy to set up and get done quickly.
Then when you are ready, take a look at what your members are asking for, and see if it is time to bump up the features and benefits you offer… and thus possibly offer it at a new higher price tag??
My favorite combo is WordPress and WishList Member – a program that lets you start as basic as you want and grows with you as you need to add features like a forum, download pages, message wall, member directory… With this combination you can still start with a simple weekly email and then grow as your members ask for more.
You can read more about WishList here.
Are there any membership program ideas sitting on your shelf or in your idea book? Have you been feeling overwhelmed on what you “should have” or the options available? Ask! Ask questions, get feedback, survey your target audience – find out what they are looking for and how you can help.
Remember, you don’t have to do it ALL right now… start uber simple and build on that foundation. Now that is the RIGHT way to set up a membership site.
Is it a membership site or a forum?
April 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Is there a difference?
Yes, and well, no… there comes a point when it really is just a matter of semantics. A membership site is about community – and how that comes about shows up in all sorts of different shapes, sizes, formats and features. How you want to reach out to your community and interact with them will tell you what you need in your membership site. What do you need to have in place to interact with your tribe and encourage them to jump in and participate?
A Forum…
…can be the centerpiece of a membership site, or it can be a standalone feature on your site that magically turns your website into a membership site. A forum can also be a burden and eye-sore in an otherwise healthy active community. With the right audience you will have a highly interactive community with a lot of give and take between you and the members and between members; if not you have an eye-sore that you will probably have you wondering, why do I have it?
The truth is that most forums resemble the abandoned gold-mining town with a few townsfolk that are loyal and will never leave and possibly the occasional newcomer passing through to see what is going on. Usually, though the newcomer will see the lack of activity and not stay around long; this can hurt your retention rate.
Keeping a forum active can be hard work and not one that most people want to take on or even SHOULD take on. There are a lot of experts out there who do not even bother any more, and opt for other communication tools. I have stopped recommending them as something that should be in the first version of your site (unless you know for sure how your audience will use it).
A forum can always be added later, IF your audience is asking for it. My recommendation is to start simple and don’t start a forum. If your members ask for it later on, go ahead when you are ready. Now that is a great retention strategy!
Forum Options:
1) Blog post comments – create a discussion based around an event listed in a post or a new training video, etc.
2) WP-Wall Plugin (add link) – Here is another great tool that works well on some membership sites. It is a widget on a sidebar where members can leave comments and ask questions. It can be a simple yet effective way to start a conversation.
Membership Site
When you hear these two words, you usually envisions a full featured space on the web where people gather to learn, share and network. It is a community of people drawn together by common interests and goals. With that in mind, a membership site usually includes a variety of features and functions of videos, audios, downloadable files, articles, forums, profiles, member directories — content that is not restricted to a forum.
This is a good spot to note: forums (we use and recommend Simple-Press.com ) do have a way to list profiles and can be an easy place to get started with a members directory. There are more options when you set up a specific members directory using WordPress Plugins; again it really depends on your target audience their needs and requests.
When you go back and look at the plan for your membership site (insert planning post link) take a close look at the target market section and consider what type of communication they are going to prefer. How are you going to present discussion topics for feedback? What is the skill level of your target audience? Is commenting on a blog post going to tax their expertise or is adding a forum with a variety of topics going to be something they can navigate and use easily?
There is no wrong or right answer – does having access to a forum affect your decision to joining a membership program?
What is a membership site?
March 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment
What – A definition:
Here is a basic definition of the word “Membership”: the total number of members belonging to an organization, society, etc. Source: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/membership
Short sweet and to the point but let’s elaborate on that shall we? Basically it is a group brought together through a common interest. It can be to learn something new, strengthen a skill, working toward a common goal, promote ideas… you get the picture. When you have an idea, a product, a class – anything you want to share with your audience you can make a membership program out of it.
Now whether that will be a successful membership site, that is another story. For right now we are going to stick with the the “What” question.
What – Examples:
Here are some examples of memberships: Church, your local Gym, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace. These are all groups that you join, become active in, learn something and share ideas – a membeship site/program is a community.
What – An Idea:
A membership site is also a place to connect with people.
This is the part I like best about membership sites and is at the core of why I am in business for myself – creating opportunities for those who are struggling to connect and find support.
The right membership site can offer that, a solution to the problem you are facing right now.
What – Building Your Tribe:
A membership site is also a way to build and support your tribe.
Sidenote: If you haven’t read Seth Godin’s book Tribes, run don’t walk to you nearest bookstore or computer and buy it. If you have read it already, I suggest you read it again before starting a membership site.
Once you have a tribe of followers and they find success in the training and ideas you are teaching, they are going to look for ongoing support. Your membership site can offer that by connecting and bringing your tribe together so that they not only help each other out but in the end, you as well!
Through interaction with your members you learn what areas they are struggling with. What is working, what isn’t. What questions are they asking, what type of support will they need in the future? This gives you all sorts of feedback and information on what products and services you may need to offer in the future.
So maybe instead of membership site, we need to call it a Tribe Site? Hmm, have to think about that one huh?
Planning your new WordPress Website or Membership Site
January 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment
When you are ready to start a new website project or re-vamp a current site it is easy to say, let’s go, get it done and learn along the way. While I agree that there is a time to Ready, Fire, Aim, there is also something to be said for pre-planning and putting some thought behind what your end goal is.
One of the projects on my list is to develop a set of Planning FUNbooks (who wants to work 
!) for Membership Sites & Websites. To walk you through the planning stage, to the installation & set up phase to the getting ready to launch phase. With questions, checklists, charts, eventually the works to walk you through the process with options to consider and most importantly helping you nail down, “The Why” of the project.
This is an opportunity to share what I have learned and what I continue to learn with each client project I work on. Over the next few weeks I will be blogging tips and ideas to help me flesh out the steps and get some feedback from you on what questions you have when starting a project like this.
If you have questions right now, put your comment below, I would love to answer and help out if I can.
Starting a membership site in 2011
January 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment
There has been a lot of talk in the past year or two about membership sites, how to use them and how to make tons of money from them.
There are definitely entrepreneurs out there who make a lot of money from membership sites – to be honest from what I have seen they are few and far between. Don’t get me wrong, a well done membership site can absolutely be a money maker, the potential is there and there for the taking. However, what I see happening over and over again is the idea of throwing up a membership site, inviting some people and then the money will start rolling in.
Sorry, but it ain’t going to happen that way! Membership sites take work. They take planning, forethought and management after the fact. When I walk someone through the process of setting up a membership site they often get frustrated by all my questions. There are some that barely answer and some that realize oh, I didn’t think of that and will take a step back for a bit and put some foundational pieces in the plan.
I’m getting pretty forceful and determined about making this the first step in working with a client. I don’t know if I can emphasize enough just how important this step is… it is huge! I have seen too many great membership sites get started, working beautifully and then go nowhere because there was no plan beyond the idea of “if you build it they will come”. I’m raising my hand on that one – I have been guilty in the past of this exact same thing.
If you take the time, up front, you will save yourself countless hours of frustration and worry later on.
Here is just one example of a planning process. [Read more...]
WordPress Plugins That Rock
May 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Building community around your product or service is important.
But, how do you do it and what tools or plugins should you use?
Register for this complimentary webinar to find out:
http://wishlistproducts.com/webinar/wlp.php?af=945379
The training is called “Plugins That Rock” and it will outline the most popular plugins for building membership sites and online communities.
Enjoy, Ihope to see you on the webinar!
NOTE: There is a 500 person limit (set by the webinar company) so register early to guarantee your spot.
