Starting A Membership Site - What Seperates The Good From The Bad?

[Ray Erdmann]

To all fellow WF members:

The other night, I was having a chat w/a long time friend who is currently thinking of launching a membership site that caters to the MMO (Make Money Online) crowd and during our conversation, the topic of 'what makes a membership site 'worth the cost of admission' came up and my thoughts on the matter was that no matter what name(s) are behind the membership in question, that ultimately whether or not customers sign up and/or stay for any lenght of time is soley based on the content (material) that is provided on the subject matter (Make Money Online) is both current and accurate and that the person(s) behind the membership site have, in fact, been able to 'practice what they preach'....meaning, they've made money online by using the very same tips, tactics or teachings that is now being passed to the paying customers through the online membership.

Would any of you agree with this assumption?

If not, then what, in your opinion, makes a membership not only worth joining, but one that customers would want to stay a part of for any lenght of time?

Your thoughts and opinions are appreciated.

Thanks!

Ray

[JenniferHardings]

You can just look around on this forum someday, and you will find people here who have not paid, and then people here who have paid and have access to the war room.


You cannot find anyone complaining about the war room, or the fee, as they really are getting more than they bargained for... and also on this forum, you find that almost always people with CREDENTIALS, and real stats, testimonials from real warrior members, experience etc prove them to actually be real marketers.

not to mention, alot of posts you can read- where things are given away for free, sure proves that some people sure know a thing or two about IM. I think you could really take the warrior forum as a prime example of what makes people want to stick around, pay for a membership, etc...

[mediamogul]

I give my members access to great video tutorials, articles, tips and tricks. I updated it monthly to keep it fresh. Its some work but can really do well!

[dave147]

Here's some of what I think makes a sticky membership site:

1. An affordable monthly fee eg: $19.95 > $27
2. High quality products
3. The latest and greatest products - less of the "years old" rehashed products
4. A member forum
5. An affiliate program paying 70% commission
6. Great tools
7. Online training ie. videos on various marketing topics

[Ray Erdmann]

Jennifer: While I agree that the "War Room" here on WarriorForum is a pretty good example of a 'membership site', it's not your typical run of the mill membership site which would be similar to say "Wealthy Affiliate" or "Niche Marketing Classroom", but I do agree that the IM'ers in the War Room do share some really great information for the small monetary contribution we've paid to access that particular section of Warrior Forum and that those who share that information themselves, in thier own right, are able to back up that teaching/information by actually 'practicing what they preach!'...if you know what I mean.

@MediaMogul: Would you say the cost of your membership plan is underpriced, overpriced or competitively priced for what I would say appears to be some great quality content? That being said, do you feel that in your opinion, 'content rules' more they say pricing?

@Dave147: Those very issues are what we're currently working out...but are all definitely inline with what we want to offer to each and every member....along with a few other things that I think will be added bonuses...

Any more thoughts and/or opinions to go along with those already mentioned?

Thanks,

Ray

[mediamogul]

The cost really depends to me on what niche i am doing. For my Twitter training I know the numbers are there for people who would be interested in it. So I'm fine with my monthly fee being low.

On my film school, the numbers are alot less. The training they get it top notch and I give many extras that a first time filmmaker needs. So for this I charge a premium price. Plus I only want people who are serious about filmmaking.

It seems both are working out fine.

That being said content is KING! Make great content and you will find people who need it or want it. I myself pay a monthly fee to a membership site that provides me answers to programming problems I have once in a while. Its a bit like having my own tech help for cheap!

Focus on the content, then the marketing. Build lists while you are creating the content with a free report or something.

Best of luck!

PS I do 50% affiliate and it seems to be doing ok too!

[RedHat39]

I think Dave hit the nail on the head with points 4 and 5. Getting members to interact helps tremendously to keep the churn down. Plus it really adds to the content available.

Also if the affiliate program is set so that all one needs is no more than 2 referrals to pay for the member's own fees that helps a lot too.

Also one must keep in mind that IM related membership sites are everywhere and have IMO lost their value so unless you have some really exclusive content and limited access to it (set limit on the amount of subscribers) Dave's first point comes into play as well.

[Ray Erdmann]

I appreciate the kind words MediaMogul...

"Content" is definitely going to be one, if not THE ONE, area that we're going to focus on. My partner has already started to get the 'affiliate side' setup, however I've not yet discussed w/them exactly what "%" we're going to offer, but I'm sure it'll between either 50% or 75%...which seems to be the 'de facto' standard from what I've gathered researching similar sites.

We also both realize the importance of a 'community forum' and what it can offer in the way of self-help and motivation for everyone involved, and will definitely be getting that in place when the time is right.

Again, I appreciate the feedback!


Sincerely,


Ray

[competitive]

I joined a membership site for $57 per month and all I was receiving was the same updates as if I was not paying $57 per month so obviously I cancelled my membership. Membership sites really need to provide value for money and content that is not available elsewhere and is exclusive.

[waihon]

From a member's point of view, I think the 3 most important things of a membership site are:

1. Unique, latest, and frequently updated content
2. Proven-to-work strategies, tactics, and techniques.
3. Active, friendly, and helpful community/forum.

[Ray Erdmann]

@competitive: Thanks for the feedback, much appreciate it!
From a 'content' stand point, we've definitely got plans on providing a TON of content, which of course will cover ALL aspects related to internet marketing from the 'simple stuff' to the 'more advanced' aspects, so we feel pretty confident at this stage that we'll be over-delivering in that regard! :-)

@waihon: Thanks to you too for the positive feedback!
As things change w/in the internet marketing world, we will, of course, be consistently updating all relevant content contained within the site, to ensure that there's no 'outdated information' that no longer is applicable.

Regarding the community, our primary goal is to take those members who take the information provided and 'run with it' and in turn, utilizie their experience, knowledge and success to help others who may need more time and/or a little hand holding in order to start seeing success themselves.

Thanks again to everyone for their positive feedback!

Sincerely,


Ray

[kiosk2]

I'll echo the forum or other member interaction system.

If you can make your members feel as though they are part of an exclusive club they will stay. Make them feel important.

I use a forum for support and for member interaction. It's important to also make trusted members moderators as not only will they take a more active part in the forum, they will save you a hell of a lot of work

David