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Membership Site Newbie! Advice Please

by lifesshort
15 replies
I'm looking to dip my toes in to the water and build my first simple membership site but I'm scratching my head as to which membership plugin and which auto-responder to use, if indeed I need both. :confused:

I read here on the forum on many of the threads and posts both old and new about setting up a reasonably priced membership site, but the more I read the more questions I end up with which results in information overload. It seems there are lots of pros and cons and just too many choices. I need to focus on the site itself but can't as yet until I get the plugins nailed down.

I'm thinking just on the basic level of a simple membership but I obviously I want to get it right from the start, like building an email list, sending out newsletters, offering a free trial and ultimately to get customers to sign up to a monthly subscription via PayPal.

So if anyone with any experience would like to share, I would very much appreciate any advice and plugin recommendations please. I don't mind purchasing a responder script if I need one rather than paying monthly.


Thank you in advance.
#advice #membership #newbie #site
  • Profile picture of the author Mark Hess
    The EASIEST membership plugin to use is WPMemberChamp.

    You have the option to integrate with an autoresponder automatically... on the affiliate side of things, you have the option for Clickbank, WarriorPlus, or JVZoo. (there's also just plain on PayPal) and there's an option for trials.

    If you want to drip feed content to members, purchase this plugin: http://www.warriorforum.com/warrior-...wp-plugin.html

    As WPMemberChamp doesn't drip feed...
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  • Profile picture of the author PassiveIncomeTeacher
    I also am looking to setup a membership site. Some of the guys I follow have suggested and use the following

    OptimizePress theme - allows you to setup squeezepages, landing pages, and a membership signup frontend

    Clickbank - handles all of the payment processing and affiliates

    WishList Member - gives you a protected membership section of your site

    Amazon S3 - to host and deliver video and other content
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    ----> Free Landing Page Software
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    • Profile picture of the author John J M
      Originally Posted by PassiveIncomeTeacher View Post

      I also am looking to setup a membership site. Some of the guys I follow have suggested and use the following

      OptimizePress theme - allows you to setup squeezepages, landing pages, and a membership signup frontend

      Clickbank - handles all of the payment processing and affiliates

      WishList Member - gives you a protected membership section of your site

      Amazon S3 - to host and deliver video and other content
      As others have suggested here, I use and recommend DAP..It would combine the functionality of Clickbank and WishList, and adds a lot of other awesome features. And yes, I also use OptimizePress, mainly because it integrates incredibly easily with DAP. Amazon S3 is always a good choice for hosting.
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  • Profile picture of the author PPC-Coach
    Amember is the best by leaps and bounds.

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  • Profile picture of the author Derek_Thomas
    Personally I use and am quite fond of Wishlist Member. I use Aweber for my autoresponder. As Mark Hess points out though, WPMemberChamp is also highly recommended by many, though I've not used it myself.

    I read here on the forum on many of the threads and posts both old and new about setting up a reasonably priced membership site, but the more I read the more questions I end up with which results in information overload.
    Other than regarding which plugin to use, do you have any specific questions?

    The reason I ask is because there is no one "best" plugin. It really depends on what you want to accomplish, and from what you describe Wishlist or WPMemberChamp should work.

    Best,
    Derek
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    Thousands of happy Warriors agree...
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  • Profile picture of the author WinstonTian
    From experience, DLGuard is an absolute
    favorite. Amember is easy to setup, but can
    be quite a pain with some cross-platform
    trouble.

    Wishlist isn't bad either. But really, I'd just
    throw away the reliance on a Wordpress site
    and use DLGuard.

    It's a brilliant piece of software. I would
    presume many Warriors use it since it *was*
    created by a Warrior.

    Winston Tian
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    Cheers,
    Winston
    The Beginner's Doctor

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    • Profile picture of the author Derek_Thomas
      Originally Posted by WinstonTian View Post

      But really, I'd just
      throw away the reliance on a Wordpress site...
      Why is this? I'm curious.

      Derek
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      Thousands of happy Warriors agree...
      This service is a MUST - so worth it - Barry C.
      Derek is a keyword genius - Alan W.
      The results are incredible - page one already! - Navia B.
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      • Profile picture of the author Ignite the Market
        I started a membership site in January of this year, and am having a nice level of success with it. I must say there were many trials and errors along the way, but that is part of launching any business. It's nice to get as many things possible right from the start, but at some point you just need to jump in with both feet.

        Personally after many configurations tried I use the following:
        • OptimizePress
        • DAP (Digital Access Pass) - membership plugin
        • WP Mingle - social community plugin

        I have heard good things about WishList and aMember as well so I think you would be fine with DAP, WishList, or aMember as your membership plugin.

        I enjoy running my membership site so good luck with yours!
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        • Profile picture of the author Derek_Thomas
          Originally Posted by Ignite the Market View Post

          I started a membership site in January of this year, and am having a nice level of success with it. I must say there were many trials and errors along the way, but that is part of launching any business. It's nice to get as many things possible right from the start, but at some point you just need to jump in with both feet.

          Personally after many configurations tried I use the following:
          • OptimizePress
          • DAP (Digital Access Pass) - membership plugin
          • WP Mingle - social community plugin

          I have heard good things about WishList and aMember as well so I think you would be fine with DAP, WishList, or aMember as your membership plugin.

          I enjoy running my membership site so good luck with yours!
          I can speak to DAP (Digital Access Pass) as well. Great product. Wishlist may be a bit simpler with less of a learning curve though.

          Have you found good benefit from WP Mingle? Increased user interaction and community?

          Derek
          Signature
          Thousands of happy Warriors agree...
          This service is a MUST - so worth it - Barry C.
          Derek is a keyword genius - Alan W.
          The results are incredible - page one already! - Navia B.
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  • Profile picture of the author Asher
    If you're brand new to starting a membership site, you
    could check out this new post I put up on mine...
    The Recurring Revenue Masterplan | Online Income Cash

    I'll add a little bit more info to that since that post I have
    doesn't answer any of your questions with regards to the
    software required.

    I use Wishlist, ProfitsTheme and Wordpress.

    It's a challenge to get the 2 scripts working together (WL
    and PT) but I do love the challenge... since it's my own
    site.

    I've experimented with DLGuard, DigitalAccessPass, and
    some others I can't recall. But for some reason, I stuck
    with Wishlist... even though getting it to work and drip
    feed my content took a long time to figure out.

    If you want to keep things simple though, I agree with
    what WinstonTian stated - using DLGuard and just going
    with plain old protected HTML pages.

    If you would like a REALLY SIMPLE membership model
    though, all you need is a website and autoresponder. And
    you get the people who are members onto your autoresponder
    where they receive their paid material.

    No need to fuss around with any scripts.

    Just throw the link into the autoresponder and viola~
    Instant membership model.

    Asher
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    Asher Aw
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  • Profile picture of the author Asher
    Thanks for the share, Derek. That was an EXCELLENT
    resource about membership site you shared.

    OP - cancel that about reading mine, you can go read
    the other one instead. =)

    Asher
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    Asher Aw
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    • Profile picture of the author Derek_Thomas
      Originally Posted by Asher View Post

      OP - cancel that about reading mine, you can go read
      the other one instead. =)
      Both are great resources. No reason why you can't learn from each.

      Derek
      Signature
      Thousands of happy Warriors agree...
      This service is a MUST - so worth it - Barry C.
      Derek is a keyword genius - Alan W.
      The results are incredible - page one already! - Navia B.
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      • Profile picture of the author lifesshort
        Thanks guys for your responses and recommendations. I will be reading and looking at all of the above suggestions later today. Lets hope I can get my head around it all ?!?!
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  • Profile picture of the author Faisal Karim
    There's been a lot of discussion on this forum regarding membership website setup (scripts, plugins etc). That's always a good read and provides various practical perspectives.

    Here's my (tried and true) 2 cents.

    If you really want a powerful and scalable membership website system I'd look no further than the combination of WP (of course), DigitalAccessPass (DAP), and Optimize Press.

    Though DAP has a built-in autoresponder and now integrates with Amazon SES (Simple Email Service), you may choose Aweber for staying in touch with your list.

    If you really want to cover every front, then for powerful video presentations you can try s3mediavault, a plug-n-play Amazon S3 media plugin by the same guys who created DAP.

    There you have it. This set up will cost you some bucks but this will be the best money you'll spend on setting up your IM career infrastructure.

    With the above set up, as you move forward in your IM career, you'll never have to look back and second guess your decisions regarding your 'initial setup'.
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