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Info product - Ebook or Membership site?

by Johnny1975
13 replies
It is better to make a membership site or an ebook? What are the advantages and disadvantages of both?
#ebook #info #membership #product #site
  • Profile picture of the author Max Anderson
    membership site -> recurring payments
    ebook -> one time payment
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    • Profile picture of the author Johnny1975
      Originally Posted by Max Anderson View Post

      membership site -> recurring payments
      ebook -> one time payment
      I don't understand. If I have a book or an online course, they're only going to pay for it once.
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      • Profile picture of the author Max Anderson
        Originally Posted by Johnny1975 View Post

        I don't understand. If I have a book or an online course, they're only going to pay for it once.
        Sorry, but I think you haven´t understood what a membership site is... Your customers usually pay monthly.
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        • Profile picture of the author Johnny1975
          Originally Posted by Max Anderson View Post

          Sorry, but I think you haven´t understood what a membership site is... Your customers usually pay monthly.
          Oh right, I get it. But if a course costs say $300, what difference does it make whether they buy an ebook for $300 or do a course online and pay say $100 per month for 3 months?
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          • Profile picture of the author jamescanz
            Originally Posted by Johnny1975 View Post

            Oh right, I get it. But if a course costs say $300, what difference does it make whether they buy an ebook for $300 or do a course online and pay say $100 per month for 3 months?
            Because it would be a recurring payment.

            It doesn't have to be a large one either.

            Look at Netflix, they are doing very well with their micro-continuity plan

            You could also sell an ebook and then have an upsell as the membership

            It doesn't have to be an either or situation, it can be both
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            • Profile picture of the author Johnny1975
              Originally Posted by jamescanz View Post

              Because it would be a recurring payment.

              It doesn't have to be a large one either.

              Look at Netflix, they are doing very well with their micro-continuity plan

              You could also sell an ebook and then have an upsell as the membership

              It doesn't have to be an either or situation, it can be both
              I understand but I'm not looking to do something on an ongoing basis. My product is finite, it doesn't keep going. I don't see the need to keep charging money when my product has a beginning, middle and end.
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              • Profile picture of the author bangwhosnext
                Originally Posted by Johnny1975 View Post

                I understand but I'm not looking to do something on an ongoing basis. My product is finite, it doesn't keep going. I don't see the need to keep charging money when my product has a beginning, middle and end.
                I think your question should be Ebook or online course.

                Depends on how much value you place on your product.

                If your looking for $300 or so, then an online course would be your best choice. I can't see many people paying $300 for an ebook no matter how good it is.
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                • Profile picture of the author Johnny1975
                  Originally Posted by bangwhosnext View Post

                  I think your question should be Ebook or online course.

                  Depends on how much value you place on your product.

                  If your looking for $300 or so, then an online course would be your best choice. I can't see many people paying $300 for an ebook no matter how good it is.
                  $300 was just an example. What I'd like to charge is £157 ($261).

                  The reason is that I recently bought a series of 5 ebooks (they arrived by email one by one every week, but I paid in one go) and that was £97 ($161), and it was originally billed as high as £300 ($499) and £157 ($261), and I believe that my product (which is going to be about 5 or 6 ebooks) is better. And it contains a lot of videos and diagrams.

                  Am I asking for too much? I really don't think I am but I'm only basing that on the price of the product that I bought.
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              • Profile picture of the author jamescanz
                Re: Info product - Ebook or Membership site?

                Originally Posted by Johnny1975 View Post

                I understand but I'm not looking to do something on an ongoing basis. My product is finite, it doesn't keep going. I don't see the need to keep charging money when my product has a beginning, middle and end.
                I believe you just answered your own question
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          • Profile picture of the author Domain 1
            Originally Posted by Johnny1975 View Post

            and pay say $100 per month for 3 months?
            What you are saying is basically "ebook vs. ebook" but single payment vs. installments.

            It's very unlikely that people will pay $300 for an ebook unless you are well branded. Possibly consider trying to sell a cheaper ebook i.e. $47 while attempting to build and market your course also i.e. $200+ over 3+ months.
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  • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
    Originally Posted by Johnny1975 View Post

    It is better to make a membership site or an ebook? What are the advantages and disadvantages of both?
    You sound super new to internet marketing and product creation.

    Just create an ebook first market it, learn the ropes, make money, then try your attempts at a membership site.
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  • Profile picture of the author trkr81
    Ebooks get into a world of options, as well as membership sites.

    Ebook options:
    Do you need to lock it down to one user, one computer, password protected, etc?
    If so, most ebook software will limit you to Windows users by delivering a .exe file for download.
    Research and profile your target market. What machines and browsers do they run?
    If you have more "in-depth" content to offer, it might be better to use that book for a lead magnet and don't trouble yourself with trying to control who downloads it. If they want it, they'll find a way to get it. That's just part of the business.

    Membership site:
    Do you need to offer ongoing support? If so, you'll need a ticketing system. Checkout Zendesk.
    Do you need multiple membership levels (basic, pro, etc)?
    Are you expecting a lot of members? If so, get a VPS or dedicated server.
    Do you sell audio/video? You'll need to host those on Amazon S3 and lock it down.
    What membership software do you need?

    Consider this...
    Opensource membership scripts, while free, can be difficult to maintain, plugins, updates from multiple places, etc. If you're not tech savvy, consider a commercial solution for a nominal monthly fee. Zaxaa is proving great for start-ups and seems to be maturing nicely. The developer has been around for a while.

    I recommend spending some time profiling your market. Consider what you'd pay for it. If you're not comfortable with your price, lower it. Too many "guru's" are here today, and gone tomorrow because they gouge their customers.

    I just bought a $1000 course from a VERY respected, and VERY well known marketer. One of his videos didn't even have audio. The other videos were horrible quality with such terrible resolution, I was unable to see it. Needless to say, I'll never buy from him again.

    In fact, that experience has driven me that much more to create higher quality products at a fair price. I'd rather have a business with a lower price be here for years to come, than to work my tail off building something with a short shelf life and get a bad reputation from.

    Keep it simple. Create quality content. And sell that book at a fair price. BLOW THEM AWAY WITH VALUE! Then, when you release a video course or CD offer, they'll know you deliver value. The veil has already been pierced.

    Good luck!
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  • Profile picture of the author dreamhobbiz
    what type of courses are best for membership sites?
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