5 Reasons to Start a Membership Site

This post has been contributed by Matt Eldridge of Melt Design, a full-service creative agency and ActiveCampaign Certified Consultant that combines web design techniques and marketing strategies for clients across a variety of verticals.

Membership sites are getting a lot of love at the moment, everyone seems to have one or is looking to get one.

But what is a membership website and what is the benefits to you, the business owner, for having a membership website?

A membership site is a restricted-access part of your online business where only members who subscribe—either paid or not—can access the content you’ve placed behind the doors.

Membership sites offer several benefits to your business. You can use a membership site to grow your following and customer base or you can use one to support current clients with how to videos or other information only available to them. Either way, they are a massive asset to your business.

Let’s run through why setting up a membership site could be a game changer for you and your business.

Recurring Revenue

One of the most attractive features of a membership site is regular, predictable income. You’ll have a list of recurring customers supplying a consistent stream of revenue into your business.

You won’t have to worry about when the next one-off payment from a sale will come through.

You swap out the feast and famine business model of chasing one-off sales, and instead, you get slow and steady growth. An excellent change from volatility and worrying about your next payday.

It’s important to bear in mind that it can take some time to build up your members, but as long as you continue to market your membership site and provide content that keeps your members coming back, this number just keeps rising.

Your business ecosystem

A membership site can be an excellent way for people to take their first step up your product and services ladder.

The value of the content you offer your new members builds trust and likeability. Your members are more likely to come to you for higher ticket services and products and move up that ladder when they trust you.

Showcase Your Skills

Ever feel like you’re stuck in a bit of a rut with your business? Feel as though you aren’t doing what you should and could be doing? Then have a look at setting up a membership site.

Remove the restrictive work that doesn’t allow you to show off what your real superpowers are in your industry or niche. Membership sites have NO restrictions, so it’s up to you to publish work depending on which skills you want to be in the spotlight.

Are you a bit of a sales wizard? Post up a How-To video exclusive for your members along with a new sales script that your members can access.

There is so much freedom that comes with running a membership site. Just make sure the exclusive content is regular and worthy of your member’s money.  You don’t want people canceling after they have run out of material to consume.

Become a Known Expert

If you already own your own business, we’d be surprised if you didn’t know a lot about what you do. You are likely to have trained for your career and spent a long time learning and mastering your craft.

This experience is valuable, and you can pass it on to your members. You can fill out your membership site full of relevant and exclusive tips from your previous experiences.

The extra credibility you gain from sharing your knowledge on your membership site can also help you to attain other higher ticket clients for services like done for you or masterminds.

Build Your Tribe

Your membership site needs to add value for your customers. Otherwise, it is going to struggle. A Successful membership site is all about the value exchange. Your members need to feel like they are getting a fair amount of content and support from your website.

Going beyond the call of duty and supplying your members with useful and impactful content on a regular basis will make your members value you even more, building up loyalty to you and your brand.

Your tribe will be more likely to recommend you and your site and services. If you are directly involved in transforming and making a positive difference to a person’s business, you’ll form a strong relationship with your members.

To Wrap up

A membership website can be an excellent way to grow

They are not a quick win and can take a long time to develop and grow with new members.

You’ll need to invest a lot of time in developing content for your members and content you can use to market what you do and grow your following. If you are willing to invest in the cost of the site and the time to produce and market the content they can be a game changer for your business and offer you a reliable and steady income that you can depend on.