01/11/21 |
A membership website is a website whose content is only available to subscribers. They are increasingly popular with clubs seeking to show content only to members, for online courses and by businesses for access to webinars and other material. Membership websites can have single or multiple levels and may charge a recurring fee for membership access, offer their content for free, or a combination of both.
A membership website is primarily about building relationships with your subscribers. It’s important to give them valuable, useful content. By building strong bonds with your members you create a mutually beneficial relationship whereby they are rewarded with useful information and you get loyal customers.
A membership website has a number of benefits:
– It enables businesses to gather information about the people wanting to view their content, which can then be nurtured as a lead. Members will be much more interested in new products than the general public.
– Content can be restricted to members only rather than the general public.
– It can raise money for clubs, businesses or educational establishments – it generates dependable income.
– The website automates the taking of monthly subscriptions.
– It enables you to build relationships with your members.
– It engenders loyalty from its users.
– It offers exponential growth – you can increase your number of subscribers easily without further investment.
What your Membership Website Needs
The easiest way to create a membership website is with a CMS like WordPress. You will need plugins like MemberPress to enable you to create a membership website. Your website will need the following:
1. Membership registration and log-in
You’ll need a page for visitors to register to become members and then for them to log in. The login page is the gateway to your content restricted to members such as courses, webinars and special offers.
2. Ways to create different levels of membership
You might want to create different tiers for your subscribers. Those on the most basic, cheapest (or free) level will gain access to certain content, but to get more they will have to pay more. This is a good way of drawing people in initially then upselling further services.
3. Member profile editing
Subscribers will need an area where they can view and edit their profile with all their information and payment options. They also need to be able to change their passwords for security purposes.
4. Payment processing
You will need to have a payment gateway that supports credit card payments and apple pay. Paying for their subscription needs to be as straight-forward as possible for the member. It also needs to be secure, you are dealing with people’s money. Your membership plugin should enable you to take regular subscription payments as well as the initial fee.
5. Manage your members
You may want to allow members to communicate with each other which will foster a sense of community and loyalty. So you will need to install a forum plugin. For this to run smoothly you need to be able to manage it, allowing some posts and blocking others, and ensuring that all members conform to the site rules.
6. Restrict access to non-members
For your membership website to work, the restricted content should not be available to non-members otherwise there is no incentive to join.
7. Manage renewals
Your membership website needs to be able to notify members when their membership is up for renewal, or alternatively, renew membership automatically. It also needs to allow membership cancellation.
8. Communicate with members
You need to be able to send messages to all members and also communicate with them individually so you will need email.
9. Allow for event registration
Members need to be able to RSVP if you plan to hold events for members only.
Tips for creating an effective membership website
– Ensure that your website has a clean design and clear messaging – people need to know why they should sign up to view your content and what benefits it will bring them. There should be a clear call to action showing visitors exactly where they can sign up.
– If you are converting an existing website into a membership site make sure it has the capabilities. This is easy with WordPress as there are a huge range of plugins you can install to add functionality.
– Ensure your content offers value for the membership – you can offer webinars, tutorials, whitepapers, discounts, members-only events – there needs to be an incentive to sign up.
– Define your ideal member and how you will target them – don’t make it too broad, you won’t attract every professional, the most successful membership sites have a specific topic with a niche following.
– Make sure it is simple and straight-forward to sign up – a complicated or lengthy process will put people off.
– Your site needs to be stable, well-managed and secure – you are managing member’s money so security is a big concern, you also don’t want there to be endless issues with the website’s functionality as this will drive people away.
– Use your existing email list to encourage people to sign up, provide an incentive, for instance a discount for members.
– Broadcast your launch using social media, create a countdown and use Facebook ads if you have the budget. The more people you can reach, the more members you are likely to get.
– Update your content regularly, members will quickly get bored if there isn’t fresh content to view.
– Encourage feedback from members – they will steer you in the direction they want the site to take, and tailor your content accordingly.
Creating a membership website involves many more things to consider than a standard website, and it needs to be done properly if you are to retain members. If it all seems a little daunting, we can help! Just call us on 01202 650 333 or email design@koreti.com.
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