Facts to Know About Membership Websites
Before launching a Membership site one must be aware of certain pitfalls or facts or he could end up with heavy losses. Setting up a membership website seems pretty easy as one needs some premium content, a password access, a shopping card, and processing of payments through credit card. One naturally thinks that the customers will automatically line up to pay for a premium article or content. However, a reality check has to be made and one must realize the forethought that is required for creating a remunerative membership site.Fact number OneEach membership website model works differently and there are many models available. The structure and organization of the website are really important so one must get one’s facts right before starting the website. A membership website has different characteristics from a subscriber-access-only magazine or a newsletter and one must be able to distinguish between the attributes of the two separate concepts when he starts a paid-access-only website.Fact number twoJust because you have an archive of articles collected over several years one cannot set up an online library and charge members a fixed amount to access the archives. An entire information library cannot be brought online. It is better to organize the content and make the information accessible topic by topic. Every story or article or newsletter that you have ever published in your blog or book is an asset and must be made full use of. Try to monetize these assets in the best way you can. Insufficient content can be a major drawback for a membership site.Fact number threeThe membership website should be a user driven one catering to the visitor or member’s requirements. An ad-driven publishing strategy can also be helpful. Learn which marketing strategy is best suited for your business.Fact number fourHave a plan for increasing the traffic to your membership site. You could sell sponsorship advertisements or branded products. Online traffic starts with free content. The site visitors then register at your membership site for free newsletters, emails and so on. They thus become a part of your database. This database can be used for selling membership. Don’t expose all your content for free viewing or else there is no incentive for the visitor to become a paid member.Fact number fiveThe pricing for access must be based on what the consumers are able to pay and not on the value of the information. The cost of setting up the membership site must be considered and the revenue can be calculated based on that.
