In the last lesson we talked about some simple ways to generate
backend sales from your membership site. In this lesson we are going
to go over some big mistakes that could doom your membership site to
failure so you can avoid them.
As we have been discussing during your lessons, starting a
membership site is a smart business move, but only if you do it right.
Did you know that every month dozens of people start membership
sites only to shut them down just a few months later. Often the failed site
ruins their reputation because they didn't deliver what they promised to
members.
In other cases, they didn't pick the right topic to begin with. Here are the
top seven mistakes that you can make with a membership site and how
to avoid them.
– Picking the wrong topic.
A membership site needs a wide customer base. Your topic should be
specialized but not so narrow that you can’t attract new members on a
consistent basis. Unlike a short report or niche site, your membership
site topic has to be large enough that you can produce fresh content
month after month. Pick a topic that a lot of people are interested in but
that also has the potential for evergreen content.
– Not actively contributing content.
Members of your site are looking for fresh content every month. You
need to give this to them or they'll unsubscribe in droves. You should
develop an editorial schedule so you know exactly what you'll deliver
each month. This will help you stay on track. Base your editorial
schedule on the benefits that you promised in your sales letter and you'll
have happy, satisfied customers that will stick around for month after
month.
– Not taking the time to craft a good sales letter.
Your sales letter is your 24/7 sales person. It doesn't matter how much
traffic you drive to your membership site if your sales letter isn't doing
its job. If you don’t trust your own copywriting skills, hire a professional
writer. The investment will be well worth it as you see higher
conversions and more members in your site.
– Not marketing for new customers.
You should always have new members coming into your membership
site, but the only way you can do that is to market your site continually.
You should be conducting pay per click campaigns, distributing article
marketing articles and doing social networking to drive more traffic to
your site. Work this into your weekly plans so that you can keep the flow
of new members consistent.
– Not being accessible.
When you start a membership site, your members are looking for a lot
of attention and care. Most of this will come in the form of an easy to
use site with quality content. But you should also make it a point to be
accessible through e-mail or a help desk function. There’s a high level
of trust involved in a membership site, so make sure you’re there for
your members.
– Not looking for opportunities for backend sales.
Opportunities for backend sales exist in many different places in your
membership site. You can sell advertising space within the site or
create a platinum level of membership with special coaching. Just
because the members are paying a monthly fee doesn't mean they
won't be willing to pay for extra information on the site’s topic.
– Not taking steps to increase retention.
If you’re concentrating on getting members but aren't worried about
keeping them, you have a recipe for disaster on your hands. It takes
much more effort to get a new member than it does to keep one that
you've already got. By posting consistent content, offering polls, running
contests and getting involved the community in your membership site,
you'll be able to hold onto the members you've got.
Click here to access Lesson 9. We will be talking
about how to sell your membership site for big profits!
If you have any questions or need any assistance please feel free to
contact me at anytime. I will be glad to help.
