 Introduction
A
membership site creates revenue from a number of different sources including:
a one-time or monthly membership fee, ad sales, and/or sales of back-end products
such as books, ebooks, tapes, ecourses, teleclasses etc.
 You can start
your own portal or membership site in your area of knowledge or expertise. You
will need a target market that is looking for and willing to pay for information
on your topic is critical. As well you will need quality content to make the membership
site successful and the members coming back for more.
Real World Examples
Matt Perelstein
http://www.2gethelp.com/ |
matt@2GetHelp.com
Hello,
I'm matt@2GetHelp.com. (I use my email
address as my signature name because it's easier to remember than Matt Perelstein
and it builds name recognition.) 2GetHelp.com
is a new membership site that offers Help for Life, Family, Career, Finance, and
more.  The
idea sprang from Thomas and his incredible work at CoachVille. (I wrote this article
on the day he passed.) His work was enlightening, empowering and motivational
to me, and I hope we can all carry on his dream to see coaching become a way of
life (thanks "t")!
2GetHelp.com
uses many of the same ideas/concepts that are found or taught at CoachVille. We
do more than what's expected, the site offers a number of free services to members
and we offer multiple streams of income, charging the lowest prices we can for
each item or service. We talk directly to the customer in a conversational tone
and our attitude is openness and honesty in an effort to create a "safe" environment
to share and grow. We
offer resources for both coaching and therapy. At our site you can find help dealing
with your past or for creating your future. To the best of our knowledge, 2GetHelp.com
is the first to offer help in both these distinct areas at the same time. 2GetHelp.com
has had an interesting journey to date. Our learning curve started with a plan
to create a new membership site (also per "t") offering so many benefits that
people would join our site for a low lifetime membership fee. We thought we would
be kind of like a Sams Club for helping services. :-) We quickly learned
that folks want the internet to be free or we had better have a LOT to offer,
to get people to whip out the ole' credit card. So, we tweaked the "membership
for a fee" concept. Now, using the Public Broadcasting Service model (PBS TV),
people can actually join for free, but we also offer different "sponsorship" options
for a low fee. Sponsors receive a valuable Welcome Kit and their fee is considered
a "donation" to our non-profit. Happy
clients will want more services after they are comfortable with us and that will
build the provider's client base. We advertise our free offerings to build traffic
to the site. Most web creators know that you need to have a free ezine to give
away, but offering more free services like Ask-A-Coach and Ask-A-Therapist and
free downloads of some of CoachVille's articles and forms should all help us become
a traffic magnet. Email
addresses are incredibly important to marketing. When you collect an email address,
you know that it represents a willing customer already interested in you and what
you have to offer. Get valid email addresses whenever you can and use them wisely. Being
a non-profit corporation is helping us with our goals, too. There are distinct
advantages to this form of business organization as it helps us have an image
where "giving" is more important that "getting" and it allows us to apply for
grants to help pay for our services. Networking
is the key for us. Working together with coaches, therapists, service providers,
teachers, affiliate marketers, web developers, etc. I often deal with over 100
emails in any one day. We love to keep the helping energy flowing. Providers can
also help us support the site with sponsorship fees, find a coach listings and
find a therapist listings. Publishers, self-help book ads and even event organizers
for helping professionals may run banner ads, as well. Packaging
is very important, too. Coaching or therapy can be fairly expensive propositions.
2GetHelp.com is working to break coaching and therapy into smaller pieces that
are easier to swallow. Suggestions
for starting your own portal or membership site: First,
figure out what you want to OFFER, not just what you want to GET. Figure out what
you can give for free. Make sure you are customer-focused, rather than me-focused
and tout benefits, not just features. Second,
do as much
market research as you can by asking people if what you have to offer is something
they want. Note: If they don't, don't take it personally, just go back to the
drawing board. Ask them what they DO want around your area of expertise. Third,
make a plan and stick to it... but be flexible and easy on yourself, too. Everything
takes longer than you think it should. Don't
give up! If it doesn't work the first way or the first time, try again. With diligence,
chances are you WILL find a niche that works well for you and for your customers.
Barb Elgin, MSW, LCSW-C: Nine Pearls of Wisdom
http://www.coachsappho.com/
(sm) | http://www.barbelgin.com |
barb@barbelgin.com
Hello, my name is Barb Elgin and I'd like to share with
you the wisdom I've gained developing and growing www.coachsappho.com
(sm). CoachSappho.com
's membership grows daily. As of mid-February 2003, we have
members from 42 U.S. states and 10 countries. Along with
lesbian women, network membership also includes gay men,
transgendered men and women, bisexual men and women, intersexed
individuals and heterosexuals. It's been an exciting journey
discovering what encourages more and more lesbian women,
allies, family members, etc. to come out, get involved and
change their lives for the better. My tag line and mission
for www.coachsappho.com
is: "Inspiring each lesbian woman's success."
 Coaching
lesbian women is not my only interest. I also coach social workers, professionals
in the mental health and medical industries; midlife men and women in the midst
of personal and career transition; people with health challenges; and I'm developing
web sites and programs for these communities as well.
I've
listed nine of my most valuable lessons below. I hope you
will find these "pearls of wisdom" useful. If you have questions,
or if you'd like support for moving through any aspect of
the membership site process, please feel free to contact
me at barb@barbelgin.com.
Also, please write and tell me if you found this article
helpful!
1.
Choose a labor of love. Begin with a niche you are passionately attracted to and
committed to serving. I'm not sure who said it, but during www.coachsappho.com's
development, I experienced the truism that to persevere during this "birthing"
process, you must live in your niche! 2.
Look before you leap.
Consider the pros and cons. You will have to invest time and energy (and possibly
some financial resources) figuring this out. This is true whether you decide to
do the research and design yourself or whether you decide to hire someone to research
and/or create it for you. Start small as you get a sense of whether this is for
you. Don't spend large resources, at least initially, as you become educated about
what it takes. 3.
Consider the potential benefits. Two major benefits I've gained from having a
membership site include: - Locating
a targeted market that will become sustainable because it builds upon itself.
Building a membership community is an effective way of attracting prospects and
clients today and for the future. It is less costly and more focused than spending
money "searching" for clients. It's exciting (and often, so surprising, which
is neat too!) to find out who is naturally "attracted" to what you are doing,
build relationships with them and learn how they want you to "play with" and serve
them.
- Gathering
information that enables you to develop and customize your services to meet the
needs/desires of your niche group.
4.
Consider what coursework and experiences can help you decide whether implementing
this strategy is right for you, at this time. For me, the idea gained momentum
after a gradual process of taking coursework which led me to understand the longer
term value to my niche AND supported me in implementing the concept. 5.
Know when to say no (for now). For some coaches, a membership site probably isn't
appropriate and I believe you shouldn't feel "pressured" to "do what everyone
else is doing" right now if it really doesn't seem to fit you or your plans. For
example, the e-commerce system I've chosen requires more of an "up front" and
"maintenance" investment as compared to using a service like Paypal. But, I believe
it IS a wise investment of your time to consider the membership concept and/or
keep your mind open to the possibility as you move ahead. 6.
Implement, implement, implement! Once you've decided to go for it, immerse yourself
in creating your idea. Be careful not to act like a sponge forever. Did you ever
try using a water-logged sponge!?! Today, ideas are limitless and with their easy
availability via the internet you can get hung up on which part of this to try
and which part of that, etc. Set a practical budget for research, education and
development and stick to it. Grasp the common threads you start to see and then,
start moving to implement them in your own way. - A
successful membership/portal site requires many inter-locking components including
a website, robust e-commerce system and assorted add-ons. It's also important
to give away resources that will entice prospects to sign up. This could include
ezines, ecourses, complementary sessions, teleclasses, etc. Currently, designing
and maintaining my own websites works for me because I can easily and immediately
make changes instead of waiting for a web designer to do so. If you're thinking
of hiring a web designer, make sure you select a competent, reasonably priced
and talented one. I've heard more than one horror story of time, money and clients
lost while a professional waited for a designer to adequately translate ideas/wishes
into final design in a timely manner. I do consult web designers whose work I
trust, as needed, for fine tuning, troubleshooting, logo design, color consultation,
etc. and, I would most likely trust this same handful of designers to take on
the major project of developing one of my future sites, because it is my goal
to be too busy to do so myself in the near future!
7.
Realize that this process is both very much like caring for a valuable AND riding
a roller coaster (although not usually at the same time!). Once you get the basic
elements into place, you will continually re-design, shine, polish, etc. You must
approach your project with a sense of adventure and be willing to stretch yourself. 8.
Be sure to build in the processes you'll need to follow-through successfully with
your network. Make sure you're ready to deliver once those seeds you've planted
begin to sprout! Give excellent customer service. And, you'll still need to convert
these "prospects" into clients who will purchase your services. Make sure you
offer mechanisms for members to give you feedback on services they've received.
Your members are the major reason you get to do what you love - they are your
marketing and advertising team! 9.
Don't forget to have a life. Building your membership site can become an all-consuming
process, particularly when you love your niche and getting into the flow is so
easy that you find hours rushing by. Be sure to balance all of this with an equal
amount of time away from your project - don't let the other areas of your life
that you love wither. Your significant others, your health and your creativity
will thank you.
Suggestions Related to Setting
up a Portal/Membership Site
Determine the market for your
membership site.
Determine the topic for
your site.
Determine how you will
make revenue from your site.
Determine what content
you will provide on your site.
Related resources
Passive Revenue lesson: The Coachville
Story: http://www.coachville.com/passiverevenue/pr05xxz.html
CoachVille's
winning websites for coaches course at: http://www.winningwebsitesforcoaches.com
Top 5 ways to convert your Website
visitors into Paying Clients at: http://www.coachville.com/top5/007.html
All services are from CoachVille.com.
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