Marketing for a Membership Site	1.7/5.0 (3 votes total) Rate: Select 1 - Terrible 2 - Poor 3 - Average 4 - Good 5 - Outstanding
Anne Davis May 09, 2018

If you’re interested in creating a revenue stream that’s stable and dependable, you’re probably considering building a membership site. To run a membership website, you’ll be regularly creating new content to offer people who have online subscriptions, which keep them interested. Here’s what you should know about digital marketing for membership sites so that you can make the most out of your hard work.

1. Offer bundles in order to sell subscriptions.

When you bundle several courses together, you organize your website’s content and offer something of high value for the price of a subscription. Once a customer has purchased the bundle, there are all sorts of payment plans you can set up with them. For example, they can access the courses every month, so long as they continue to pay the monthly subscription.

2. Let potential customers try the subscription for free.

Offering a free trial gives customers the chance to have their questions answered, which can take the fear out of handing over money every month. Sometimes the unknown is all it takes to keep a customer from going through with a purchase, and a free trial lets them see what a subscription would be like at no cost to them. If you don’t want to offer a free trial, offer one for low cost, like $5, or offer a low introductory rate for the first month.

3. Let people choose their subscription level.

It’s hard to market just one type of subscription and meet everyone’s needs as well as your own. If you offer just a low-cost, basic subscription, you may never make enough money to pay you back for all the time you put in. If you offer just a gold-level subscription, though, you’re going to miss out on customers who may want to start with the basic level but who would then upgrade to a higher-priced subscription.

4. Cross-sell and up-sell to increase sales.

In order to cross-sell and up-sell, you have to keep close track of your customers and know what each of them finds useful and is spending money on. For example, if you have loyal monthly members, you may want to market a one-year subscription at a reduced price. If you have silver-level subscribers, see if they’ll be interested in the additional features they’ll get with a gold-level membership. To cross-sell, see if you have any stand-alone services or products that would improve their membership experience.

5. Get involved with your community.

Few things market a brand better than a leader who is engaged with their customers. You don’t want your subscribers to feel like they’re just thrown into this automated system and expected to pay for it every month. By showing your customers that there’s a real person running it all and that you’re willing to chat with them and listen to their concerns and suggestions, you’re much more likely to keep your subscriber count up.

Membership sites are great because you’re not limited when it comes to the type of content you can create. So long as your audience continues to get value from what you offer, you can create blog posts, videos, podcast episodes, and other types of content to catch and keep their interest and loyalty.

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