It’s not uncommon for entrepreneurs selling products online to do so in a multitude of ways…
Many will sell eBooks, physical books, talk on paid podcasts…
And of course, online memberships and courses…
With a whole range of other things in-between.
And while many will choose to focus on one core business model…
Some will make the decision to introduce new products and revenue streams into their ecosystem…
So they sell a combination of products…
And when it comes to selling premium signature online courses, adding an online membership into the mix is an option.
If this is something you’re thinking about then we have some good news for you…
The combination of courses and memberships can work extremely well together…
But only IF you get the strategy right…
And we’re here to talk you through exactly how to do that…
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Wow… 6 years of Membership Academy!
It’s been a crazy year as we adjusted to running a membership during a pandemic and refocused our efforts and attentions on new areas of growth.
Listen in as Callie and I recap the highs and lows of the past 12 months of Membership Academy, and look ahead to what’s in store in the next year and beyond.
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Pricing your membership should be straight forward…
You do your research, decide on a price and you run with it, right?
For some people, yes that’s how it works.
But for others, it’s not that simple…
You see, when it comes to pricing your membership, there are so many different ways to approach it…
And a lot of different factors to consider.
Quite a lot of the time, pricing is downright illogical…
Because so much of it has to do with the perception of the value that your membership delivers…
And that’s not an easy thing to gauge.
So if you’re preparing to launch your membership…
And are struggling to price it…
Here are some important things for you to consider.
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Passive income… two simple but loaded words that have become associated with the world of online memberships.
It’s difficult to have a conversation these days on the subject without someone bringing it up…
And that’s because a lot of people think that starting a membership is a guaranteed way to make passive income…
You just set it all up once, sit back and watch the money roll in, right?
Erm, no not quite…
You’ll rarely see us talking about memberships and passive income in the same sentence…
And there’s a good reason for that!
There are a lot of so-called internet marketing gurus that point you in the direction of the membership model and promise that you can make money while you sleep…
The truth is, it’s just not that simple…
And if you’re reading this post looking for me to do the same, then I’ve got some bad news for you….
A membership is never going to bring you 100% passive income.
But does that mean you can’t make any passive income from your membership?
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Are you ready to hire your first employees for your membership business?
You may have already dipped your toe in the water by working with freelancers or contractors…
People who essentially work for themselves or third party companies and handle one-off tasks or work for you as and when needed…
But now you’re at a point in your business when you need more…
There are tasks that need to be completed on a regular basis…
And you don’t have the time or the bandwidth to do it…
So you’re now ready to hire your first employee…
And that’s a whole different ball game…
So where should you start?
Having completed our own recruitment drive here at The Membership Guys, we have some experience in this area…
And of course, as always we want to share our knowledge with you…
So here are our thoughts on how to go about hiring your first employees for your membership business…
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Is your quest to make everything perfect with your membership website holding you back?
When you’re at the beginning of your journey…
Or maybe even if you’ve been in business for a while…
The need to get everything right…
From features and tech to your content and community…
Can be all consuming.
So much so that it prevents you moving forward altogether.
You become stuck over-analysing, over-thinking and fretting over every little thing.
But it doesn’t need to be this way.
Here’s how to overcome perfectionism when starting a membership website…
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Why are people not joining your membership website?
You could have the most incredible membership…
One where you work tirelessly perfecting each and every little element of it…
But people aren’t joining and you’re left scratching your head wondering why.
Well there may be a good reason for it…
And we’re going to help you find out what it is.
Here are nine common reasons people aren’t joining your membership site…
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Looking to drive sign ups for your membership using email marketing?
Well that’s good because your email list can be a gold mine for bringing in new members!
That’s because when someone subscribes to your email list, they’re expressing an intent…
They want to learn more from you.
So this is the perfect time to strike while the iron is hot…
And send them an automated series of email follow ups.
These emails are specifically designed to let your subscribers get to know you and your brand better…
What you offer, how you can help them…
And begin sowing the seeds to nurture your relationship further with the aim of eventually converting subscribers to paying members…
Sounds good doesn’t it?
But what should these emails cover?
We’ve got the answer.
Here are five essential emails that every membership email series needs.
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Do your potential members understand your membership offering?
The benefits of joining your membership…
What to expect as a member…
And how you can help them take the necessary steps to reach their desired outcome?
More often than not the answer to this is a resounding no.
And this can be for many reasons…
The most common of which is that they simply don’t know what’s inside the box.
In other words, they have no idea what goes on inside your membership…
And that’s preventing them pressing the ‘join today’ button on your sales page.
It’s our job as membership website owners to rectify this…
And there’s one very simple but powerful marketing tactic you can use to do that:
Taking them behind the scenes of your membership…
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Let’s talk about money!
When it comes to this subject people tend to be at wildly opposite ends of the spectrum…
Some will happily talk about money all day long…
Whether it’s about how much they make, how little they have or their financial goals…
Others, however, completely shut down as soon as the ‘M’ word comes up.
That’s because many of us have a complicated relationship with money…
Which is possibly why I’ve waited so long to tackle this topic!
But, the truth is, when it comes to business, it’s a subject you simply can’t shy away from…
That’s why I’ve decided to share some of my musings about money and mindset in the membership world…
Our perceptions of it, how we treat it, how we think about it…
And the impact that can have on our memberships.
So, let’s dive into some random musings about money, memberships and everything in between…
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Ready to start building your membership website?
That’s great news!
Now there are some tough membership tech decisions you need to make.
With so many different systems, plugins and tools out there to choose from…
And a lot of questions for you to mull over…
Wordpress or hosted platform?
What should your domain name be?
Should you build your website yourself or hire a developer?
It can all get a bit overwhelming…
Which is not surprising when there are so many moving parts to manage!
This is why it’s important to do your due diligence to make sure you build a site that’s right for you and your prospective members…
And we’re here to help you do just that…
So if you’re ready to build your membership website…
Or are currently fleshing out your idea for your membership…
Then this blog is a must read for you.
Here are some tips on how to tackle five of the toughest tech decisions you need to make when starting out…
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Are you thinking of switching your membership enrolment model from closed to open?
Making the decision to open your doors permanently isn’t as simple as flipping a switch…
It can change a lot about your business…
And you need to make sure you’re fully prepared to manage these changes effectively…
For the good of both you and your members!
We’ve previously talked about moving from the open door model to closed…
And now we’re doing the reverse!
Here’s what you should take into consideration before switching your membership from a closed-door model to an open one…
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Are you thinking of switching your membership enrolment model from open to closed?
If you’ve been following us for a while, you’ll know that I’m not usually the biggest fan of the closed-door model…
In my experience, the memberships that do best are the ones that are always open…
However, there are definitely some situations where a closed-door membership makes sense…
And I’m not here to convince you otherwise.
What I am here for is to help you prepare to make this switch…
To consider all the implications…
And prepare you for what’s next once your doors are closed.
Because managing a closed-door membership is very different in a lot of ways from an open-door one…
And many people who make the switch aren’t fully aware of what lies ahead for them…
And find the process difficult to manage…
Or regret their decision to make the change…
Let’s make sure you’re not one of them!
Here’s what you should take into consideration before switching your membership from an open to a closed-door model…
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Good news… it’s my birthday!!
Bad news… I literally NEVER work on my birthday…
It’s one of my rules…
And as much as I love The Membership Guys podcast…
I can’t break this rule.
So I’m taking the day off….
And that can mean only one thing…
CALLIE IS TAKING OVER!
(And I get to eat cake)
Join the other (some would say ‘better’) half of The Membership Guys for a very special episode, as Callie shares her top takeaways from season 4 of her podcast, Behind the Membership, and reveals the release date for season 5.
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Running a membership involves spinning a lot of plates…
Some spark your passion and fill you with joy…
Others… not so much!
I mean it can’t be fun all of the time, can it?
Owning a business comes with responsibilities…
Dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s to make sure your membership operates in the right way and is fully protected may seem boring…
That’s probably because it is for some of us…
But this is the kind of stuff you can’t ignore.
It’s in the best interests of both you and your members to make sure you’re on top of your game when it comes to the ‘boring’ stuff…
So are you?
Let’s find out…
Here are seven boring but super important things you NEED TO KNOW when running a membership…
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Is your membership stressing you out?
When you first started your journey to being a membership owner, the chances are you didn’t picture sleepless nights…
Or the feeling of dread you can’t seem to shake at the thought of switching on your device to begin working on your business every day…
This ISN’T how it should be!
While owning any business can come with stressors…
We believe memberships are the only type of online business model where you can build a stress free life.
So if you’re feeling the strain right now…
And you’re struggling to feel happy and motivated running your membership…
Don’t worry, we’re here to help!
Here are eight things you can do to reduce your stress levels and learn to love your life as a membership owner again…
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