Last week we looked at what a membership site is and the benefits to your business in having a membership site.
This week we’ll look at 3 different membership site models and who they might apply to.
Types of membership websites
There are many types of memberships or subscription based models, but I am going to focus on the most common 3 I have come across that I think benefit coaches, authors, consultants and service providers the most and that I have seen success with.
1. Lesson Based Model (drip feed)
This model contains content like lessons or e-classes that emailed or “drip-fed” to subscribers on a weekly or other regular basis. They are sequential so that usually (but not necessarily) each step builds on what is learnt in the previous class.
They can be text-based, or use audio and video (any medium accessed regularly online). They could have downloads like pdfs and exercises to do.
Often this model relies on the member to pay a monthly fee in order to receive their “lessons” on a regular basis. And no matter when they start the program, they will start at lesson one and after one week they receive lesson 2 and so on.
Someone else who started 3 months before, would already be up to lesson 12. Each person is emailed each week (or whatever the interval is) with their next class and can’t “jump ahead” so they only see as many classes as they have paid for.
Who is this model good for?
Anyone who has expertise in a certain area and something to teach that can be done ‘sequentially”.
It needs to be a topic that people want to pay for, that can’t be found easily already. It should be evergreen so it doesn’t matter when they start the program, it is still current for them.
Some examples are
– A weightloss coach teaching a mindset course to lose weight. Each class would be sent weekly to keep them on track and could include a written component and an audio with some hypnosis.
– An author who has written a book on managing your money could repurpose the book content into a course with extra information and steps to follow each week so that people could become financially free.. each class could have written content or video content teaching something new for them to do that week, following the chapters of the book but in much more depth. This provides extra income to the author as well as a way for them to engage with their readers and leverage off their book sales.
– A speaker who does a presentation on internet marketing, could sell the customer into a membership site that teaches them the step by step lessons to creating and selling e-books online with step by step videos so the customer can follow along and create and market their own e-book online.
2. Content Driven
This type of membership site is more traditional where members pay monthly for premium content they can access as long as they are a member. Its different to the above model as everyone can access the same content so matter how long they have been a member. They are paying for the current new content released each month and just automatically get access to any old content.
Types of content include blogs, magazines, newsletters and can use all kinds of mediums including text, audio, video.
The content is usually current for the time rather than evergreen so is relevant for current members to receive all at one time.
Who is this model good for?
Any coach or consultant who has current information to share that is hard to get from other people.
Examples
– A stock trader releases a weekly blog article giving his stock tips for the week and what he is trading so he can teach his students what he is doing and why. This allows them to “follow” along and place similar trades.
– An Internet marketer interviews a new internet marketing expert each month. Members have access to each new interview as it happens and access to all the old interviews.
3. Product based
A product based membership model may be used in a number of ways. Usually it is a one time payment where the customer has paid once to access a certain product or programme and then have unlimited access to it.
It can also be used as part of a larger program as a resources area to store things that the client needs to access as part of their coaching program such as past webinars and links to documents they need.
Who is this model good for?
Anyone who wants to secure content to be accessed only by those who have paid for it.
Examples
– A business coach running a 1 to 1 accountability coaching program holds monthly group webinars as extra value for their clients. They have a dedicated membership area for their clients to access past webinars if they weren’t able to make it, as well as resources like coaching documents to fill in their progress each week and links to other things they might need.
– A software marketer who has created a new website plugin has a members area for people who have purchased the software to download it as well as access video training on how to use the software and links to support.
– A property developer creates an 8-part video course on how to develop a property and increase its sale. Its sold as a one off purchase information product and he has a membership area for people who purchased the course to watch the videos and download other resources.
Do you have any questions or comments on these types of membership sites? please post them below and I’ll answer them.
Look out for next week’s post on what to consider when you are thinking of starting a membership site.
