Are you planning to start a membership site?
Well, your timing is just right. According to Zuora, subscription-based websites have grown a whopping 437% since 2012.
Compared to traditional websites, membership websites have many advantages:
- Steady revenue.
- Loyal customer base.
- Easy customization options.
People use membership programs to achieve specific goals. They consider membership websites as their companions. You need to provide membership content that meets these expectations.
The question is: what to include in a membership website to create a loyal member base?
Here’s what you will learn:
What To Include in a Membership Site
Offering Content Based on Membership Tiers
Final Thoughts: What To Include in a Membership Site — 10 Content Ideas
What To Include in a Membership Site
Online Learning Materials
Interactive Content
Downloadable Resources
Audio Content / Podcast
Product Bundles
Member Exclusive Perks
Member Exclusive Q&A Sessions
Member Newsletter
Discussion Forums
Member Content
Let’s explore these categories in detail so you can choose what to include in a membership site.
Online Learning Materials
If your membership website focuses on hands-on activities, like cooking, online learning materials are crucial. Even in other business niches, online courses and webinars are a sure way to engage your customers.
For example, Samurai Carpenter has excellent video tutorials for teaching carpentry.
Still, it doesn’t have to be only videos. You can mix audio, video, and slideshow formats while creating content for your membership website.
Interactive Content
Long blocks of text are hard to read. They bore website visitors.
How do you create new content on a membership website that doesn’t bore your customers? Interactive content is the key. During content creation, consider:
- Quizzes
- Questionnaires
- Games
A great example of interactive content is 16Personalities. It's a personal growth website that provides premium content.
Downloadable Resources
Who doesn’t love a little something they can keep?
You can offer ebooks and worksheets to help your subscribers learn offline.
They will also love print-ready downloads such as:
- Infographics
- Posters
- Step-by-step guides — and templates
When creating content for your membership website, remember that your website should also engage your customers even when they are logged out.
Also, offer some of the downloadable resources as free content to attract new members.
Audio Content/Podcast
People feel great when they use their time effectively. No wonder audio content and podcasts are a hit. Statista forecasts more than 100 million podcast listeners in the United States by 2024.
With excellent audio content, you can tap into that vast customer base.
If you are looking for inspiration, check out Amy Porterfield Podcast.
Product Bundles
When you consider what to offer on a membership website, don’t forget subscription boxes. They help you create a membership website around your ecommerce website.
You can offer some of these regularly:
- Curated book boxes
- Bag of grooming products
- Digital products like software tools
Birchbox is a successful membership site that offers curated product bundles.
You can also use product bundles to cross-sell. Look at how My Coffee and Book Club sells coffee and hardcover books together.
Member Exclusive Perks
Who doesn’t want special treatment? Member exclusive perks help you attract potential members and retain the existing members. Perks need not be just discounts or coupons.
Brands across the globe have come up with innovative loyalty programs that include:
- Monetary perks
- Sample products
- Exclusive experiences
Sephora is an excellent example of an ecommerce store providing member-exclusive perks.
Member Exclusive Q&A Sessions
While curating your membership website content, you should focus on delivering high value to your members. Member-exclusive Q&A sessions are an excellent way.
Consider bringing in industry experts to address specific questions from your members.
RentalRookie is a membership website example with great monthly Q&A sessions.
Member Newsletter
Providing exclusive information for your members is another way to create value. Your customers will love a curated newsletter of high-quality content like job alerts.
Several websites like Scott’s Cheap Flights help customers in their email lists by giving them exclusive information.
Discussion Forums
One of the reasons people love different membership websites is their online community. Through a community forum, your members understand and help each other.
Even if you cannot offer a full-fledged forum, you could encourage discussions on your social media or blog posts. Or perhaps, you can create a Facebook group.
GeeksforGeeks is a membership website with a great community that teams up to solve technical problems.
Member Content
Apart from your content, it’s a great idea to include member content.
Membership websites where members can add their content encourage existing customers.
Showcasing your member’s content on your homepage or an exclusive members area also encourages your membership community.
Offering Content Based on Membership Tiers
Pick and choose the content from the above discussion that resonates with your audience. You can then customize the selected content according to your membership tiers.
As everyone has different needs, you can attract a wider customer range by offering diverse membership models with different pricing.
It’s also good to offer free membership, at least on a trial basis.
Try different content types and content delivery methods for your membership tiers.
These are the primary content delivery methods membership websites use:
- Drip content
- All-at-once content
- On-demand content
Final Thoughts: What To Include in a Membership Site — 10 Content Ideas
Membership websites are lucrative. However, to ensure member retention, you need to keep offering great, member-exclusive content. Being engaging, unique, and valuable should be your mantra when it comes to membership business.
Do you have a great membership website idea? You can bring life to it with WordPress and its membership plugins.
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