Creating Content For Membership Sites
One of the things that first scared me about membership sites was the idea of having to generate fresh content every month.
Sometimes, it can be hard enough coming up with content for a stand alone product let alone doing it on a monthly basis!
However, there are several strategies that can dramatically help you speed up the process – especially if you are running a membership site because many of these strategies rely on your members who are creating the content for you!
Ryan Lee who is arguably one of the greatest “Membership Marketers” online (he runs over 25+ membership sites simultaneously every month) has just produced a new video where he shares a variety of his strategies for getting content created very quickly.
Even if you aren’t running a membership site, I found many of his strategies helpful for creating content for new information products, articles, blog posts etc.
Take a look:
At about the 7 minute mark, Ryan shares a strategy I have used during high level brainstorming strategies. I learned this technique from a very highly paid inventor/marketer named Doug Hall of the Eureka Ranch (www.EurekaRanch.com).
This technique can be extremely effective for generating fresh new ideas because it utilizes random stimuli and sparks regions of the brain that probably wouldn’t normally be engaged. Plus it gets you away from the “same old”.
After watching the video and hearing Ryan suggest this a big smile came on my face because I have never thought about using it to generate content ideas for a membership site – it just shows how sometimes even when we “know” what to do we never really “know” what to do!
Anyway, the video is full of many other great ideas and it’s a perfect source of stimuli for generating your own content ideas – especially if you are thinking about running a membership site.
Do you use any techniques to help you generate ideas for new content?
If so, share them below by adding your ideas in the “Comments” section.
If you are looking for a fast, easy and user friendly solution to create your own membership site, you’ll definitely want to take a close look at WishList Member. Click below for details.
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About The Author
Stu McLaren helps small business owners make more money with their websites, membership sites and affiliate programs. Get Stu’s personal advice on your site by visiting Instant Business Answers.
Other Websites
www.InstantBusinessAnswers.com
www.WishListMember.com
www.MarketingWebGraphics.com
www.BasicListBuilding.com
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A few days ago you asked for comments from people that belong to memberships sites.
I belong to David Allen’s GTD Connect site for $48 a month. I joined to improve my productivity skills and get the latest and greatest from David … the inside track to to say. In that regard, I think you should be scared if you are not able to produce new content frequently. David produces maybe two items of new content a month, sometimes more, but I find for $50 a month I still want more.
Once your members get through the existing content catalog, they need new content consistently. If I were you, I would publish a calender of release dates and stick to the plan. Also, I would publish an insider blog of all updates. Otherwise, you get lost on what was released when.
Don’t do a member podcast because Apple stinks at secure podcasting. You will be flooded with support calls because iTunes does not warn when you enter an invalid user name or password, plus it confirms your login every time you open iTunes, very annoying and bad for your brand.
One reason I trust you, Stu, is that you take it easy with the e-mails and play it conservative in your tone. You don’t fatigue your customers. I also was a member of the 2k teleseminar secrets. I love Alex, but man … I am fatigued with Alex e-mails. Every time he does a mailing I get 300 e-mails. (gross overstatement) I love the guy, but gees … I think I’m under one to many of his pillars.
Please don’t think that if you get enough content to keep your members busy for a few months that will be enough, because eventually they will leave … but think about the consequences. They join and eventually leave unsatisfied? Ouch, that hurts your future business. But, if you sell a fixed duration membership … say 4 months for $x or 6 months for $y, that protects your brand and hopefully, your custovers leave happy. They are not on the hook for a purpetual bill and you are not on the hook to produce perpetual content.
The best news about the model I mention above is that your cutomers can always join again when they feel they’ve missed enough of the new updates … at the end of which they can, again, leave feeling satisifed.
I think this is ultimately, what would work the best. And also, consider me. I already belong to a membership site or two. While I would not join another one that bills monthy, I would pay $x one time fee for one that gives me access for an entire year, or 6 months.
Jason,
Thanks for your post.
After reading your post again it certainly made me think about the different membership models that are out there.
I wonder if offering a pricing package that gave access for a certain number of months would increase conversion versus an indefinite monthly charge.
It’s certainly something to think about – great comment
That is a great post I’m an owner of a membership site related product and found this information to be very useful. The video content is just pushing the envelope on membership site info and the ways to find content for your site with out having to purchase it. I have found that having you a membership that has longevity you need to provide quality content for your members and with out this so important key you will not retain long lasting membership site. As it would defeat the concept of having a membership site, you would lose your members as fast as you gained them. So much for residual income…
Great post
Zachary Radford
Zachary,
I agree with your comments in that content will always be KING – especially when people are looking at their credit card bills and evaluating what memberships they want to stay with because they provide tremendous value versus the ones they want to immediately cancel.
Heck, the same principles apply for not just online membership sites but also for paid monthly newsletters.
Since the popularity of these offline newsletters has increased, people are now directly (and physically) looking at the value of one to the other.
If yours doesn’t stack up, it’s gone.
This is good for those of us focused on producing quality content