Category: website

    Eight Ways to Provide Value to Members

    Getting people to join your membership is only half the battle. Getting them to stay is the other half. The best way to do that is to offer exceptional value to them once they join. Some of the value you explained to them on your sales page where you mentioned the benefits, but some should be left as a surprise for after they’ve joined. Remember, the key to member retention is to under promise and over deliver.

    1. Offer a Knowledge Base – A searchable knowledge base is an excellent way to provide value to your members. You can add to it over time, as questions are asked via email and on forums and in group message boards. Being able to have answers at their fingertips will keep them coming back.

    2. Host Free Educational Videos – Within the knowledge base it will help if some of the more complex information is provided in video form. When you show people how to do something in this manner, they will want to come back and will therefore keep their memberships active. This is especially true if your videos are produced in as close to a professional manner as practical.

    3. Host a Members Only Directory – People like doing business with other members, so if you can provide a members only directory that lists people’s websites, specialties, and offers, they will enjoy that benefit immensely.

    4. Have Members Only Offers – When you have a membership, pushing out a new product to them first, with a huge discount, is another great members only offer that you can do on a regular basis. Not only that – it’s a great way to test out your new products.

    5. Monthly Group Calls – It’s not hard to use a system like Free Conference Call to conduct a live call once a month or even more if you want. It’s amazing how something as simple as spending an hour on a phone call once a month will help with member retention.

    Link to Free Conference Call – https://www.freeconferencecall.com/

    6. Offer Specialty Groups – If you have a larger membership, breaking it down into specialty groups will help people stick around longer too, because they will feel catered to. You want each member of your group to feel special. A good idea is to have small, five-people “mastermind” groups, complete with weekly call and a special forum.

    7. Host Members Only Events – Another great way to provide value to your members is to have members only events such as in-person events, meet-ups, and webinars. You can also use these to allow each member to invite one new person to help expand membership.

    8. Offer Member JV Opportunities – People love working together with like-minded people. Provide them new ways to join together to make new offers, do new things, work together in ways they may not have thought about.

    You can be assured that your members will be happy with their membership if you give them just a bit more than what they thought they would get. Fortunately, you’ll be able to actually interact with and ask your members via the message boards or other groups you form. So, it’ll be easy to give them more than they thought they were getting.

    Categories: Membership Tags: Tags:

    Eight Tools and Software to Help You Build Your Online Community

    One of the ways to increase sales, spread brand awareness, and develop new ideas for products and services is to offer your audience an online community to become part of. By making yourself available to a community online, you can find out in advance what types of things your audience needs to solve their problems. Online communities will literally put you on the cutting edge with your community.

    1. Facebook Groups – This is a great entry level, free way to start an online community. Start your community here and then invite them to more excusive paid memberships for an upgraded next level of community.

    Link – http://www.facebookgroups.com/

    2. AMember – This software enables you to set up members only communities, subscriptions, secure shopping carts, and more for your niche community. People like feeling protected from others and this is a safe way to start a private community.

    Link – http://www.amember.com/

    3. AWeber – It might seem odd for this to be included in community building but if you think about it, it makes complete sense. You need a way to communicate with a lot of people at once and AWeber is one of the best autoresponder services available for the money. You can send newsletters, email blasts and other information to members who sign up to get information.

    Link – http://www.aweber.com/

    4. vBulletin – This is forum software that offers either a self-hosted version or a cloud version, so that you can have a powerful and easy to run message board or forum for your audience to congregate and discuss issues in a members only setting.

    Link – http://www.vbulletin.com/

    5. WordPress – You can build a membership website using WordPress and some plugins like Paid Memberships Pro, or bulletin boards like bbPress, among others. While these are relatively simple, you may need some professional assistance ensuring security and the right server capacity.

    Links:
    WordPress – http://www.wordpress.org/
    Paid Memberships Pro – https://wordpress.org/plugins/paid-memberships-pro/
    bbPress – https://wordpress.org/plugins/bbpress/

    6. Hoop.la – This is an all-in-one online solution for your online community. One really good thing about this is that it’s a hosted system that you own. However, it can be pricy for this full-featured online community software solution.

    Link – http://www.hoop.la/

    7. NationBuilder – This is an online community builder that is fully featured; you can charge a membership fee, email members, and more through one dashboard. This can act as your entire website without the need to integrate a lot of other software.

    Link – http://nationbuilder.com/

    8. SocialGO – This cloud-based community building software has the ability to create a forum and even charge for the membership to the group. It is full featured and reasonably priced.

    Link – http://www.socialgo.com/

    Building an online community is a great way to build relationships that will translate into referrals, true supporters and fans that will help you expand your business and keep your business running through the test of time.

    Categories: Membership Tags: Tags:

    Eight Resources to Include in Your Membership 

    Creating a membership site is an exciting process, but it can be hard to think of what to include in your membership. Most memberships have similar offerings, and you should at least stick to the basics. But, don’t stop there. The more you can pack into your membership, the more in demand your membership will become.

    1. Glossary – This could be a list of terms, as well as a list of resources for the members to better understand the terms used in the content, information products, videos, and forum. Let them know up front everything that you can.

    2. Message Board – The most popular membership websites have a forum or message board for members to speak to each other as well as to the leaders and coaches who are running the membership site. It builds community, and some people will stay long past using the other resources just for the message board if it’s active.

    3. Permanent and Temporary Content – You want both permanent and temporary content to continuously flow through the membership site. Some content should be around all the time and some should drip in based on where the person is in the membership. This will keep people at your membership and wondering what’s coming up next.

    4. Videos – Including video is always a good thing in a membership site. Whether it’s a “how to” do something, interviews, courses, or something else, video always livens up a membership site. You can use PowerPoint and your own voice to product videos easily.

    5. ECourses – Learning how to do something is a good reason to join a membership site and if you have a few courses that your members can get a certificate for finishing, all the better. It will make them want to stick around.

    6. Information Products – At least once a month, include a full-fledged new information product for the membership to use and implement. Information products can include eBooks, video, eCourses, and more but can also be sold individually on their own outside of the membership.

    7. Checklists – People love having checklists that they can follow along with to get things done. You can include checklists about how to use the membership as well as checklists about how to do something your niche wants to do. There are so many options for you to fill your membership with useful things for your audience.

    8. You – The most important resource to include in your membership site is you. You must be directly involved with the forum, with making videos, with writing content and as a cheerleader for your members. That’s why they are joining, after all.

    Filling your membership with useful and unique resources will become your goal and passion as your membership grows. You’ll get ideas directly from the members, so don’t worry. The important thing is to get started with a minimum and build as you go to make your membership more valuable with each passing month.

    Categories: Email Subscribers, Membership Tags: Tags:

    Eight Reasons Memberships Earn

    Memberships are part of our everyday life even when we don’t realize it. It’s a business model most people are comfortable with. You can join memberships for massages, chiropractor care, medical practices, gyms and more. It’s obvious the concept is lucrative. But, how do memberships really earn and why?

    1. People Love Feeling As If They Belong – Being part of a community of people who enjoy the same things you do is a very special feeling. They say birds of a feather flock together, and memberships prove this point over and over again. You can have a very small niche and still attract members in enough numbers to be profitable if you price the membership right.

    2. You Offer Unique High Value Products – No membership is complete without at least monthly new products or services added to the membership to keep the members interested. The products need to add value to the consumer to the point that they say, “Wow, this is awesome.”

    3. You Participate in the Forum Personally – The forum is the lifeblood of any membership website. Without a forum you will have very little opportunity to keep your audience excited to pay the membership fee month after month. Mostly, you should spend time on the forum every single day.

    4. The Content Is Regularly Updated and of Exceptional Quality – Aside from products or services, the content that your members consume is important too. You need to update content daily with a blog post, plus contribute more content each month such as white papers, checklists and so forth.

    5. You Know How to Over Deliver – It’s easy to get carried away with marketing words and make your audience feel as if they’re going to get more than they are. This is a huge mistake. Membership sites that make money deliver far more value than the person joining believes they’ll get.

    6. Startup Costs Are Low – All you need to start a site is a way to make sales pages, landing pages, membership site software like aMember.com, and social media pages for the membership site, plus an email autoresponder and forum software like phpBB.com. You can install it all yourself or hire someone, and be up and running for $500 to $1500 dollars with monthly ongoing expenses between $100 and $500 dollars.

    7. You Can Charge More People Less for Superior Value – The other attraction people have to memberships is that it is a way to spread the cost of resources over many different people. Something that might cost thousands a month for one-on-one work will now cost just a fraction of that when you spread that cost over many members.

    8. You Offer Unannounced Extras – The real trick to memberships is keeping the consumer interested, and you can do that with unannounced extras that make your customer want to see what comes each month. Make these really special and super hyper-focused on the audience, and you’ll have a winning combination.

    Earning money from membership sites is easier than other methods of earning money online, but you do have to continuously wow your audience to keep them interested, plus devote a fair amount of time to marketing the membership.

    Categories: Membership Tags: Tags:

    Developing Exclusive Content for Memberships

    One of your first jobs when having a membership website is to keep it full of exclusive, relevant content. You might want to add a blog post each day, but only add eCourses each quarter, with a new white paper or report every month. If you’re not sure what type of content your membership needs, consider some of these.

    * Exclusive Interviews – You can use Skype and a plugin called Pamela to record interviews. Or do them live as an event withYoutube Live, record them, and use them in the membership later. You’re killing two birds with one stone in this manner.

    * Instructional Posts / Videos – Teaching your members to do something happens to be an important part of having a membership website. You can do instructional posts and videos and a combination of both. If you do any how to blog posts, you can also make a video out of it and vice versa.

    * Case Studies – A case study is an important aspect of a membership site. It enables members to see stories of those who have succeeded with the methods or issues that your membership website is about. A case study can be written in the form of a report, or as an interview.

    * Member Profiles – People love seeing profiles of others who are part of the group. You can have members fill out their own public profiles in text, but you can also encourage each member to make a short video about them to include.

    * User Generated Content – One of the biggest driving factors in most membership websites is a group or community of some form such as a message board, or a private Facebook group. There are pros and cons of both. If you have a message board on your website, you own the content and always control it. If not, you don’t.

    * Curated Content – All the content you share doesn’t have to be original. You can also include content that has been created by other people in the form of curation. A simple blog post that provides a short description of the content, why it’s relevant, and a link to the original content is a great way to share important curated content. Hint: Some affiliate programs allow you to link to any page of the website and get credit for sales.

    * Infographics – An infographic is an excellent way to share important data with members in a way that is understandable. If you have any data-centric blog posts or articles, try turning that data into an infographic and put it with the text content to help increase understanding. If you make the infographics sharable (watermark them), you can even attract new members with them.

    * Motivational Memes – People often join membership groups to commiserate with, and be motivated by, like-minded people. Creating a daily meme with a quote that is relevant can make members feel connected.

    * White Papers – A white paper usually explains a hard concept to grasp with a lot of research and images. The paper describes the problem, and then recommends several solutions that are popular, including your solution which is highlighted more than the others.

    * Courses – ECourses, or “drip” courses, are not that difficult to add to your membership website if you have the right software. These are courses that your members can sign up for which are included in membership, or can be offered at a discount to members over what you charge the public. You can host the courses yourself if you use aMember.com, rainmakerplatform.com or another membership option. You can also put them on a system like CourseCraft.net.

    Creating new content on a regular basis is crucial to maintaining a profitable membership website that provides value to the members. The value of the content is what will encourage members to stick around. You don’t have to add massive content daily, but you should add something on a regular and planned basis.

    Categories: Membership Tags: Tags:

    Nine Creative Ways to Personalize Emails

    Depending on the email marketing software you use, it’s important to learn all the features that it has so that you can use it to its fullest potential. You might not even be aware of all the things your email marketing software is capable of doing. If you aren’t sure, consider seeking out someone who is an expert with your particular software choice so that everything can be set up to be the most effective and the most personal in nature.

    1. Craft Interest-Targeted Email Messages – Use the software to capture the information needed to personalize and craft email messages toward what your subscriber wants to know about. This is an important way to move your subscribers enough to purchase from you. Capturing the right information will enable you to point your subscribers to products and services that they want.

    2. Create Geocentric Messages – It is likely that your email software allows you to capture location-based information from subscribers. This location-based information can be used for a variety of purposes, from marketing events in their area, to encouraging them to visit your location if you have a local bricks-and-mortar business.

    3. Let Them Define What Information They Want – Sending a poll or checklist to subscribers that lets them define what information they want to get is a good way to find out exactly what your subscribers need and want to hear from you.

    4. Acknowledge Purchases Made – Each time a purchase is made it’s important to acknowledge it with a thank you, but to also move them off a list that keeps promoting that item. If they feel like you’re harassing them to buy something they already have, they won’t respond to well when you market something new to them.

    5. Encourage Social Sharing – Put social share buttons on appropriate email messages so that your subscribers can help you get more people to sign up for your email marketing lists. This is a type of personalization that encourages them to share with their friends, but also encourages them to friend, like and follow you on other social channels.

    6. Insert Predefined Fields – Most email programs allow you to insert different predefined fields. For example, if you have a website that is devoted to selling art, you could send a questionnaire to your audience asking them what their favorite style is. Then the software will not only trigger the right emails to go out based on that style, but it will also mention the style within the email message. If they don’t fill it out, it will insert some other value that you choose into that predefined field.

    7. Use Date Insert Fields – It’s important for many of your emails to be pre-crafted, but you can make the email message look as if it was just created by using the date insert field. Then the email message looks timelier. With that function, in conjunction with special sales pages that also show the current date, you can personalize by keeping everything looking current.

    8. Use Retargeting Technology – When someone visits your website, or buys something, it’s important to use the technology available to you to retarget them for buying something more. When your user receives your email and opens it, a software program can be used to install a cookie that will then allow specialized ads to be delivered to the user when they visit various webpages.

    9. Ask for Reviews for Products Purchased – Whenever a customer buys a product, send them a thank you message and then a series of follow-up messages. One of these can be a request for a product review, after giving them enough time to try and use your product or service. The form they fill out for the review will also ask for more information about them that you can use for further targeted marketing.

    Even though most consumers are savvy enough to realize that a lot of email marketing is automated today, they still respond better to more personalization than less. Therefore, if you want to compete with others it’s imperative that you use your software to its fullest potential by using as much personalization as it’s capable of.

    Categories: Email Subscribers Tags: Tags:

    Two Keys to Happy Website Visitors

    As a website owner you want to make sure your visitors are happy. Happy visitors stay on your website longer. They come back for repeat visits. And of course they buy from your website. When it comes to a website’s structure, there are two elements that can make or break your user experience.
    #1 Quick load times

    There’s nothing that squashes a visitor’s happiness faster than not being able to load a website page. If the page doesn’t come up quickly, your visitor is gone. We’ve grown accustomed to instant gratification online. If your web page takes longer than a few seconds to load, you may miss out on valuable prospects and visitors. They won’t be happy while they’re waiting for your pages to load.

    So what can you do to ensure quick load times?

    * Reduce and minimize your graphics. Make sure a graphic takes up no more than 10k on any given page.

    * Don’t use flash. Many website designers still turn to flash to add interest. Don’t do it. It takes too long to load. If you do use it, make sure you give your visitors the opportunity to click through and skip the show.

    * Use plug-ins sparingly. There are a number of really useful plug-ins. However, they’re bulky and can slow down your load time. They can also distract from your web page’s purpose and make it look cluttered. If you’re going to use a plug-in, make sure it supports your goals for that page. And make sure it enhances the visitor experience.
    #2 Easy navigation

    The other thing that makes visitors happy is a website that’s easy to navigate. Straightforward and intuitive website navigation can be difficult to accomplish. The following tips can help you get the job done.

    * Eliminate clutter – Many times a web page has so much going on that the visitor isn’t sure what the page’s purpose is. Are they supposed to look at ads? Fill out a form? Read an article? Make sure your web pages have a purpose. Then make sure that page is designed to support that purpose. Everything from the formatting to the add-ons can add or detract from your page’s purpose.

    * Intuitive buttons – The buttons on your page are there to guide your reader deeper into your website. Therefore they must make sense to the visitor. One of the best ways to ensure your buttons are easy to understand is to make them keywords. Keywords are likely what drew your visitor to your website. They’re what the person is using to search for and find information. Create categories and subcategories with your keywords. That way your user is able to easily find the information they’re looking for.

    When your visitors are able to navigate your website with ease, they’ll stay longer. If they’re able to find the information they’re looking for without struggle and frustration, they’ll return again and again.

    When you combine a straightforward layout with quick loading times, you’re well on your way to giving visitors a very pleasant experience. Happy visitors turn into happy customers. Take a look at your website today. Does it make visitors happy?

    Categories: website Tags: Tags: ,

    Three Ideas and Strategies to Give Your Visitors a Reason to Return

     

    A website generates two main types of visitors. There are the visitors that stop by and leave. They never return again. Then there are the visitors that stop by. They bookmark your site. They sign up for your opt-in list. They subscribe to your blog. These are the visitors you want. When you can motivate more new visitors to come back, you’re on your way to converting them to customers.

    The majority of people do not make a purchase the first time they visit a website. A website has to earn their trust. It has to establish credibility, liking and authority. These are all buying triggers, and for most websites they’re earned over time. They key is to give them a reason to come back. Here are three ideas and strategies to give your visitors a reason to return.

    #1 Valuable content is definitely required. If you provide a consistent flow of great content, visitors will come back for more. However, there’s more you can do to ensure their loyalty.

    #2 Provide a free membership. Take a look at your website. Why do people visit your site? What benefit can you offer on a regular basis? Now instead of offering that information to random visitors, consider creating a membership site. Membership implies exclusivity. It also implies extra value.

    When people sign up for your membership program they will receive “extra” content, products or services. For example, you might create a “Report of the Month” club. The information is free for members who have signed up. Each month you deliver a quality report. You can use the report to promote affiliate products and/or your own products/services too.

    #3 Include user generated content. Enable visitors to provide their own content for your website. Blogging is one way to accomplish this. You can include a “blog for us” form on your site. You can also turn the “Commenting” feature on and allow visitors to respond to your content. However, if you don’t have a blog site, then consider adding a plug-in or feature that enables them to add content.

    For example, you might include a “Best Tips” category. You can then enable visitors to post or submit their best tips. You publish their information and you now have an interactive audience.

    Finally, take a look at your usability features. What can you add to your site or blog to make it friendlier? For example, are other commenters notified when a comment is published to a post they also commented on? Can they forward your content to a friend? Can they print it?

    The easier you make it to interact on your site, the better. Provide great content. Enable visitors to receive more via memberships and let them share information. The more repeat traffic you have, the faster you’ll build a loyal customer base.

    Categories: website Tags: Tags: ,

    Seven Keyword Development Questions to Ask and Answer

     
    Keywords are an important aspect of website success. Choose them wisely. Research them carefully. Position them strategically. When you’ve taken the steps to plan and implement a keyword development strategy, you’re on your way to a website that sells. Here are seven questions to ask yourself as you’re creating and implementing your plan.

    Question #1 What keywords and keyword phrases does your target audience use to find information?

    Your audience and prospects are looking for your information. Your job is to determine what keywords they’re using to look for you. Once you’ve uncovered the low supply high demand keywords, you can position them strategically in your content and on your website.

    Question #2 What keywords and keyword phrases does your competition target?

    Finding low supply, high demand keywords is just the beginning. You also want to know what keywords your competition is using to target prospects. You can then use this information to further develop your keyword strategy.

    Question #3 What strategies will you use to research keywords and keyword phrases?

    Here are just a few options to consider:

    * Test and track activity on your website
    * Use keyword research tools
    * Research what your competition is using
    * Ask your audience, customers and/or website visitors
    * Follow your intuition
    * Look at trends
    * Pay attention to popular terms on social networking sites

    Question #4 What keyword research tools will you use to research and develop your keywords and keyword phrases?

    Here are a few to consider:

    * Wordtracker
    * Google AdWords
    * Google Suggest
    * Yahoo/Overture
    * Keyword Discovery

    Question #5 What keyword tools will you use to analyze and research your competitors’ keywords?

    Here are a few tools to consider:

    * Adgooroo
    * Keywordspy
    * Spyfu
    * Wordtracker
    * Google Alerts

    Question #6 How will you track keyword trends and popular search terms?

    Here are some useful trend research tools to consider:

    * Google Trends
    * Google Alerts
    * Twitter popular topics

    Question #7 Where do you/will you use your keywords?

    Here are some places to consider positioning your keywords on each web page:

    * Above your logo
    * In your URL
    * In your subheadings
    * In your headlines
    * Within your content
    * In anchor text
    * In your image/alt tags

    Once you have your keyword research completed, it’s important to create a plan and a system to keep it organized. It’s also important to review your plan on a regular basis and update it. Keywords change and customers evolve. Keyword development isn’t a “set it and forget it” tactic. You’ll want to continue researching and planning on a regular basis.

    Make sure your keyword research and development system is well organized and easy to plan from. Make it an important part of your traffic generation strategy. And create a plan to research and develop on a consistent basis. For example, on a quarterly basis, review your existing keywords. Research your analytics. Look for new and trending keywords. Create a plan to take advantage of that audience.

    Keywords and keyword phrases are part of website success. They boost search engines, enhance navigation, attract eyeballs and motivate conversions. Keyword research and development is important to your success. Make sure to take every advantage.

    Categories: website Tags: Tags: ,

    Seven Key Elements for a Successful Landing Page

     
    Your landing page is important. Quite often it’s the page that most visitors come to first. It’s the page you may generate links to. It may also be the page that the search engines pay the most attention to. Therefore, it makes sense to make sure your landing page is as well designed as it can be.

    There are seven key elements for a successful landing page. They each are important independently, but they work together to provide a unique and effective experience. Before you take a look at these key elements, however, it’s important to answer a question first.

    What is the goal of your landing page?

    Your landing page needs to have a goal – an objective. What do you want visitors to do? What action do you want them to take? There are many possibilities. You may want them to:

    * Dig deeper and explore your website
    * Click through to a sales page
    * Opt-in

    Once you know what you want visitors to do, then you can make sure your landing page supports that goal. Now you’ll use the seven key elements. They include:

    #1 Images – The images you choose on your landing page are important. You want them to support the overall goal. Images, in the form of graphics and photos, can quickly overwhelm a landing page and become a distraction. If you choose to use images, and they really can enhance a landing page, make sure they support your goal. Make sure they adequately represent your brand, too. A common image to use might be your photo. This helps connect the reader to you. It helps brand your business and build a relationship.

    #2 Headline – Your headline is often the very first thing a visitor will see. If it doesn’t grab their attention, then it’s not doing its job. However, in addition to grabbing their attention, it also must support your page’s purpose. Take time to craft a headline. This is also an important element to test and track. Create two landing pages with two different headlines. Determine which headline is better at helping you accomplish your goal for the page.

    #3 Emotions – Emotions are what people use to make buying decisions. They’re incredibly important if you’re trying to motivate any action. You can tap into your visitors’ emotions with images and words.

    #4 Navigation – Make sure that your visitor not only knows what they’re supposed to do on your landing page, but also that they can quickly figure out how to do it. If you want people to dig deeper into your website, then make sure your buttons and call to action support that. If they cannot figure out how to get to a page that interests them, they’re going to leave.

    #5 Proof – You might notice that many of the elements of a successful landing page are also sales copy elements. This is because you are trying to motivate an action. Your landing page has a purpose. Proof can be demonstrated by:

    * Awards
    * Testimonials
    * Endorsements
    * Organization membership
    * Facts and statistics

    The proof you use depends on your goal. For example, if you want to motivate an opt-in, then you might use facts and statistics along with a banner ad highlighting an award your site has won. This gives you credibility.

    #6 Call to action – A call to action is required for every successful landing page. It’s the only way your readers know what they’re supposed to do next. Test it and track it for success.

    #7 Opt-in form – Finally, if your goal is to motivate an opt-in, then you must have an opt-in form on your landing page. In fact, everything on that page needs to support that goal.

    Your landing page is perhaps the most important page on your website. Make sure the elements on your page support your goals and your success. Test and track various elements until you get the best results.

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