Membership Web Sites: 10 Tips that Attract Members

Building a highly profitable membership Web site is the result of hard work, and a devotion to learning the skills you need to succeed. The following guide will provide you with 10 tips that will help you get started.

1) Your Niche - Your first step is figure out what service/product you will provide. Ask yourself:

a) Will my product/service meet a need?

b) Will my target market have income to spend on this service/product?

c) Will the internet reach my target market?

2) Your Competition - Be aware of you competitors. Find out what their services/products are, how they are marketing them, and at what price they are selling them. Learn from their accomplishments, and their mistakes, and make you membership Web site better.

3) Your Members - Work to build relationships with each of your members. Begin with an automated welcome email that includes their first name in the heading. Follow with quick responses to their questions and concerns. Three months is the average life of a member. If you are attentive to then needs, you stand a good chance of beating the odds.

4) Membership/Product/Service Pricing - Work to provide a good value for your members. Offer freebies at every point in your marketing funnel, as well as your line of services/products. Begin with less expensive services/products. When you have established a trust with your members they will be more willing to spend their income on something they know will be of significant value. Be aware of what you competition is charging, and price accordingly.

5) Website Design - Invest in a professionally designed website, that communicates the message you want to send. It may cost you a few thousand dollars up front, but the pay off will be far greater than you may realize.

6) Testimonials - Include testimonials, reviews and graphs detailing the success of your past members. Evidence of a track record will encourage many prospects to become subscribing members.

7) Trial Offer - Offering a $1 trial membership for 14 days gives prospects a risk free way to see what you have to offer. The $1 fee will attract clients that are serious about spending their income on quality solutions.

8) Membership Levels - Offering 2 or 3 membership levels (free, silver, gold) that accommodate customer budgets is a great way to bring in members. You can also offer a free upgrade to members that recommend a friend.

9) Marketing - With 162 million Web sites out their you can't put up a Web site and hope someone will find it. You have to get the word out. Try to do one thing every day that let's people know that you are out there, and that you have something just a little better than your competitors.

10) Be Extraordinary - Go the extra mile. Be creative. Provide the best service. Be a leader in your field. Your members will recognize the quality, and word-of-mouth advertising will become the most effective means of promoting your membership website you will have.