by JD Reilly
Paid membership sites are one of the surest ways to achieve a regular cash flow on the internet. Paid membership sites are one of the leading business models online today. This is mainly due to the fact that paid membership sites offers more advantages compared to other types of businesses.
Compare it to today's fitness gyms. You have a place to exercise with all of the advantages of diverse equipment and an environment catering to fitness. However, these fitness gyms are merely membership clubs. Their money is made based on membership and a steady monthly income debited from your bank account.
Just hype and hoopla or the real stuff?
First off, let us understand what paid membership sites are. These are informational hubs that provide specialized knowledge in a well-packaged form. When you look at their structure, you can easily begin to see how profitable they are.
Suppose you were to set up a niche website on dog training. With some strategic advertising, you start getting members. You charge $50 for a membership and attract 200 members in the course of the first few months. What would your income be?
You would make a cool $10k every month, just by preserving your membership base. But you don't stop there. Suppose you were to spice it up a little and throw in a closed affiliate program for your 200 members. Suppose each of your members brings in 5 new members, what would the math be?
In one smart move, your membership base has suddenly expanded to 1000 members. Even at a 50% commission rate, you will easily make an extra $25k. And, you are nowhere near saturation. This is the power of membership websites; they are a recurring income model.
The Money Gets Better!
To further make money with membership sites, you could start handing out some multi-tier commissions to a public affiliate program, which would encourage down-line building. Clickbank is probably the best known affiliate site. As the number of people joining you increases, you get a fatter membership income.
Membership websites are the best way to procure self-reliant, subscription-based, continuous revenue. That is how membership websites beat one-time offers when it comes to making steady income. With a one-time offer, you have to promote your product every time. With membership websites, you start making money continuously from the moment a member signs up.
How much can you make? Your membership income depends on the magnetic power of your content. Fresh, updated content is what your members want. Providing content for membership websites is comparatively easy. Every move you make is targeted to please your subscriber base. Every thing you do, from creating new content to setting up an affiliate program, will bring you immediate revenue. Your ROI (return on investment) is instantaneous and massive.
So from the infopreneur's viewpoint, there are no useless gestures while making and maintaining a membership website. No setting up of a free blog waiting for people to come in. No need to provide content that caters to a wide spectrum of people. Just precise, targeted content and marketing.
How much money you make depends on the range of techniques you use to offer your market. There are a number of ways to make money with membership websites. You can make money through:
* Membership fees, which is your initial income. * Renewals, which is the recurring income. * Selling advertising space. * Sending endorsement emails. * Setting up an affiliate program.
And the secret is...
The secret to making huge profits with your membership website is to create an effective marketing plan and act on it without delay. Sounds obvious? You will be surprised by the number of marketers who forget to perform their marketing duties.
Make a to-do list of duties. Your marketing duty of the day may be a simple five-minute task like typing in a few comments about a new product or it could be as extensive as a one-year PR campaign. Whatever it is, keep chipping away at the huge list of people who have evaded you, one way or the other. This is the best way to multiply your turnover from membership websites.
Paid membership income is the newest internet giant that is only just waking up and flexing its muscles. It has still to rise to its full potential. Even so, stories of spectacular successes - and dismal failures - of membership websites are thick all around us. Of course, paid membership websites can bring you a decent income. They are also hassle-free.
Key tips to make money
So, if you are wondering how to make money with membership websites, here are some tips for you:
* Pick a niche that you are passionate about. Don't EVER try to fake it. Sooner or later, your members will catch on.
* Study your market. Are there other websites offering the same services? How does your pricing compare with theirs? How will your members find you in the crowd? What incentive are you giving them to join you?
* Deliver fresh content regularly. Give something very, very new to your subscribers. Articles, books, audios or whatever it takes. If you allow stale content to stay on your website for more than two weeks, you will start seeing an exodus of members.
* Is your unique content readily available offline? Choose a topic that is a little different from the ordinary or explore an angle that sets you apart.
* The aesthetic layout of your website is what makes the first impression on your visitors. Use a good design with clear and sharp graphics. Select color schemes relevant to your target audience and pick a neat and visually pleasing style. Opt for light images and use multimedia carefully. Studies show that a slow loading website loses more than 40% of traffic simply because people are unwilling to wait. Don't let that happen to you.
* Go for top-notch, cutting-edge technology on your website. Use tracking software, auto responders, shopping carts and automatic link submission software. Automate your work as much as possible. This leaves you with enough time to do more important work, like chalking out a new selling strategy.
* Advertise aggressively. Once your website is ready and everything is working properly, it is time to bring in your members. Let others know about you through forums and link trades. Sign up with Google or Adbrite. Post advertisements on search engines. After your website has picked up some, go for PPC (Pay per clicks). * Encourage interaction. Set up forums and blogs. Ask for feedback. Make links prominent so people do not have to run around searching for places to click.
* Offer trial memberships to ezine publishers who already have a large client base. Offer the publisher a percentage of your membership fee and they will promote you.
* If you have already established you niche, you can 'wholesale' memberships to affiliates who will buy from you in blocks. You can give these memberships as bonuses. It is a win-win deal for everyone.
* Learn from the experts: Invest in some coaching material. Learn how the experts became successful and duplicate their methods. Let other people show you the way. It's far simpler than clearing the path yourself. As they say, you can't make a dime without breaking a buck.
Your membership website could be about anything at all. All that matters is that there is demand for the information and a willingness on your part to over-deliver consistently.
About the Author
JD Reilly is committed in helping others succeed at marketing online products and implementing strategies for success. The success is built upon-- A focused target market, A product people are hungry for, A marketing strategy, Automation. If You Want To Make A Easy 4-5 Figure Income Every Single Month From 'Your Own' Wealth-Building Membership Website-- A set-it-and-forget-it business model that creates massive online wealth.
