| Membership web sites are great ways to make | | | | location; your time spent packaging and sorting is |
| residual income. Selling information via password | | | | worth their money. Your willingness to be "eyes |
| protected web sites is a big business, and it has a | | | | ahead" to look for new products in that niche is time |
| low barrier to entry, and minimal operating costs. | | | | they don't have to spend, and in this day and age, |
| Unfortunately, you aren't the first, or even the | | | | time is more precious than money. This applies if |
| thousandth person to realize this. What do you do? | | | | you're selling informational goods, physical goods, |
| While it's a hot business model, not every | | | | subscriptions to newsletters, or services. You have |
| membership site will pull people in, and even the ones | | | | to package what people want so they'll buy them |
| that do, some don't make a lot of money. There | | | | from you, not your competitors, and all you have to |
| have been far more failures than success stories with | | | | do is convince them that you add enough value by |
| membership sites, though part of that is simply | | | | saving their time to be worth your monthly |
| keeping track of expectations. The single most | | | | membership fee. |
| common site crippling and business killing factor | | | | Now, differentiation from the competition does take |
| though, will surprise you. It's something so elementary | | | | work; look into alternate formats like audio, video |
| that you'll smack your forehead and wonder why | | | | and ebooks. Give your consumers choices about how |
| people make this mistake, repeatedly. | | | | they get their information and how they use it. |
| It's failing to do the market research to ensure | | | | Offering audio and video formats pays for itself |
| profitability. | | | | rapidly in increased memberships. |
| It's not rocket science. You need to sell what people | | | | Next, keep it fresh. Always be on the lookout for |
| are already inclined to buy. Don't reinvent the wheel. | | | | something new, something fresh. Focus on giving |
| Don't do this for art's sake - it's commerce. | | | | new, enticing offers to keep those membership fees |
| Identify your target market. Sell them what they're | | | | coming in. And don't get complacent. We've seen well |
| already buying (and thus, already want). Listen to | | | | done membership sites; ones with good site design, |
| what else they want and expend your range of | | | | great keyword placements, loaded with products |
| products and services to meet their demand. | | | | people wanted to buy, easy to use, and customers |
| Admittedly, this was an amazing sea change in | | | | signing up in droves...and all worthless three months |
| product launches back in the 1970s, but it's going on | | | | later, because the site owner didn't capitalize on the |
| 40 years since the concept of market research to | | | | momentum, and run to keep ahead of his customers. |
| tune a product launch hit big business and trickled | | | | Your typical customer will buy things every four to |
| down to ubiquity. And yet, time and time again, | | | | six weeks; make sure you have something new for |
| internet squeeze sites keep selling what the owner | | | | them to buy every two weeks or so. Basic rule of |
| thinks will sell, not what the market has told him will | | | | shopkeeping; always turn the products on the |
| sell. | | | | shelves, or in your case, the product on the web site. |
| The usual excuse is "Well, what am I offering that | | | | Lastly, solicit feedback from your customers. Work |
| they can't get elsewhere, buying those products | | | | with them. Listen to what they have to say, and |
| individually?" | | | | adjust course based on it. It's their money, they're |
| Knowing what people are already buying, you have | | | | just telling you why they want to give it to you. Do |
| the MUCH easier task of packaging those information | | | | this every week or every month, and your |
| products and bundling them together into one | | | | paychecks will grow nicely. |