Today.Az » SEO & E-Marketing » 5 Myths about membership websites
14 July 2011 [15:42] - Today.Az
There are some myths about membership websites that just don’t seem to go away. Most of these myths serve as an excuse to laziness but there’s also a lot of people that truly believe in them and view them as real obstacles.
First of all, creating membership websites is dead simple and anyone can do it. Thank god it is not otherwise there wouldn’t be any affiliates! Joking aside, the reality is that most people that have an interest in doing it, don’t have the dedication or persistence needed to maintain a successful membership website.
Also bear in mind that here we're going to refer to membership websites that sell access to information, such as training programs, video courses, premium articles or other form of content.
Myth #1 – I Have To Be An Expert In What I Sell
This is one of the most common myths. People think that they won’t sell anything because they are not experts on what they sell and they think that nobody will care about what they say. The above is simple not true and it’s very simple to find out the reason why. Think about books, DVDs or other information products you’ve bought before, did you ever stop to think if they were the work of an expert? Did you care at all? Of course you didn’t. The thing is, most people just care about if they will benefit from what they’re buying, they just care about if it’ll improve their life in some way or not.
You can even create a membership website about a topic you don’t anything about. You can learn about it, simplify it and then teach it to people in your own unique way.
Myth #2 – I Have To Create Too Much Content
This is one is shared by two main groups of people, the extremely lazy and the ones that want to have everything. There’s no solution for the first group but for the second group the solution is very simple. It is to always keep in mind that you create as much content as you purpose your product to have and that your product’s quality doesn’t depend on your content’s quantity.
If you don’t want to create a lot of content, don’t try to offer everything and then some more on your membership website. Focus on one small aspect of your topic or niche, such as a beginners perspective. Create just enough content for that but make sure it’s really useful because that’s what’s really important.
Myth #3 – I Need To Create Content Forever
There are two main models of membership websites, the fixed-term ones and unlimited content ones. The fixed-term type is where you have a limited amount of content, such as in a course or a training program that has a start date and an end date. This means that you can create all the content once and then re-use it again and again, revamping only the front-end as necessary.
These websites are actually the most popular type of membership website nowadays. They close their membership doors most part of the year and then use marketing techniques to get interested prospects on their lists and build their brand so that when they open the membership they already have members.
The unlimited content model is best used when there’s an infinite need for content about a topic. In these cases, you really have to keep providing content on a regular basis but still you can even automate this. For example, you can spend one month creating content and then have it automatically delivered to your members for the next 6 months.
Myth #4 – The Technology Is Complicated
This used to be the case a few years ago but it is not true, anymore. Nowadays, it is as hard to create a regular website as it is to create a membership website. There are plenty of easy to use hosted solutions for non-techie people built especially with ease of use in sight.
Also, it’s very cheap to start a membership website because it doesn’t require any big investments, just time and creativity. Everybody can start a membership website with extremely low overhead costs. Actually, selling information is one of the businesses with the lowest overhead.
Myth #5 – There Is Too Much Competition Already
This is another mind numbing myth that has the power to freeze anyone. The truth is, there will always be competition in every worthwhile niche. That’s completely normal and predictable because if there isn’t any competition on a given niche it most likely means that there isn’t any money to be made there.
You don’t have to keep away from a niche you’re passionate about just because it has some competition. The best strategy is to position yourself inside that niche and find your unique perspective, your unique way to deliver your content.
There is one exception to the rule though, a niche that you really should stay away from, especially if it’s not your passion. It’s the “how to make money online” or “internet marketing” niche. The problem with this niche is not even the super high competition, it’s that people have lost their confidence in its products due to scams.
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