Four examples of content you can make for your site's membership |
Making contents for your membership website might be a daunting task at initial stages however it doesn't need to be. Try one of these proven templates a try.
And then, at the dark of the night, you awake with a cold sweat and you realize that:
If you're anything like me, you need at least two cups of tea to get out of the panic and devise some ideas.
But since no one should need to consume that amount of coffee this late at evening, unless they're writers with the edge of the end of their finals and finals season, I've decided that I'll share my ideas -- with some examples the types of content that you could make for your membership website.
#1. Resources that can be downloaded
What are the most common ways to search for online templates in the event you have to design your own workbook, or even put together an official form?
Pretty frequently, right? I do it all of the time. I'm on the theme gallery of Typeform whenever I want to make something stylish without sinking too much money or the rest of my day in it (or worse, harassing the designer).
Not a template individual? No worries. Downloadable resources don't strictly have to mean templates and forms. However, they're one of the oldest examples.
Ebooks are especially helpful if your demographic skews towards women, in fact. About two times as many women are avid readers of ebooks than men.
The success of making short ebooks using Google Slides -- part of the free software we recommended in the first section -- has been demonstrated. A businessman uses it to create each of his lead magnets (short, delicious ebooks to help grow his email lists).
Open Jazz Studio includes audio downloads and transcriptions, lead sheets, and workbooks in their services for the Piano Access Pass membership program.
Worksheets and guides are also a popular staple for downloadable products on membership sites.
It is possible to see the example in the " Quick Wins " benefit of Smart Insights' membership program.
As for topics to tackle with your free resources, go back to your drawing board and look at your audience personas. What kind of information would help them accomplish their goals with your membership?
It would be helpful to track their performance? Make a checklist for them or a workbook.
Do you offer business consultations? Create an editable spreadsheet so that they can input the data they want to input and then run it through important indicators.
The idea is obvious. If you can make it useful for your customers, then it's the kind of content you'll need to develop..
#2. Tutorials and mini-courses
Speaking of being helpful Is there anything more helpful than a step-bystep manual which backs the advice of the guide with facts and steers the reader in the right direction?
(Probably However, I'm bias about data. It's sort of my thing.)
Blog Biz School's Chantel Arnett is the the master at combining this kind of material with downloadable resources. Take a look at the resources she has available:
If her material isn't useful in the form of templates, she's able to use it in providing a brief and precise education about material that is relevant to her target audience.
Fortunately, mini-courses and tutorials don't necessarily require huge cost to create.
They can be as simple as video screen sharing where you walk members through a particular set of activities -- like performing a skill with a program or even the best way to prepare for an interview or even exclusive blog posts in which you explain procedures in great detail.
But for the best outcomes, you should incorporate video as much as you can. Learning via video is available on demand and increases retention of learners, in addition to other advantages. .
Additionally, it's more portable than a wall of text This is crucial when you consider that 67% of learners use their smartphones for accessing learning materials.
Chantel isn't alone who has seen results using this type of material through a membership, either. MarketingProfs has tutorials and videos for learning as the mainstays of their content to members and also.
Did you see how they've included additional elements found on this informational list? If MarketingProfs' two-time best-seller and marketing mastermind Ann Handley has been doing this then you're definitely on the right path.
And as a bonus, this allows you to monitor a student's progression through your online courses, which is all the more reason to make use of this particular kind of content when you consult the research behind using and assessing the effectiveness of video-based learning.
Content topics and ideas will (again) come down to what's useful for the people who are accessing the content.
It is a blessing to be able to track your tutorials as well as mini-courses' performance using multiple information points and not just remarks and feedback of users, but the development of students as they move through documents -- knowing what's helpful is easier than ever.
Content doesn't have to be static, however. If you're looking to engage your members in a more direct way, think about the third kind of content you can offer on your website for membership.
#3. Interactive content
The issue with downloading resources and mini-courses is that they're passive in nature. No matter how charming you are, they're still uninteresting materials where the primary interaction is through watching.
It also adds more onus on you as a content creator to produce more in-depth materials.
88% of professional marketers believe that content that is interactive distinguishes their company from the rest of the market.
In contrast to other resources However, it is important to be careful not to overly scholastic when it comes to interactivity. Even though a short quiz about the concepts covered in your mini-courses might actually be beneficial, people are choosing an online course to take because of a reason.
As a minimum, they probably don't have enough time to recreate a classic schooling experience however much they do desire it.
Instead, you should keep your interactive content -specifically, quizzes- on the light side, similar to that which you can see below. .
If your membership is for fledgling marketers, for instance it is possible to develop the following questions:
What your favorite burger toppings tell you about your most effective advertising channel.
Pick five colors, I'll show you how marketing excellent you are.
Are you Don Draper or Walt Disney? Find out within two minutes.
This tongue-in-cheek type of material might not resonate with the audience you are targeting, but here lies the rub.
Since it's interactive the audience can inform you if this is an issue and allow you to change direction.
In the serious aspect of things, live webinars are another type of content that you could create for your members. As the name implies, the content you create will make in real-time, but the preparation should be completed in advance.
The entrepreneur Tiffany Williams offers regular webinars to her clients within her Rich Girl Academy program.
Every month, she picks a new topic of relevance to her audience and someone in her "team that includes Oprah" interacts with the viewers via live seminars.
Live webinars can be extremely time-consuming, this schedule is an ideal plan for those who are looking to dive the depths of multimedia content while not overloading their schedules.
Polls and quizzes, however, are more forgiving and can be created and published at any time. Every week, once per week is an ideal starting point however, if members begin withdrawing or showing low participation, you might want to spread the quizzes and polls out more.
And then, finish your post with a dash of the spoken word.
#4. Podcasts and audio files
This last form of content is a partially interactive and part-downloadable resource, but this is a completely different form of content than what we've discussed so far that it deserves its own quick mention.
That's a pretty far cry from posts on blogs that typically have a read-time of around 37 seconds , no matter the length of their posts.
But this is the best thing about this type of content:
Amy Porterfield makes usage of these as well using several of the strategies that Justin employs by keeping subscribers amused with informative interviews discussing relevant topics and trends in her industry, and offering practical advice to listeners.
Bottom line:
Audio files and live podcasts can be a simple, affordable form of content you could create on your website for membership ahead of time and on a recurrent basis, and with such the high level of audience engagement They're certainly worth adding to your collection.
In order to make the most of the opportunity, you should invite speakers from industry as well as other experts to discuss the latest trends within your field, and jam-pack a session that is action-oriented to give your guests.
The loose lips could be a sinking ship However, when it comes to membership websites content, they're the perfect floating device to ensure you're on top of the levels of customer satisfaction.
The content of your blog
Making content for your website might be a daunting task at beginning However, it doesn't have to be that way forever.
Be sure to keep these tips at the forefront when looking for content to watch:
Backups should be made to a cloud-based storage system. Loss of data can cause serious consequences for small businesses, and with so many easy alternatives, there's really no reason for you to put your data at risk.
While it is important to make certain content before you get going, you don't need to have everything ready on day one. Actually, you don't. How your audience members react to and connect with will inform the content strategy you develop in the future.
Once you do dig in begin with free materials like templates, workbooks eBooks, infographics, and ebooks.
It is likely that they are sign-up for your subscription in order to gain something. Give them that knowledge with mini-courses as well as tutorials that offer rapid victories during the day.
Then, mix things up with interactive content like quizzes, polls, and live webinars. These will transform your website's membership from dime-a-dozen to an engaging one-of-a-kind.
Finally, loosen up your lips and make podcasts and audio files.
Podcasts, in particular, are wildly popular for other websites that offer membership and are fairly easy to develop compared to other kinds of media.
Be encouraged. While it might seem overwhelming initially, once you've started to create content and content, you'll discover your style and your members will fit seamlessly with you.