Build Your Membership Site and Create a Steady Income in 5 Easy Steps

And more!

Let’s dive right in.

In a nutshell, a membership website is a subscription-based online business model.

By paying a regular fee and agreeing to any other terms, members get access to exclusive content, special offers, niche services, and other benefits.

This sounds like a pretty sweet deal for members, but as an online business owner, the deal is even sweeter.

By creating a members-only portal for your customers, you can enjoy the following benefits:

Because this is a recurring payment, you have a better idea of how much revenue you’ll generate every month.

Even if your membership is a lower ticket offer, $10/month from 100 members is still $1,000 you can count on.

Membership sites provide a nifty alternative to email marketing if audience engagement is what you’re after.

You’ll be able to reach your audience with targeted content and give them a platform to access more of what they love.

You could also encourage your members to share their ideas and opinions, making them feel important and fostering a sense of community.

With direct access to your audience comes an innate understanding of what content they enjoy and prefer.

Providing premium content that speaks directly to your target market will set you up as an authority in your niche.

Authority builds trust, and more trust means more people will be willing to give you their money in exchange for helping them solve their problems.

When you create a membership website, you need to nurture the customers within it to maintain this reliable income source.

This also gives you the opportunity to keep selling related offers to your audience by giving them members-only discounts and deals

While these benefits are attractive, you might still be asking yourself if this will work for your online business.

There are 3 ways to include a membership website in your online business:

That first option is perfect for business models that lend themselves to community building or varied content like eLearning businesses.

However, the next 2 strategies are still valid ways to provide members-only content in other niches.

When building your membership, there’s 1 big question you’ll need to face:

“How do I protect my content?”

In other words, what software platform, plugin, or tool are you going to use to restrict access to members only?

There are 2 main methods to choose from:

Dedicated membership platforms, like Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee, are simple tools to help you run a subscription service that supports your content.

However, the basic nature of these platforms can be extremely limiting and they tend to eat away at a significant portion of your income.

Dedicated membership platforms like these are only recommended if you’re a full-time content creator and want a fan subscription to support it, and even then they have their issues.

Patreon users (and users of similar platforms) are subject to hefty censorship rules and payment is processed very slowly.

That’s why we recommend digital marketing software with a dedicated membership website builder, like systeme.io — whether you’re a content creator with a side hustle or a growing online business.

We provide the same functionality as a dedicated membership platform, without any of the downsides.

Ready to build a successful membership website of your own?

Keep reading . . .

Building a membership website doesn’t have to be a difficult process.

By following the 5 steps below, you’ll be able to create a basic membership site and then launch it to your audience.

Let’s get started!

Membership websites can help your business achieve different goals based on which membership model you choose.

Here are some of the most common membership models:

Most successful membership sites use the hybrid model, and we suggest you do the same.

Not only are you able to provide more value to your audience, but a feature-rich offer like that will attract far more new members.

Most all-in-one software platforms include some membership site capabilities, but they’re often limited to certain membership models.

Membership platforms can also be incredibly expensive and difficult to use.

These 3 membership website-building tools below are our top picks for their flexibility, ease of use, and price points:

MemberPress has 3 pricing options available:

There are some drawbacks to using this WordPress plugin, such as possibly needing to download (and pay for) WooCommerce to get more payment processing options.

However, if a WordPress membership website is what you’re after, this is the best option for you.

At first glance, MemberSpace’s plans aren’t as pricey as MemberPress:

Unfortunately, premium membership plugins like this do come at a cost, and you’ll need to add that cost to how much you pay for your CMS, among other things.

While MemberPress and MemberSpace are great options if you’re already using WordPress or Wix, they fall short on other marketing features.

Systeme.io remains the best platform to build your membership site — 6x the features, 0% transaction fees, and a cheaper price point are unbeatable.

The fundamental selling point of joining membership sites is access to exclusive content.

However, creating your membership site isn’t a one-page-one-video task — it’s more of a continuous process.

You’ll need to create at least 4 web pages for your membership:

You need members for your membership site to succeed — without them, your content is invisible.

That’s why promoting your membership website is essential to generating that attractive recurring income.

There are several methods of promoting your membership site, depending on where your business is at:

This is where your choice in a membership hosting provider really comes into play.

While some platforms (like systeme.io) come packed with all of the features you need to run email promotions and an affiliate program, others just don’t.

If you opt for a membership subscription platform, you’ll likely end up wasting time and money on unreliable integrations.

The final step in building your membership website is all about monitoring the key performance indicators (KPIs).

These are specific metrics you can use to measure the success of your membership.

Here’s a list of membership KPIs you should be tracking:

Metrics like these are also useful in identifying areas for improvement and how to scale and take your membership to the next level.

We suggest you assess these metrics at quarterly intervals so that you can see whether your membership is generating a sizable return on your investment.

When you’re launching your membership website, there are several ways to make it make money.

First, ask yourself these questions:

Once you’ve answered these questions, it becomes a little easier to determine how you’ll make money from this venture.

If you choose to create a free membership, there are still several monetization strategies you can apply:

As you can see, free membership doesn’t mean that you won’t make money — you can also implement these within a paid membership to boost your income and increase your customer lifetime value.

Still got some burning questions about building your membership website?

We’ve got your back — keep reading to find answers to some frequently asked questions about memberships.

In short — yes! There are plenty of online platforms with membership features that offer free trials or a free plan.

To create membership sites that continue to function and grow, you’ll probably eventually need to pay for more advanced features.

Also, be careful with completely free membership software like Patreon. Often, such software comes with high transaction fees that can cost you more than you realize.

That’s why systeme.io is truly the best option — you’ll never pay more than $97/month to run your entire business and there are no transaction fees.

Membership sites can be highly profitable, but only if you have members.

LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com) charges members $29.99/month to access a library of courses, resources, and workshops — generating over$200 million in sales every year.

Here are 5 best practices to help you catch and keep more members:

A final top tip to apply here is that it’s cheaper to retain old members than it is to get new ones, so don’t neglect your loyal customers.

While you could build a membership website for anything, there are some niches that see better returns and engagement than others.

Here’s a list of the best niches for membership sites as well as some examples:

Keep reading to get a complete step-by-step demo of how to create a membership site using the most powerful software available.

It’s pretty clear that systeme.io offers the best membership features at the most competitive price.

Better yet, our software is incredibly easy to use — you can build your entire membership website in just a few clicks.

Here’s how:

To get a head start on your competition, partner with the best membership website building software available:systeme.io!

Sign up today and build your entire membership site in just a few clicks — it’s 100% free forever, so what have you got to lose?