Should You Run a Membership Site?

A common business practice today is running a membership site. You may notice that when you purchase a product you may have to log into a site to download your documents. So how do you know when to open a membership based site?

One of your main considerations should be based upon the purpose of your business. If you are selling downloadable products, it can be difficult for customers to download huge files at one time. Plus if you offer videos they can eat up a ton of bandwidth and may prevent people from watching.

From this viewpoint it just makes sense to host all the files and videos on a membership site. Now why a membership site and not a regular site? Well, obviously you just want only your customers to have access to your products. So locking the content away behind closed doors is the best option available.

From a customer's viewpoint a membership site can be both a good thing and a pain! The pain usually comes due to not remembering their user name and password. A simple solution to this is to simply use some form of Password software. If you use Google Chrome of Firefox there is an option to have your passwords remembered. Other choices are to use a software such as Roboform or Lastpass.

A membership site is the perfect way for customers to store their content without losing files. They can still download them but can easily find them again if their computer crashes.

A membership site also allows you to update content and add bonuses and new material as you wish. You don't have to worry about sending it to your customers. You can easily email your list and let them know that there is new content available in the member's area.

Another benefit of a membership site is that it allows you to add either a forum or to add tutorials. This is especially helpful if the product you are offering is a new software or has a learning curve to it. Adding tutorials inside your membership allows members with different experience levels to learn how to use your product easily.

Using a membership site is a great way to protect your content and build a community with your buyers. You can even offer access to a private Facebook or Google+ group from within your membership site.

So if you have been thinking about whether or not to use a membership site you now have information as a customer and as a business owner.