Recently I’ve been sharing some unique Membership Site ideas to my email list. It’s kind of fun to randomly pick a niche and create a Membership Site idea from it. And yes, the five examples I’m going to share here were thought up “off-the-cuff” so to speak. But sometimes, just hearing about a unique idea in someone else’s niche, might be just what you need to jump-start your own unique Membership Site.
Direct Sales
I’m a former direct sales rep. In fact, I used to be a rep for three different companies. I’d probably still be a rep if I’d had an inkling about marketing at the time! But then, I wouldn’t be here, would I?
Anyway, a Membership Site can be very beneficial for a direct sales rep. The companies I worked with were mostly crafting companies. While we had specific things we could or could not do as pertains to marketing, one thing we were encouraged to do was to form a “club”. You can do this quite easily with a Membership Site. The members who join could get how-to articles, sale announcements, special club meetings, etc. — much more powerful than just a mailing list.
Real Estate
Another former life had me working for a Real Estate brokerage. How could Realtors use Membership Sites? One idea would be to form a Joint Venture with a mortgage broker, title company, etc. and do a class for first time home-buyers. The classes could either be live and in person, or via the telephone. Then, the recordings are placed in the membership site along with handouts, worksheets, etc. You’d be able to cover the area specific laws and policies that folks need to know as they go through the home-buying process.
Authors
As an avid reader, I’m always on the lookout for neat ways to access my favorite titles. An author could use a Membership Site not only to sell digital copies of the book, but also to create a community of fans. You could also add related products like an audio version, fillable worksheets, etc. If your book is a how-to book, you can even invite readers to upgrade to a workshop led by you to help implement what they’re learning in the book
Beautician
For example, a beautician opens a “Club” and holds monthly teleseminars talking about the latest beauty tips, trends, ideas, etc. She also holds monthly Q & A Sessions where her members can ask beauty related questions. Her site is full of articles (some she’s written, some she’s found other places online), resources (some free, some affiliate links), videos, audios, etc. There’s also a Member Forum where members can interact with each other. All on the topics of hairstyles, hair care, makeup, etc.
Financial Advisor
In this example, a financial advisor opens “Financial Super Secrets”, a 3-month course to managing your money. He offers it for a one-time fee of $X, or 3 payments of $Y. (Quick Tip: Y = X/3 + 10%ish. EX: a one-time fee of $97, with three payments of $37) When his students register for the course, they are given access to the first week of content. Each week after that, for 13 weeks, they are given access to additional content. This content is in the form of pre-recorded audio and video, as well as action guides, notes, worksheets, etc. He also provides a monthly Q&A call for everyone currently in the course.
Even if you aren’t involved in one of the above industries, you can get some great ideas for a new product or service you can offer through a Membership Site!
Rebekah Zobel Jones at My Fabulous VA