S4E8 | three most common mistakes

“The people who are going to buy it, the people who are going to register, sign up, and commit to it are the people you should ask for feedback.”

I’ve been creating memberships since 2005. I’ve built them, built the tech behind them, marketed them, and launched them. And while I’ve seen a lot of mistakes happen along the way, I’m going to share the top three mistakes I see when people create a membership. 

Not Asking People What They Want

When creating your membership, it’s key to ask your audience what it is they’re looking for. Some people will base their membership on what they think people need, or what they want to provide. But it’s less about what you want, and more about what your audience—a.k.a. your potential buyers!—want. You should be getting their feedback. Oftentimes your group knows your strengths better than you do! Ask your group what they want, or what would save them time, energy, or money.

Adding too Much to the Membership

How do I know about this one? I’ve done it myself! I once added too much to my membership and had no boundaries, and I ended up exhausting myself. I once even had a live chat button so people could get quick support from me. I offered about 11 different services all at once for only $37 a month. It was way too much, and I ended up closing that membership. Give your membership about three or four things a month, but anything further than that can lead to burnout. If you want to add more content one month, make it a bonus, but don’t set that expectation. 

Making it Unsustainable

Take a look at your membership, and think about if you can continue doing what you’re doing. Can you sustain this a year from now? Can you keep delivering month after month? If it’s not sustainable, make sure you’re not offering too much in your membership. Or maybe recognize that later down the road you may need to bring on a team member. 

Bonus! The Price isn’t Right

Sometimes the price of your brand new membership is just too high. Yes, you’re charging what it’s worth, but since your membership is new it doesn’t have the social proof it needs yet. When starting a new membership, I always like to create a Founding Members Rate. These first members are locked in at this great rate, and you’ll get them results. Those results then become the success stories that you market and use to give proof to the value of your membership. You can always increase the price later down the road. Just start a little lower than what you anticipate to have your membership at. 

Thank you for tuning in! I hope this episode warned you against some common membership pitfalls!