Simple Strategies to Grow Your Membership Website’s Sign-Ups, Sales & Leads

Guest Presenter: Spencer Mercy (00:00:00)

• Spencer Mercy is a special guest in the webinar, and he is from Brilliant Setups, a third-party partner in the Marketplace, with a lot of experience working with BD website owners since 2019 (00:00:07).
• Brilliant Setups is a company that not only helps with basic website setup but also assists in creating a more full and holistic business plan for directory and membership websites (00:00:15).
• Spencer has put together a presentation that focuses on a specific case study, highlighting simple strategies to increase member signups and improve the overall health of a membership business (00:00:48).
• The presentation aims to provide valuable insights and tips to help grow a membership website, and Spencer is excited to share his expertise with the audience (00:01:02).
• Spencer’s experience working with BD website owners includes helping them with their members’ journey and putting together a comprehensive business plan for their directory and membership websites (00:00:32).

Introduction (00:01:12)

• Spencer Mercy is the founder and Senior strategist at Brilliant Setups, and he is introducing himself to the audience (00:01:13).
• Brilliant Setups is a company that helps clients with strategy and implementation, and 100% of their clients run their businesses on the Brilliant Directory platform (00:01:21).
• The company assists with building out Brilliant Directory websites, and also helps clients who have already launched but are not getting the desired traffic or member sign-ups, by focusing on the buyer journey (00:01:34).
• Brilliant Setups is a full-stack agency with a team of developers and a marketing team, offering services to help clients with their website setup and other needs (00:01:48).
• The company can help clients with quick website setup, and they will be discussing more about their services and strategies, including the buyer journey, in the presentation (00:01:59).

Case Study (00:02:05)

• The Alternative Pain Treatment Directory is a membership website created by Cindy Pein, an alternative pain treatment practitioner with a long career in the field, to provide a space for alternative pain treatment professionals and vendors to offer their services and products, (00:02:16).
• Cindy Pein identified a problem in the industry where many alternative pain treatment practitioners and vendors have their services or products banned on other platforms, and she saw an opportunity to launch a directory website to address this issue, (00:03:00).
• The Alternative Pain Treatment Directory website is designed to educate visitors on the brand’s value and the type of content they can expect to find, rather than immediately directing them to a search function, (00:03:42).
• The website’s homepage is used to tell the story of the brand and persuade visitors to learn more, as it is essential to make a connection with the audience and explain the problems the directory is solving, (00:04:22).
• Many directory owners start their journey by identifying a problem or opportunity in an industry they are familiar with, and Cindy Pein’s experience in the alternative pain treatment industry allowed her to recognize the need for a directory like hers, (00:05:06).
• The directory aims to promote and give visibility to alternative pain treatment professionals, as well as attract consumers who need their services, (00:05:28).
• Cindy Pein’s extensive network of alternative pain treatment professionals and vendors, built over her career, was a key factor in the creation of the Alternative Pain Treatment Directory, (00:02:49).
• Successful directory sites tend to have a more niche or targeted market, making it easier to connect with the audience and speak to their needs, as they can see themselves and envision themselves on the website (00:06:01).
• The directory site in question is positioned to focus on a niche market, specifically alternative pain treatment, and does not venture out of that area, but has a couple of personas that it caters to (00:06:31).
• The homepage of the directory site was initially focused on search modules and streaming content, but was later curated to educate people on what the brand is about, with a more strategic approach to content and user experience (00:07:06).
• The revised homepage may appear text-heavy, but this is suitable for the market, as individuals seeking medical information on alternative pain treatment want to absorb as much information as possible (00:07:49).
• One of the strategies implemented was to determine the optimal payment subscription price, with the site owner initially aiming for a $50 to $60 a month payment, but this price point may need to be adjusted based on industry standards and consumer expectations (00:08:12).
• The site owner, Cindy, worked with a team to develop a more effective approach to her directory site, including the creation of personas and a more targeted marketing strategy (00:06:43).

Strategy 1: Introducing Upsells Into Your Pricing Strategy (00:08:21)

• The strategy of introducing upsells into a pricing strategy was implemented to address the challenge of practitioners resisting a high price point, with the goal of eventually reaching a $50 to $60 monthly subscription price point (00:08:21).
• To achieve this, a tiered pricing system was created, allowing practitioners to sign up for $25 a month and list their services, or sign up as a vendor to list their products, making it easier to upsell them to the higher subscription later on (00:08:40).
• Once practitioners or vendors have become familiar with the brand, content, and audience, it becomes easier to upsell them to the higher monthly subscription, as many practitioners have products to advertise or services to market on the site (00:09:02).
• The upselling strategy was successful in helping to reach the target price point of $50 to $60 per month, by gradually introducing higher-priced services to users who had already become engaged with the platform (00:09:28).
• Directory owners often face challenges in conveying the value of their directories, but the strategy of upselling can help to address this issue by providing a clear path for users to upgrade and access more features and services (00:09:43).

Strategy 2: Bring Clarity on the Value Being Offered (00:09:47)

• The pricing page of a directory site typically features a hero image and membership plans, but often lacks a connection with potential customers, which is crucial for making a buying decision, as people want to understand who they are and how their pain points can be addressed (00:09:55).
• To build a connection with potential customers, a video was created for Cindy’s join page, featuring her introducing herself, telling her story, and explaining her journey as an alternative pain treatment practitioner, which helps to establish a personal connection (00:10:21).
• The text on the page focuses on the why and the problems that Cindy is solving, making a connection between the pain points of practitioners or vendors and the benefits of the membership, rather than just listing features (00:10:35).
• The membership plans are highlighted, with a $25 a month plan to get people started, and the benefits are emphasized, such as choosing 10 categories and having a phone number listed, rather than just listing features (00:11:04).
• The benefits are highlighted to paint a picture in the customer’s head of what their life would be like if they moved forward with the product, rather than just listing features, which is like selling the sizzle not the steak (00:11:53).
• The $25 plan is the entry-level plan, and there is no free listing option, as it was always a paid membership, but having a free membership plan or a lead magnet can be a good strategy to nurture people to paid content (00:12:30).
• Having a free membership plan or a lead magnet can help to get someone’s foot in the door and build a relationship with them, which can then be nurtured to paid content and features, especially for new brands (00:12:59).
• The buyer’s Journey is a pathway that typically starts with a landing page focusing on the pain points and benefits of signing up with a website, and its goal is to build a relationship with potential members (00:13:47).
• Once the initial relationship is established, the focus shifts to keeping the potential member’s attention through email automation or discovery calls, and eventually, offering paid content and chances to upgrade (00:14:49).
• Having a free membership plan can make it harder to get upgrades if the strategy is to just wait for members to upgrade on their own, but building in a plan to offer additional services or products can make the buyer’s Journey more successful (00:15:11).
• Creating newsletters, email nurture sequences, or allowing people to book calls can also speed up the buying process by establishing a personal relationship with potential members (00:15:59).
• Offering a free membership plan can be an effective way to start the buyer’s Journey, as long as there is a plan in place to offer additional value and services to members, rather than just waiting for them to upgrade (00:15:40).
• Building a relationship with potential members and offering them value beyond the free membership plan can increase the chances of success with the buyer’s Journey (00:16:07).

Making Sure Each Website Section Delivers Value (00:16:15)

• The focus was on the type of content added to the website, and it was recommended to find two to three post types that can be honed in on to give a great experience, rather than listing all the features of a directory website (00:16:16).
• Articles were found to be a great way to help promote the website, with a new article added every week, and these articles are carefully chosen based on what is trending in the industry and what people are talking about (00:17:16).
• To determine trending topics, platforms like moz.com can be used, which utilize search engines and SEO to provide information on what keywords are being used and what locations are being searched (00:17:46).
• Cindy utilizes the directory by renaming the community articles page to “inspiring stories”, where she shares stories of practitioners who have had great experiences with clients, aiming to promote these experiences and increase familiarity with alternative pain treatment practitioners (00:18:22).
• The strategy of adding regular content, such as weekly articles, can help boost traffic and increase clicks to the website, and Cindy has been successful in keeping this content going on a regular basis (00:18:46).

Promoting Her Members and Products (00:18:56)

• Cindy, a professional in her industry, utilizes her social media followers and newsletters to promote her members and the products they sell, focusing on building trust and expertise rather than directly advertising her brand (00:18:57).
• The newsletters sent out by Cindy contain content that people want to read, with articles and blogs that link back to her website, and are designed to build trust and slowly introduce readers to her brand (00:19:30).
• Cindy’s website has a user-friendly experience, with features such as banner ads, backlinks, and links to other articles and videos, which helps to produce a synergy that people feel and is also beneficial for search engines (00:19:51).
• Cindy has a large following on LinkedIn, where she promotes products and professionals every week, and always includes a link back to her website, providing more information about the products and their benefits (00:20:49).
• Cindy creates articles for different types of pain alternative treatments, such as therapeutic massage, and links back to her website, where professionals can be found, and this helps to promote her members and products (00:21:37).
• When meeting with potential professionals or vendors, Cindy uses her social media posts, newsletters, and website to show them the experiences she provides, which helps to build trust and connection, and ultimately promotes herself and her products (00:22:15).
• Webinars have been done on spotlighting members and the value it brings to the site, which is a valuable strategy for promoting members and products, especially for those just starting out (00:22:51).
• Creating spotlight articles on members and professionals can bring numerous benefits, including making someone feel special and generating interest in others who may want to be featured, which can lead to increased marketing assets and people returning to the site (00:23:21).
• Spotlight articles can also attract people who may want to advertise on the site or pay for a spotlight article, creating a perpetual cycle of benefits (00:23:31).
• The strategy of creating spotlight articles and other content, such as email newsletters and LinkedIn posts, can be managed with just a few hours of work per week, allowing for a routine-based approach to content creation (00:24:15).
• Defining a content strategy in a specific industry requires tweaking and figuring out what works best, which can involve trial and error, but it’s essential to avoid spending too much time on the wrong approach (00:24:35).
• Having a well-structured system for promoting content, such as a homepage with clear pricing and a content promotion strategy, can help establish someone as an industry expert and make their content seem effortless, even if a lot of work has gone into creating the infrastructure (00:25:20).
• The website in question, a brilliant directory, has been developed over several years, with most of the effort focused on the buyer’s journey, content, and marketing ideas, rather than custom design work, with about 95% of the site using default brilliant directories features (00:25:56).

Conclusion (00:26:20)

• A free sales video course on buyer journeys is available at World Wide Web, which provides a deeper dive into the topics discussed, and can be taken at one’s own pace with no expiration (00:26:21).
• For those who want to meet and discuss their sites one-on-one, a call can be booked at the link below, which is brilliantsetups.com/Discovery (00:27:00).
• The vendors on the site were assigned to a separate top-level category, and they have their own membership plan, which is different from the practitioners’ membership plan (00:28:07).
• The vendors’ products were posted using the products post type, which is a simple and effective way to manage their products (00:28:30).
• The process for identifying pain points and figuring out the messaging for the website involved using the expert’s knowledge in the industry and going through the buyer journey to create a solution that resonates with people (00:28:58).
• For those starting a directory site in an unfamiliar industry, it’s recommended to research what other companies are doing, what competitors are doing, and what problem the directory site is trying to solve (00:29:45).
• The marketing avenues used for the site included organic search, Pay-per-click ad campaigns, social media, and LinkedIn, with a significant amount of success coming from LinkedIn and newsletters (00:30:25).
• The site’s owner, Cindy, utilized her extensive network on LinkedIn to drive traffic to the site, and also used SEO with articles as a long-term play (00:30:30).