What is a Membership Website?
A membership website is a gated site through which companies can offer subscribers exclusive content, such as newsletters, online courses, or different events, in exchange for a monthly or annual fee. Some companies even offer free membership access in exchange for some personal information to deliver the desired content or access to its members.
A membership can offer access to various content, such as blog articles, podcasts, webinars, online courses, exclusive interviews, or downloadable resources, to name a few.
Ways to Create a Membership Feature
There are three main ways to create a membership feature for your website. The first and easiest way is to use a WordPress Plug-in. In this article, we’ll tackle this aspect and also come up with a guide on how to build a membership website using the tagDiv Opt-In Builder Plug-in, a tool for creating and customizing article content lockers.
Another option is to create a subdomain with specific community-building software. A community platform is a digital space where people can share joint interests to facilitate discussions and collaborate. Discord, slack, and Hivebrite are some platforms that businesses often choose when deciding to build a community base.
You still have options even if your website isn’t built with WordPress. You can create a membership website from scratch using a platform that offers this feature.
To become a member, an individual must create an account or register through a dedicated form. Depending on your business objectives, the individual’s chosen membership plan, or the results you want to generate, membership can be free of charge, paid, or both.
It’s crucial to understand that maintaining a successful membership program requires more than just a good marketing strategy. It’s about consistently delivering premium-quality content that meets your members’ unique needs and interests. This commitment to quality is what will set your membership website apart and keep your members engaged and loyal.
If your business hasn’t acquired a good authority rank in your niche, maybe it would be better to consider posting free access content to draw people in, and in the meantime, find a segment of your audience that you would want to target and start offering a membership program for them first. A good example is to target the audience that would be down to access additional content from you – and here’s where you come in with a membership program for them.
The Advantages of a Membership Website
Increase in revenue
Implementing a membership feature opens up a valuable stream of regular income for your company. This can significantly boost your overall revenue, whether generated from your website traffic or e-commerce products. The potential for increased revenue is a powerful motivator for any business owner or entrepreneur, sparking hope for a more prosperous future for the business.
Selling a digital product like this requires little work. Once created, it can be sold or delivered to many subscribed members without losing its intrinsic value or purpose.
Generate loyalty and trust
Delivering high-quality services for your audience can increase perceived company trust. Moreover, a trustworthy website can make people more aware of the value you provide through your online presence and, in time, become loyal clients. This underscores the importance of your commitment to delivering high-quality services, making you feel responsible for your audience’s satisfaction.
By providing a quality membership service to your members, you increase your company’s trust and the chances of creating an emotional relationship with your clients, eventually turning them into brand ambassadors.
Build industry authority
Building authority in your niche can be challenging. It can take years to build a good reputation and even more to become an authority figure in your industry.
While this journey can be slow and overwhelming initially, companies have access to many tools that can help them maximize their impact in their niche. One strategy is to create a form of membership that creates an online community that people can feel part of.
By launching a membership website, you create the impression that the content you provide for your members is of good quality. Eventually, if you continue to deliver value through your membership program, members will consider you an expert.
Create your community
A membership service is, in its essence, a community where individuals share mutual interests. The main benefit of a community membership is the sense of community and connection that members develop. This fosters a feeling of being valued and part of something bigger, enhancing the overall membership experience.
It is not enough to build a community with a big audience; instead, it is important to have members who are encouraged to engage within the community and take specific actions that can make them feel important and, above all, valuable — inspiring them to take part in your community and be perceived as a valuable company as a whole.
In the following paragraphs, we will demonstrate how to use the powerful WordPress as CRM software to integrate a membership management system into a website from scratch. We will specifically choose the NewsPaper Theme for its user-friendly interface and vast customization options. Additionally, we will install the tagDiv Opt-In Builder plugin, a robust tool for managing memberships and customizing article content lockers, to enhance the functionality of our membership website.
Building a Membership Management in WordPress with the tagDiv Opt-In Builder
Step 1: Install and activate the NewsPaper Theme
To install the NewsPaper Theme, you must purchase it from ThemeForest. After purchasing, you must go into your WordPress account and upload it (Appearance > Themes > Add new button).
Once uploaded to your WordPress site, activate it by going to Appearance > Themes > Activate button.
Step 2: Choose a website layout design
Newspaper Theme gives you access to many prebuilt layout designs. To access the design layouts, go to Newspaper > Prebuilt Websites.
Once you decide on the design layout, you have two options: Install the design exclusively or install the prebuilt website with the content included.
Your website is now ready for customization. Let’s build the membership subscription using the tagDiv Opt-In Builder plugin.
Step 3: Install and Activate the tagDiv Opt-in Builder plugin
To install and activate the tagDiv Opt-In Builder plugin, go to Newspaper > Plugins and click on Install > Activate.
Step 4: Set up your tagDiv Opt-In Builder Subscriptions using the Setup Wizard
- Company info: Provide details about yourself and your company and other general information, such as your email, address, or financial data;
- Payment method: Choose the preferred payment option to receive the payments (through Paypal or Bank transfer);
- Pricing plans: Add as many free, monthly, and yearly pricing plans as you want;
- Pages: Manage your subscription funnel;
- Subscriptions: Check the status of your subscriptions.
Step 5: Customize your membership subscription
The last step in this process is customizing your membership subscription plugin. The tagDiv Composer plugin is an excellent tool for this. It allows you to design and customize your membership plugin as you prefer.
Here’s an example of plugin customization:
Conclusion
When done right, implementing a membership feature can be a game-changer for your business. It’s not just about increasing revenue and customer fidelity in the long run but also about gaining authority in your field in a creative and engaging way.
Newspaper Theme gives you access to premium membership plugins to help you deliver well-crafted membership subscription options. Your ultimate job is to deliver high-quality content for your members.
Do you want to create a website on WordPress but don’t know where to start? Submit a request, and our team will contact you as soon as possible.
