How to Setup a Membership Program 

Setting up a membership program can create a residual income that goes on and on – this is especially true when it done correctly. The key is to create a product line that members want access to. 

The cost per month for your membership site can vary or you can even offer different pricing tiers, but in order to get people to pay those monthly or yearly fees you are going to have to have something to offer that they want, not just for a single month but over and over again. Of course, a free membership program has far less demands on you. People will easily be convinced to sign up when it doesn’t cost them anything. Still, digital products are popular for both free and paid membership programs. They are easy to share among members and are readily available to ensure you have ongoing content that’s desirable. 

Setting up your free membership program is easy. All you have to do is add a forum to your blog. With WordPress you can use the SimplePress plugin. Although it’s not the best forum software around it is definitely easy to install and start to use and it will keep the appearance of your blog/site so that your branding isn’t affected. 

If you decide you want to set up a paid membership program try the WordPress plugin Wishlist Member. It costs around $100 but it is worth every dime. Wishlist is easily adapted to a number of different program structures. It is very easy to integrate with your payment system such as 1ShoppingCart or Paypaiil and it easily merges with email responders like Mailchimp.

So it is a good idea to create a membership program right from the start. No matter what your plans are for your membership program, it’s a good idea not to rush, even if it is going to be free. You need to makes sure that you have adequate momentum and a solid reason for setting up a membership program. You should also carefully think through the structure to you are focusing on. You need to know what you want to offer your members and how you are going to deliver the program. 

One thing is for sure – you should never ever settle for creating a membership program that is little more than mediocre. Rather, take your time and create a system that has real value. Make sure it is very useful and in high demand. Why not create something that could change lives? 

