Making the leap from a structured 9-to-5 job to starting your own business can feel both thrilling and overwhelming. You’re stepping into the unknown—but also into unlimited possibility. If you’re a new entrepreneur just leaving corporate life, here are some key tips to help you hit the ground running with clarity and confidence.
A crucial element of any membership website is the "About Me" page. This page allows you to introduce yourself, build trust, and showcase your credentials to visitors. To make a lasting impression, follow these 10 essential tips for crafting the perfect "About Me" page.
Launching a membership website is an exciting way to generate recurring income while building a loyal community around your content, expertise, or services. Whether you're offering online courses, coaching, or a private community, this step-by-step guide will help you get started.
The covid pandemic has taught many yoga studios the value of having not just a simple website but one that allows them to generate an ongoing income stream.
Offering live or recorded yoga classes online can transform your yoga business by providing exposure to students around the world, increasing your income and providing the ability to upsell other products like retreats, courses or products.
Of course building a website can seem an overwhelming task at first. But, these days there are a wealth of affordable and easy-to-use tools for beginners that can make creating a website a weekend project.
SubHub’s membership website builder is a platform that provides everything you need to build and launch a website, accept payment and manage the members who are paying to access your yoga content. It's easy to expand your yoga practice with a membership website.
With our beginner-friendly platform, there’s no reason to feel intimidated. We take care of the tech and offer ongoing, hands-on support for when you need it.
So let’s outline the first steps to building, launching and getting members for your your website.
Don’t try to appeal to everyone. Instead refine your focus so you can target a specific audience. This makes appealing to and reaching an audience all the more easier.
For example, you may just want to focus on yoga for pregnancy or morning meditation or 5 minute sessions or chair yoga.
It might sound counterintuitive to be limiting your potential audience reach but focusing on a niche allows you to craft content specific to that audience’s needs.
By narrowing your focus, you can strengthen your online content offering because success comes from meeting the needs of an audience.
This also allows you to refine and tailor the keywords you use in your titles and copy making it easier for people to find your site via search engines.
Each template layout features sections designed to inform and convert visitors to members. But you can also customise your homepages with new layouts from the section library.
You should have a minimum amount of content available to members. I would suggest at least 14 pieces of content which could be a mix of blog posts and videos. Then regularly post new content to build your inventory and show commitment to your members.
You can also repurpose content into courses which can be sold individually or included in a membership. Sometimes it’s how you package and present content that can attract a subscriber. For example, a course that organises specifically themed content into a collection can provide a user with an easy to follow path into daily yoga practice.
Where to find high quality free use images, icons and graphics
There are plenty of sites where you can get free use, high quality yoga-themed images and video to make your site visually appealing. Pexels, Unsplash are my favorites and Canva is a superb free, all-round graphic software for creating media posts and more.
4. Get Organised
Your site’s organisation is very important. Your members need to easily find the content they are looking for. Spend time mapping out your navigation and assembling content into easily accessible categories. Think about the user experience. Users should be able to find the content they want in just a click or two.
This filter allows members to search for content that meets their specific criteria. The filter is particularly useful for searches that include multiple practice variables that you can define - such as duration, style and focus.
5. Build Your Audience
The best promoter of your website is yourself!
Using social media platforms to promote and drive traffic to your membership website is a must. The platform you chose varies according to where your audience naturally hangs out.
This might mean doing YouTube videos, Instagram Stories, TikTok LIVEs and expanding your practice from the studio into the digital landscape.
Use keywords in your titles that match what people are searching for so they can find your content.
An important part of any marketing strategy is consistently showing up. This is all part of the process of building trust with your audience. By witnessing your commitment, you'll create loyal followers.
6. Grow and Nurture Your Email List
In order to market successfully, you need to capture a visitor’s email address with an opt-in lead magnet.
This is easily done by offering something free in exchange for their email. It could be something as simple as a checklist. Of course, the offer needs to be relevant and of value to your prospective audience.
Then you must nurture this email list with a followup email sequence.
Conclusion
There’s a lot of free yoga content out there but users will join a membership website for the personal experience, connection and authenticity.
Your website doesn’t need to be perfect before you launch but it should be professional looking and provide value. But keep in mind that as with any experience, it is a continuing process that will improve as you learn and grow.
SubHub’s membership website builder allows you to easily build and launch your own online knowledge business and earn an ongoing income from it.
Users love all the built-in functionality, intuitive editor and 5-star customer support they receive.
The SubHub platform includes everything you need, all-in-one place, to create a website that can accept payments from users who subscribe to gain access to your member-only content. It delivers all the functionality to succeed in creating any type of membership website. Get started building your site with our free 14-day trial.
Easily customise your homepages to convert visitors to members
After selecting one of our ready-made homepage templates, you can easily customise it to suit your brand and content. You can delete any unsuitable section from any template and replace it with one relevant to your design. A large selection of layout options can be found in the section’s library.
Build custom pages using the landing page editor
Our new landing page editor lets you create specific marketing pages. Depending on your hosting plan, you can create from 5 to 30 additional pages using the robust design capabilities of the landing page editor. But there’s need to be limited to using this editor just to create landing pages. You can also create highly styled content pages too.
Create unlimited membership plans and multiple levels
With SubHub, you can create unlimited subscription plans and membership levels to effectively segment your audience and the content they can access. Your members will only be able to access the content they are paying for.
Accept secure payments with trusted payment gateways
SubHub’s seamless integration with the trusted payment gateways, Stripe and PayPal, lets you securely accept recurring and one-off payments from members for subscriptions and course and store purchases. SubHub does not take any percentage of your sales. You can offer discounts, free trials and set up automatic renewals.
Easy to use content management system
Easily create and organise your content using the CMS. Your pages can contain images, audio, videos, PDFs and more. It can be published to be viewed publicly or access can be restricted to members only and even members who purchased specific subscription plans.
Create and sell unlimited online courses
Selling online courses are all the rage. With SubHub’s course editor, you can quickly create courses to sell as individual products or to include as part of a paid membership plan. Start transforming your knowledge into an income stream!
Check out the course sales page design on STEMsmart which lists all their educational courses for preschoolers.
Sell store products for an additional revenue stream
The built-in store lets you sell physical products and digital downloads. With the pay-per-view functionality, you can sell access to one off member-only content.
LovePrayTeach uses their store to earn additional income by also selling their member content as individual downloadable lessons.
Grow and nurture your online community
Grow your community engagement with features that promote communication. SubHub’s built-in member forums, commenting, event calendar and member profiles help to foster member participation.
Translate your website labels into your language
The language settings menu allows you to translate any hard coded English word into the language of your choice. Alternatively, you can replace a word with your own alternative.
Our advanced search filter lets students find the perfect fitness class
SubHub's advanced search filter lets your students customise their search experience so they can find the most suitable fitness or yoga class that meets their specific criteria at any moment.
The advanced search filter is available with every SubHub website. You just need to enable it in the control panel.
A 5-star support team that always exceeds expectations
Our team delivers personalised support and always goes above and beyond client expectations. We don’t send scripted replies but thoughtful information along with screenshots and bespoke video tutorials so you always feel comfortable and confident using the SubHub platform. Our support team never receives anything less than 5-star reviews.
Take a tour of SubHub's membership website solution - see everything that's possible and more
https://youtu.be/n6ISbNCMeEI
Need help building your website? Our design service could be the solution for you!
Many clients who come to SubHub to create their membership website already have a flagship website for their business under a primary domain name. Now they want to expand their offerings by establishing a membership option for their community.
The question often comes up: “Should I host my membership site under the same domain as the primary site, or under a completely different domain?”
Within this larger question, what they are really asking is:
Should I create a separate membership site, or tack on membership functionality to my existing primary website
If I decide to create a separate membership site, what should the domain name of it be?
Let’s answer each question by looking at pros and cons:
Should a membership website be an add-on to an existing site, or a stand-alone website?
Pros - If you simply tack on membership functionality to an existing website (using some sort of add-on or plugin), you have these advantages:
Only one website to worry about
Only one username and password to keep track of
No problems with branding conflicts as the design of the site is already established
You’ll have no fear of taking an SEO hit, since Google already knows your domain name
Cons - But there are some potential problems:
Technical Issues. You have a much greater potential for technical issues, especially if using multiple plugins (which you probably will be). The risk of downtime and frustrating malfunctions due to plugin conflicts just got magnified when you added a membership function to your existing site.
Two websites. You are still in essence managing 2 websites, since the membership function is more complex than a simple brochure website. You are now having to manage recurring billing, cancellations, and any issues customers have regarding payment of their subscriptions.
Limited support. If you don’t have dedicated support within your plugin or add-on from the developers, you could end up spending many hours debugging customer issues and processes they don’t understand.
Conclusion:
We highly recommend a separate site for your membership functionality rather than tacking on to an existing website. The processes behind a membership site including content restriction based on member group or subscription plan, payment processing, recurring billing, discount codes, and reporting on member activity are things you will need to be on top of. If you have a dedicated host and support staff in your corner, you will find the management of your membership site a lot easier.
Let's now assume that you've decided to go with a separate membership website for the reasons given above. What shall its name be?
You basically have 3 options:
1 - create a completely separate domain name
2 - use a subdomain of an existing domain
3 - use a subfolder of an existing domain
Let's look at the pros and cons of each.
Completely separate domain name:
Pros: Messaging & branding
A completely separate domain name is a good option if you want to call attention to a particular aspect of the membership’s main message. For example, your main site might be something like fitnessdomain.com But your membership site is dedicated to enrolling members into the spa membership. So you might want a totally different name like spamembership.com
This is also a good option if you are actually branding your membership site differently than your main site, or if you will be targeting a different type of audience demographic.
Cons: Cost, convenience, SEO
On the minus side, you are having to purchase another domain name. True, they usually aren’t too expensive, but many hosting companies only give a deep discount for the first year. After that you’re paying more, and since it’s an every year occurrence, the dollars can add up.
Also on the minus side, it’s another name for your audience to remember, and unless you are sure about needing to brand differently, you risk confusion.
You won’t be able to take advantage of any SEO “juice” your primary domain has built up. It can be a fairly lengthy process to build SEO strength for a new domain, especially a membership site, since much or most of the content is behind a paywall.
What about using a subdomain?
An example of this is taking your primary site, domain.com and adding a prefix such as members.domain.com.
Pros: Branding, cost, SEO
In this case, you have some definite advantages. First, you’ll be able to capitalize on the branding visibility you’ve built on your main domain. Secondly, there is no extra cost to create a subdomain. It’s a simple process you can do yourself, or get the help of your DNS provider to create for you. Third, you can also capitalize on any SEO goodwill you’ve built up with your primary site.
If you’re hosting your membership site on the SubHub platform, you needn’t worry about being able to carry over the look and feel of the main website for branding consistency. SubHub’s design editor is totally flexible to allow you to echo an existing design. You can also get unlimited help from our 5-start support team anytime.
Finally, what about domain folders?
An example of this would be domain.com/membership
Con: No separation
The problem here is that there is no separation between the main site and the membership side. Yes, you’ve placed all the files in a different folder, but it only works on the same hosting account, and that doesn’t afford you any of the advantages of a separate site.
Conclusion:
It’s entirely up to you how you want handle the separation (or not) of your membership site vs. your primary website. But after nearly 20 years of serving membership clients, we have come to the conclusion that a separate membership website, using either a separate domain name or a subdomain, is the best option. With this option, you’re going to have much easier experience to build and manage your site, while reaping all the benefits of consistent branding.
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Your website is often the first impression visitors have of your brand, making it essential to deliver a user-centric experience. A website that is well-designed, intuitive and addresses the pain points of your target audience will increase engagement and build trust. Conversely, a site that fails to meet visitors' needs can lead to a negative perception and high bounce rates. Ensuring that your website addresses the needs of your audience is crucial for driving engagement, retaining visitors and being profitable.
In our experience of helping clients, we've noticed that many make the same mistakes when building their website. In this post, we'll explore six common mistakes to avoid when building your website.
What is user-centric?
"User-centric" refers to the design philosophy that prioritises the needs of the end-users. A user-centric website is designed with the primary goal of providing an intuitive and experience for visitors. This involves addressing their pain points and creating a seamless interaction that meets their needs effectively. User-centric design is essential for ensuring high levels of user engagement, satisfaction and loyalty.
1. Doesn't address pain points
Addressing user pain points on your website is essential for several reasons. Firstly, it demonstrates that you understand your audience and their needs. By identifying and addressing their frustrations or challenges, you can build trust and loyalty with your audience, fostering long-term relationships. When users encounter smooth, efficient solutions to their problems on your site, they are more likely to return and recommend your platform to others.
By removing obstacles in the user journey, you make it easier for visitors to complete desired actions, such as making a purchase or signing up for a service. Ultimately, prioritizing the resolution of user pain points not only enhances the overall user experience but also contributes to the success and growth of your website or business.
2. Poor navigation
One of the most critical aspects of a website is its navigation. Visitors should be able to find what they’re looking for quickly and easily. Complex menus, broken links and a lack of a clear structure can frustrate users and drive them away. Ensure your site has a logical, intuitive layout with clearly labeled sections and a search function.
Strategies to improve website navigation:
Use a simple menu structure: A clear and concise menu with well-defined categories help users easily find what they are looking for.
Write descriptive labels: Menu items and links should have descriptive labels that accurately represent the content they lead to.
Add a search function: Include a search bar to allow users to quickly locate specific information or products.
Optimize for mobile: Ensure that the navigation is mobile-friendly, with touch-friendly elements and easy-to-use menus for smaller screens.
3. Not mobile-friendly
With the increasing use of smartphones and tablets, having a mobile-friendly website is no longer optional. If your site isn’t optimized for mobile devices, you’re likely losing a significant portion of potential visitors. Make sure your design is responsive, meaning it adapts to different screen sizes and provides a seamless experience across all devices.
Users expect websites to load quickly. If your site takes too long to load, visitors may leave before it even finishes. Factors that can slow down your site include large images, excessive use of plugins, and poor server performance. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to identify and fix issues affecting your site’s speed.
5. Lack of clear call-to-actions
A website should guide visitors towards taking specific actions, whether it’s signing up for a newsletter, making a purchase, or contacting you for more information. Without clear and compelling CTAs, visitors might not know what to do next, resulting in missed opportunities. Make sure your CTAs are prominent, concise and convey a sense of urgency.
5. Ignoring SEO
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is crucial for driving organic traffic to your site. Ignoring SEO means your site may not appear in search engine results, making it difficult for potential visitors to find you. Focus on keyword research, use descriptive meta tags and create high-quality content that provides value to your audience. Regularly update your site to keep it relevant and search engine-friendly.
6. Using sliding banners or carousels
Using sliding banners, or carousels, on a website can often do more harm than good. While they may seem like an efficient way to display multiple messages or promotions, they can overwhelm visitors with too much information. Many users may not stay on a slide long enough to absorb its content and crucial messages can be easily missed as the slides automatically transition. Moreover, sliding banners can negatively impact page load times, which frustrates users and may lead to higher bounce rates. Studies have shown that the first slide receives the most attention, while subsequent slides often go unnoticed, rendering them ineffective. Static banners are more effective in conveying important information clearly and concisely.
Conclusion
Avoiding these common mistakes can significantly enhance your website’s performance and user experience. By ensuring easy navigation, optimising for mobile, speeding up load times, using effective CTAs, and prioritising SEO, you can create a successful and engaging website that attracts and retains visitors.
Establishing trust with your website visitors is crucial for building a loyal audience and converting visitors into customers. Here are seven effective ways to display trust factors on your website.
1. Maintain a professional design and user experience
A clean, professional design with intuitive navigation can significantly impact how visitors perceive your site. Avoid clutter, use high-quality images and ensure that your site is mobile-friendly. A polished and user-friendly website indicates that you are serious about your business and value your visitors' experience.
2. Match visitor intent with expectation
Matching visitor intent with their expectations when they come to your website is crucial for providing a satisfying user experience and achieving your site's objectives for engagement, conversion and retention. When visitors arrive at your site, they have specific goals, whether it's finding information, making a purchase, or getting support. If your website immediately meets these needs through relevant content, intuitive navigation and clear calls to action, visitors are more likely to stay engaged, trust your brand and take desired actions. Conversely, if there's a disconnect between what visitors expect and what your website delivers, visitors will bounce. By understanding user intent, you can create and effective website that resonates with your audience.
3. Showcase customer testimonials
Featuring testimonials and reviews from satisfied customers provides social proof that others have had positive experiences with your products or services. Display these prominently on your homepage, product pages or a dedicated testimonials page. Including detailed feedback, customer names and photos can add authenticity.
4. Display trust badges and certifications
Trust badges and certifications, such as SSL certificates, payment security icons and industry certifications, can reassure visitors about the security and credibility of your website. Place these badges in visible locations, like the footer, checkout page, and near call-to-action buttons, to signal that your site is safe and trustworthy.
5. Transparent contact information builds trust
Make it easy for visitors to get in touch with you by providing clear and accessible contact information. Include a phone number, email address, physical address, and social media links. A well-designed contact page with a contact form can also enhance trust by showing that you are approachable and available to address any concerns.
6. Use checkmarks when listing features
When listing a website's benefits, highlight each feature with a check mark. Check marks are visually distinct and convey a sense of affirmation. This visual cue creates a positive psychological impact, making visitors feel that that the information presented is verified and important.
Check marks can also help highlight key features or advantages more effectively than bullet points, drawing the user's eye to specific items and emphasising their significance. This can be especially beneficial in marketing contexts, where distinguishing your product's benefits is crucial. Additionally, check marks can contribute to a cleaner, more organised look, which can make your content more engaging and easier to navigate.
7. Regularly update your content
A website that is regularly updated with fresh, relevant content demonstrates that your site is active and well-maintained. This can include blog posts, news updates or product information. Regular updates not only improve your search engine rankings but also show visitors that you are committed to providing them with new and relevant content.
Conclusion
Building a trustworthy website involves a combination of factors: professional design, security measures, transparent communication and consistent updates. By implementing these seven strategies, you can create a site that visitors feel confident engaging with and which will lead to higher satisfaction and better conversion rates.
The subscription-based business model is everywhere these days. In fact, it’s rare to find products and services on the internet offered in any other way. While some vendors still offer resources for a one-time fee, many find the subscription model more lucrative and less labor-intensive. Plus, setting it all up is easier than you might think.
There are countless examples of how subscription services are utilized, but the majority can be categorized into four main types:
Product Sales: Subscription Boxes, Software Applications, and Downloadable Resources
Subscription Boxes: Monthly boxes filled with goodies, such as "spice of the month" kits, meal kits, or vitamins.
Software Applications: Programs like Canva and Photoshop are now entirely subscription-based.
Downloadable Resources: Popular items include prayers, lessons, and educational eBooks.
Service Sales: Group or One-on-One Coaching and Financial Advice
Service sales encompass a broad range of professional offerings designed to provide personalized support and guidance to clients. Life, health, business, and investment coaches provide workshops or sessions, either online or in-person, for a monthly or annual fee.
Workshops and one-on-one coaching are ideal delivery methods for coaches. In a workshop environment, participants can learn from each other and practice new skills in a supportive atmosphere. One-on-one coaching offers the highest value to clients as the support is personalized and confidential.
Membership content sales such as access to premium content, videos, publications or courses.
Premium Content: Access to exclusive content, videos, publications, or courses.
Platforms: There are multiple software platforms on the market geared to setting up subscription-based websites.
Some of these platforms have only recently started offering membership website services. Membership features are often available through an add-on or plug-in, such as Squarespace and Wix.
Others of these platforms are more of a ‘business in a box’ type, such as Kajabi and Kartra. They offer marketing tools as well as membership features.
Still others are more streamlined to focus on courses and member content. Wild Apricot is a membership platform geared to associations. SubHub has been in the membership website arena for over 20 years. It's geared to courses and membership tiers, ease of use, and payment processing.
Community Sharing: Member forums or discussion groups offered by platforms like Mighty Networks and Circle.
Now that we've identified the types of subscription-based businesses, let’s look at the steps to get one up and running efficiently.
Steps to Create a Subscription-Based Membership Website
Choose a Membership Platform
Here are some popular choices:
WordPress:
Offers various plugins for membership sites, including WooCommerce’s subscription extension. However, plugins require more management and might offer minimal support.
Shopify:
Not just for e-commerce anymore, apps like ReCharge add subscription management capabilities.
Squarespace:
Recently added membership functionality, accessible through certain service tiers.
Wix:
Provides subscription functionality through apps like Wix Membership or Wix Stores, at an additional cost.
SubHub:
Dedicated to membership content since its inception, with added functionality for online courses.
Choose a platform that suits your needs, and check its support offerings to ensure you can handle any issues that arise.
Plan Your Subscription Model
Define Your Offerings:
Determine what you are selling and develop a clear business plan.
Decide on Pricing and Billing:
Set pricing tiers, billing frequency (monthly, yearly), and types of subscriptions. Consider offering incentives such as discounts for annual subscriptions or free trials to attract subscribers.
Consider offering incentives such as discounts for annual subscriptions or free trials to attract subscribers.
Set Up Recurring Payments
Integrate a payment gateway to accept subscription payments securely. The most popular payment gateways for subscription-based website are Stripe and PayPal. Most membership platforms comes with integrations with those processors, making setup straightforward. Ensure that your chosen platform supports your preferred payment gateway and set up recurring billing options for subscription renewals.
Create Your Subscription Website
Design for User Experience: Focus on user experience and conversion optimization when designing your membership website. Ensure your website clearly communicates the value proposition of your subscriptions.
Subscription Management & Tracking
Track Purchases: This is often overlooked - until you start selling your memberships. You’ll have to also handle billing, cancellations and subscription renewals. Use a member management tool to keep track of sign-ups, membership tiers, and payments. Ensure the platform allows subscribers to manage their accounts and update payment details easily.
Develop Subscription Content or Products
Create Engaging Content: Now you can start creating your content, whether it’s video, audio, Zoom calls, coaching services, or products. Always create the most engaging content you can for your audience, and develop products/services that provide value to your subscribers.
Launch and Promote Your Website
Attract and drive traffic to your site.The most effective marketing channels today are still social media, email marketing, content marketing, and paid advertising. Offering promotional deals or collaborating with influencers to generate buzz can also help bring potential customers to your subscription website.
After you’ve launched your site, it’s time to sit back and have pina colada, right? Well yes, but don’t get too comfortable. After launching your site, your work continues. Deliver on your products and services, ensuring customer satisfaction and long-term business success. Choosing the right platform and planning your subscription model carefully will provide peace of mind and help your business thrive.
It's time to build your membership website
Book a demo and see everything that's possible with SubHub.
One of the questions we get asked most frequently at SubHub is "what are the good membership site ideas?"
The answer is very simple: whatever your passion is.
You can create a membership websitebased on any type of business, but the one thing you don't want to do is choose one just because you think it might make money.
There is no way your website will generate paying members if you are not passionate about the subject of your membership business.
Yes, you can't just be passionate about making money!
There are dozens of successful membership sites in the niches below, which clearly suggest that there is money to be made from these subjects. But keep in the mind that the owners of these sites are truly passionate about what they do, and truly want to help others. So before you start, just make sure with a quick check that you also fall into that category!
Having said all that, however, just because you're passionate about your membership business idea doesn't mean it will be easy to be profitable, either. Let's face it, successful membership website niches are also competitive. There will be competition in whichever niche you choose. Your job is to show your potential members how you are different from the competition.
Here are just a few examples of membership website ideas to inspire you, from SubHub clients who at one time were just like you - trying to determine how to start a membership business. They have since developed their audiences and built successful membership websites.
If you want some SubHub examples, check out our Case Studies.
Subject #1 - Fitness and Yoga
Fitness and self-care are evergreen subjects. They will always find a willing audience happy to pay for advice. Meditation and self-growth classes are excellent candidates for evergreen courses.
If this is your niche, you can go with a combination of audio files, videos, checklists, e-books and any number of other resources for your members. Audio files can be uploaded or embedded.
Business coaching is big business these days, especially online business coaching. If you have expertise in digital marketing of business services or products, this could be your niche.
Online magazine subscriptions are another way to monetize your expertise. Membership levels might include a free newsletter round up of the latest publications, access to current editions, and access to archives.
Community development through associations and non-profits organizations is a huge industry as people of like interests come together to exchange information and learn from each other.
Investment tips are a great use of a membership website, and something very much in demand. You can share reports, performance spreadsheets, trade examples, screen shares, videos, personal coaching and more. SubHub's built-in forum lets your subscribers hold discussions to discuss tips and investment methods.
Nutrition and diet is a subject that always commands attention. Similarly, stress management and self-improvement/personal empowerment niches offer a huge opportunity to start a new membership business.
Online training is one of the most burgeoning fields on the internet right now. SubHub's course editor makes it easy to set up drip or evergreen classes to share your expertise, whatever niche you are in.
We all know that educational budgets can limit the abilities of teachers and educators to do what they would consider their best work. Membership models can supplement those efforts with materials and coaching help.
Conclusion
Of course, you do NOT need to write about one of the subjects above to create a successful subscription or membership website. With global reach and a deep knowledge of where your customers can be found, even the most specialist subject can become a successful membership site.
Paid-for content revenues are growing across the world.
There has never been a better time to start a subscription or membership website.
Weather you’re offering stock market tips or personal financial advice, a membership website is the best way to monetize your finance expertise.
Individuals and families are always looking for non-biased advice on topics like education savings, saving for retirement, home financing and more. And a membership site is the perfect venue to offer consistent stock market tips and advice for a monthly or annual fee.
Launching a successful financial membership website may seem daunting if you’re just starting out or just thinking about taking your expertise online. But if you package your knowledge correctly and with your potential customer in mind, you will have a framework that has proven successful in the industry. Here are 5 accepted and expected ways to deliver your knowledge, and provide the impact to inspire your website visitors to join your membership.
Financial Education
Why have you started your financial membership website? To share your knowledge through education, of course. You can do this in a number of ways:
Online Courses
Most membership platforms these days offer a course creation tool. Some of these tools are fairly simple to navigate, while others are much more complex. SubHub’s course creator is easy to use, while at the same time allowing you to offer courses with as many lessons and modules as desired. Some of the more expensive platforms offer quizzes, badges etc. While these items are not built into the SubHub platform, it is super easy to integrate them using third-party hosting platforms.
Webinars
The popularity of webinars these days can’t be overstated. Webinars are extremely versatile and can be effective tools when addressing potential clients at any stage of the buying cycle. For example, if you have created a signature financial coaching program, a webinar is an excellent way to introduce you and the program to a brand new audience. It works just as well as tool to provide details about your program for those who may know who you are but need more information on your services. You can also direct your comments to those who are ready to buy buy creating a special offer on your program for participants.
Articles
Articles can contain text, images, audio files, videos, PDF’s and more. Financial membership content in the form of articles is quick to compile and straight-forward to offer on most membership website platforms. Article content can be categorized like a blog, but reside behind a paywall. Membership tiers allow you to charge more for certain more specialized content, or for access to live coaching. Content such as a monthly budgeting planner for newlyweds, a tax planner or 5-year retirement strategy are some example that are well-suited to article content.
Access to the Expert
It’s great to offer pre-recorded videos, podcast episodes, or pre-written articles. To take your offerings up a notch, you may want to offer one on one or group access to you, the expert.This can be in the form of coaching calls, group participation calls, or high-level personalized coaching programs that you can charge a premium for. Usually, financial advisors offer a combination of live and recorded access to their expertise.
For example, an evergreen course that allows students to enrol at any time and take the course at their own pace, might be punctuated with a live group call once per month. On that call, you as the expert can provide a Q&A session, answering questions from your members. This adds tremendous value to the course for your students.
Financial Tools
Online financial tools have many benefits besides allowing potential clients to get crucial information they need quickly. Calculators, budgeting templates, investment trackers and calendars are just a few examples. These tools provide a service to clients and visitors that will make your website stand out in their minds later. You can offer them for free to everyone, free only to members, or for a fee. It’s entirely up to you.
Another advantage of online tools is that it keeps your visitors on your website longer, increasing the time that they are interacting with your brand. You will find that most membership website platforms will not offer specific financial tools, but may provide a way to embed such features into a web page. ChatGPT may be a resource for creating a tool for you, even one that is unique to your service.
Community Opportunities
Building a community around shared financial goals and challenges fosters engagement and support. Financial membership websites often include forums, discussion boards, or social networking features where members can interact, share experiences, and learn from each other. Networking opportunities allow individuals to exchange insights, strategies, and encouragement.
Regular Updates
Staying abreast of the ever-evolving financial landscape is crucial, especially in a membership model. Assuming your members are paying on a recurring subscription basis, you will be expected to offer updated content on a regular basis. Successful financial membership sites regularly update their content to reflect current trends, regulations, and best practices. You can also offer bonus content via newsletters, blogs, or curated content. The important thing is to ensure your members have access to the latest information and strategies from your perspective.
An effective financial membership website combines educational resources, personalized tools, expert guidance, community support, and up-to-date content to empower individuals in managing their finances successfully. By focusing on these key characteristics, your website can be an invaluable resource hub for your members’ financial well-being.
Ready to start your financial membership website?
It's time to build your membership website
Book a demo and see everything that's possible with SubHub.
All-in-one membership website builders have emerged as transformative tools that simplify the process of creating, managing and earning an income from your knowledge. They empower individuals by letting them establish their online presence quickly, efficiently and affordably.
These comprehensive platforms offer an array of features and functionalities under a single roof, eliminating the need for coding or the use of multiple tools.
With all-in-one website builders, you can effortlessly design, customize and publish your website. These platforms typically include user-friendly drag-and-drop editors, templates and a variety of built-in functionality so all aspects of your business are in one place.
If you're ready to start a membership website then this article will provide guidance and examples for the top website builders and their best use cases.
What basic features should your builder have
User registration and login: the ability for users to easily create accounts and log in securely.
Content restriction: you should have the ability to restrict access to specific content to incentivise memberships and provide value to subscribers.
Membership levels: this feature is crucial to creating distinctive member tiers and effectively monetizing your audience.
Responsive design: ensure the platform is accessible and functional on various devices and screen sizes.
Integrated payment processor: your builder should be able to securely process payments using gateways like Stripe and PayPal.
Automated workflows: time saving functionality that streamlines administrative processes by sending welcome and renewal emails.
Analytics: data tracking and reporting tools are essential to making informed decisions about your website’s performance.
Customer support: access to reliable and responsive customer support for troubleshooting and assistance.
How to select the right all-in-one website builder
When selecting which website builder to choose, start by considering your specific use case, content, goals and audience needs.
By defining the scope and purpose of your membership site, you’ll be able to determine what functionality you’ll need and which platform has the capabilities to deliver it.
Most membership website builders are designed with specific use cases in mind and their features and functionalities reflect this specialization.
For instance, platforms like MemberPress and Wild Apricot are focused on providing solutions for online communities or associations with tools for managing membership.
While education-focused builders like Thinkific and Teachable cater to instructors, offering features tailored for online course creation and management.
The key is to identify your specific needs and objectives, then choose a builder that aligns with your intended purpose. You should also evaluate factors such as pricing, scalability, security, and reliable customer support.
Top 5 membership website builders and their best use cases
Circle is a platform for building, managing and monetising your online community. It's easy to use with a clean and intuitive interface and responsive support.
This platform is particularly useful for those seeking to foster engagement, discussions and collaboration around a shared interest, topic or brand. The cornerstone of the platform is its community facing features.
Features include:
Community building: tools for creating and customising your online community with categories, topics, or channels.
Member profiles: so users build a sense of identity within the platform.
Discussions and posts: initiate and participate in discussions, ask questions, share knowledge, and post content.
Notifications: features to keep members informed about new posts, replies, and updates.
The platform also includes online courses, live streaming, automation workflows, metrics and more.
Standout feature: is its interactive community space that provides chat rooms, private messaging, event spaces, live streams and more. An alternative to using a private Facebook group.
Use case: best suited for individuals and brands looking to build, manage and monetize their online communities.
Best for: established community centered creators.
Starting at: $49/mo with 4% transaction fee and 10GB of storage.
Kajabi is a premium priced, all-in-one website builder designed for creating and selling online courses, memberships and digital products.
Whether you're a subject matter expert, coach, or organization wanting to provide structured learning experiences, Kajabi offers a comprehensive solution with many built-in tools.
Kajabi provides tools for creating and hosting courses, managing members, marketing your content and processing payments, all within a single platform. It's a versatile choice for those seeking to deliver educational content, whether it's in the form of video courses, e-books, webinars or other digital products.
Your website is built using an editor that allows you to select and assemble content blocks from a menu.
Kajabi has a user-friendly interface but, as with most all-in-one platforms, there is limited customisation that can be done to your website's design.
Features include:
Course creation: robust system for creating, hosting, and selling online courses which include videos, documents, quizzes, and more.
Website builder: powerful website builder lets you create a professional looking website.
Email marketing and automation: built-in email marketing tool lets you to send newsletters, automate email sequences and segment your email list.
Standout feature: is its built-in email marketing editor to create custom email campaigns.
Use case: best suited for coaches and creators looking to monetize their knowledge through online courses.
Best for: established coaches and creators as it is a premium priced option.
SubHub is an all-in-one website builder that specialises in membership and turning all forms of content into income.
It's strength lies in its flexibility, making it a suitable choice for a wide range of membership use cases.
SubHub provides the necessary tools for managing subscribers, selling online courses, delivering content, processing payments and building an online community around your niche or expertise.
Its built-in store adds a significant layer of e-commerce functionality to your membership website. It's particularly useful for those who want to sell additional products beyond just membership subscriptions.
Use case: best suited for individuals and businesses looking to monetize their content through selling memberships and stand alone products.
Best for: knowledge experts, coaches and creators with content rich websites.
Starting at: $47/mo, 500 members, unlimited products and pages.
Vonza is a platform tailored to the needs of course creators, coaches, and digital entrepreneurs. With an array of tools and features, Vonza simplifies the journey of transforming your knowledge and expertise into a thriving online business. It's all-in-one platform provides a comprehensive set of tools to create and deliver online course content.
While Vonza has an array of functionality, its website builder has limited design flexibility compared to other platforms. So its websites can have a generic appearance.
Features include:
Course creation: easily create and host online courses which include video, quizzes, assignments and progress tracking.
E-commerce: sell physical and digital products, memberships and courses.
Email marketing: integrated email marketing tools and lead nurture.
Standout feature: is its powerful online form builder to create online surveys and quizzes.
Use case: best for course creation.
Best for: new coaches and creators.
Starting at: at $99/mo for 5 courses and 10 products and Stripe integration.
Kartra is an all-in-one platform with built-in, comprehensive marketing tools. Whether you're looking to build a website, manage email campaigns, sell products or create marketing funnels, Kartra gives you the ability to centralise all those functions in one place.
Many membership websites use social media to drive traffic. However, if you want to create targeted campaigns then Kartra's integrated marketing suite of tools lets you build and manage lead generation pipelines with opt-in forms and landing pages.
While Kartra's purpose is to simplify e-commerce, the platform is so comprehensive that the learning curve is long and setting up workflows can be complex. So you need to be prepared to commit time to learning the system.
Users also report that the website page builder has design limitations and can be slow to load.
Features include:
Marketing automation: to create and manage campaigns, set up email sequences, follow-ups and segment your audience to deliver personalized content and offers.
Affiliate management: recruit and manage affiliates to help promote your membership site.
Standout feature: is its automated, sales-driving marketing funnels.
Use case: best for marketing campaign creation and selling products.
Best for: product marketers.
Starting at: at $119/mo for up to 2,500 contacts, 20 products and 100 pages.
In summary
All-in-one membership website builders cater to a wide range of use cases, from education to content subscriptions and community building. The best choice for you depends on your specific goals and requirements, so it's essential to consider the features and integrations that align with your website's purpose.
It's time to build your membership website
Book a demo and see everything that's possible with SubHub.
