Whatever you call them member only, membership, subscription, or mentor websites, they all have one thing in common. They are bringing in steady and constant cash flow for their owners, month after month, from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands of dollars. The array of the topics of these websites is endless.
Some of these paid membership sites provide mentoring or coaching, others publish useful articles or information in a particular field or product. Still others publish the results of tests and studies or product reviews. Some membership sites provide specialized service or act as a meeting place for people with a common interest and then there are those that provide step-by-step instructions for such things as painting or music.
All these sites have one thing in common: to access the website (or the best information on the site) you have to pay for it! Which begs the question, "Why would anybody pay for information on the Internet?"
The answer is simple. People buy information that they could probably find for themselves if they looked long enough and hard enough, because they want to save time or because they think the information will be better or more specialized or because the information just isn't available to them unless they pay for it.
Just a few short years ago it was almost unheard of to charge for access to a website and almost no one was doing it. Today, however, it is the norm and not the exception. Actually we have Internet dating sites to thank for this huge money making opportunity.
The Internet dating industry began with free membership sites that were mostly populated by nerds, weirdoes and perverts. It was quickly discovered that ordinary people would gladly pay to have access to lists where the posters had been screened even just a little. Now people actually expect to pay for access to valuable information.
Membership sites are gaining a lot of popularity both for the Internet marketer and for the consumer. They are a great way to market products for the marketer and a convenient choice for getting needed products or information for the consumer. So in essence, this type of site is a win win situation for everyone. The viewer gets his needs met and so does the Internet marketer.
The Benefits for the Internet Marketer
When you look to the Internet to produce money, you are always on the lookout for new products, or new ways you can produce money online. You need to sell and selling online can be difficult because there is never eye-to-eye contact and this causes the Internet to be somewhat impersonal and a difficult sale, but Membership sites solve a lot of these problems.
A membership site allows you to give qualified information away for free or for the price of the membership fee. This information pertains to the interest of a certain group of people. If for instance, you are a teacher and have all kinds of interesting activities, downloads on your site, information that in general will help all teachers with their skills, then this would be your niche, or the group you want to market to. You can either offer free membership to your site with all of this great information or charge a small by monthly fee. You can even do both. Offer certain information for free, but make a paid membership available for people that want more detailed information. Using a membership site in any of these forms will produce you money.
The Paid Membership Site
If you charge a membership fee no matter how small it will give you a residual income. Lets say for this same teacher activities site you charge a membership fee of $5 per month and you get 1 new signup a day for a period of three months, that will produce $500 at the end of those three months with the income continuing to increase each and every month. Now imagine if you had three or four such sites, which targeted different demographic groups.
The Free Membership Site
Believe it or not, many free membership sites make more money than those that require a membership fee be paid. Just look at Google to figure that one out. Free membership sites make money because they have an advantage over other web sites that only market products. They create a rapport between the viewer and the owner, and a relationship occurs. Of course, this is what any Internet site owner could wish for, because once there is a relationship, a sale can be made.
Free membership sites offer products on their sites. It can be anything from informational products as in an Ebook or DVD. It can be a product that is mailed to the viewer, and these products can be received from other companies by signing up as an affiliate marketer and offering other peoples products that relate to your site on your site. You in turn make a commission on the product that is sold.
How Expensive is it To Start a Membership Site?
One of the greatest benefits of this type of website is that they are not at all expensive to start. If you do your own web design work and use creative marketing methods and SEO practices, your site should be up and running for a couple of hundred dollars, a truly inexpensive venture for something that can produce a substantial amount of money.
Membership Sites are Hot
To get the point across quickly and efficiently membership sites are the new craze in the Internet industry, a great way to make residual income and to get a professional status in the chosen industry. If you are looking for a way to make money on the Internet then the membership sites are the answer to your problems.