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8 Membership Site Mistakes You Want to Avoid

Nov 18, 2022

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And while it can be quite a task to turn visitors into paid members, it's an amazing feeling once the conversions start coming in.

But this sense of satisfaction is accompanied by a whole new series of issues. It's one thing to convince users to sign up on your website. It's it's a different (and harder) endeavor to keep newly converts happy and returning for more.

In this post, we'll go over the most common membership websites mistakes related to member retention and offer a few tips for limiting the outflow of users on your website. We'll get started!

First Mistake - You're Losing Your Momentum

The process of getting your membership website up and running requires a significant amount of work and time. It is a matter of growth strategies to come up with and strategies to build a base of members to tackle. There's no easy market there. When your website is growing and gaining momentum, cutting down on the amount of that effort may sound attractive.

One of the most common member site errors we observe is that of slowing down and diminishing engagement with members.

After you've established your presence is not the time to relax. This is the time to get your work done.

It shouldn't be long before you determine the perfect level of balance. Explore a variety of options and stick those that get the best results. Doing so will strengthen the customer base as well as create trust and loyalty to keep you going for the long haul.

The second error is pushing Your Members Too Much

A few owners of membership sites commit the error of excessive communication which can look like spammers.

People have become accustomed to their inboxes being flooded by emails from various sites and companies. And that has made catching their attention increasingly challenging. If you send too many emails in attempt to keep your clients engaged is bound to go wrong. It is important to maintain a balance.

A little communication can be beneficial (even important). As an example, you might wish to share news regarding your business, brand new products and upgrades or fresh blog posts. However, keep it brief and sweet. Do not send out multiple emails per day or waste your members' time with useless information.

They will enjoy receiving periodic, relevant and useful information and resources (that they've opted in for). But they won't appreciate being bombarded with too many promotions or emails from marketing.

Carefully balance the quantity and quality of the email messages you distribute to your customers.

Mistake #3 - Slacking Off With Customer Support

A common mistake made by membership websites is not paying enough attention to the customer service. These sites function like real-life communities, and the best way to keep a community happy is by being responsive to members' demands.

If you've succeeded in establishing a good customer base, you need to turn your efforts into nurturing your relationship with your customers. Poor customer service could cause negative feedback, disengagement or even leave - all things you can't afford.

Mistake #4 - Neglecting Customer Experience

Customer satisfaction isn't just dependent on how you assist your members. Overall customer satisfaction is determined by a range of aspects.

In today's world you can't get a good user experience and design. There's a lot of applications to select from (many are open to all users). So, the right setup of your membership website and the planning of the journey of your members have priority.

First, your website should be simple and straightforward to navigate. This is easily accomplished through the use of the landing page builder. Providing the right information in the correct way improves your chances of getting greater conversions.

The way your site looks and performs will influence how long people stay on it and will impact your rankings in search engines. Good website design also increases engagement. Therefore, you should invest in this aspect before you move on to other tasks on your checklist.

Review a customer's journey through their eyes. Is your design intuitive? Do you make it easy to get them signed for a membership? Find areas in which you can do better. Once they've subscribed, offer your subscribers a variety of choices as well as plenty of information, including the option to cancel their subscription without too much effort.

5th Mistake - not having a Content Strategy and Not Keeping the Calendar of Content Calendar

Like we said, members want value for their money if they intend to stay loyal and continue paying. We see the same mistake with memberships all too often. The sites start with highly valuable content based on a well designed strategy. Then, they allow their content to fall after that.

Your primary content can be an excellent base. Use it to branch out to create content that engages subjects that are popular in greater detail. But, don't stop there.

Use the insights you can gain from your member community to broaden your reach and produce content about completely different topics that your members are interested about. This way, you'll not only keep loyal members, but improve your odds of attracting new ones by exploring new subjects.

Mistake #6 - Changing What You (Maybe) Shouldn't

Out of all the membership websites that we've come across, this one presents the toughest challenge.

Making sure that your content is fresh and interesting shouldn't mean a complete shift away from the original strategy. It is important to be able to maintain a delicate balance. Continuously innovating but be careful not to go too far. Fresh is exciting and drives commitment. A lot of changes and inconsistent, on the other hand it can become difficult and confusing for users.

Eliminating the essential elements which helped build your membership base is a bad idea. After all, it's those factors that helped you achieve success at the beginning.

Changes you make to make to your initial strategy should be well planned and thought out. It will take the time to allow any (even minor) modification to be revealed to your team members react. Thus, be patient and stay clear of any surprising tactics. This will also allow the possibility of making adjustments as you go along and keep things going in the correct direction.

The most effective strategy you could employ is to base your modifications on what your customers tell you. Look into their needs as well as their concerns and then react to their concerns. Be aware of the main reasons your members joined initially Don't wander away from them.

Sin #7: Doing Not Pay Attention to Retention

The focus on growth over retention is a frequent website error. Although attracting new members is important, it should not come at the cost of the existing members.

Sure, you'll get cancellations. It's the fact. Many people subscribe and then discover after a couple of months the product or service didn't meet their needs. They realize that they don't really need it any more.

Don't take it personally. One thing that you must be aware of when a member decides to cancel their membership is the reasons that led them to do so. It is possible to learn many things by studying this informative article.

One way to boost retention rates is to communicate with your subscribers and understanding what they like and what isn't. Discuss with them the improvements they would like to see and what features they believe you should focus on more and also what they like the most about your service.

Error #8: not keeping your eyes and Ears open

One of the greatest mistake made by membership websites is not listening to your community.

Your content can only be successful if it delivers what people want. And instead of guessing the things they are looking for, why not find out from the beginning? Users who are already on the site can provide a wealth of valuable information.

Even if you be of a different opinion regarding the direction you should take, getting live feedback from people who use your product or are in the people you want to reach is extremely valuable.

As your membership site grows and expands, it is worth investing into a tracking system for your brand to help you remain on top of and react to, any remarks and other mentions that are related to your business. Hootsuite and Sprout Social is a pair of fantastic platforms you could want to check out.

Your market of choice has specific requirements and questions, and these must be the foundation of your growth strategy over all other things. Asking for feedback and getting customer insight will also assist you in not getting caught up in your own thoughts.

Conclusion

Making a successful membership website is worth the time and work. Being attentive and understanding of your members is what will ensure they remain loyal. effective membership websites build an atmosphere of belonging that keeps their existing members happy. The most important thing to remember for managing a profitable membership website is easy: listen to your members.

Do you have any additional membership site violations that we haven't mentioned? Or do you have questions? Let us know in the comments!

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