Terms
Ben L Collins, the Google Sheets expert behind the education site benlcollins.com He is very grateful for his membership company and the creator economy of digital media in general. "When you create something - whether it's an art project or developing a technical course or a building-related one, and some random stranger opens their wallets and offers your money, you see the incredible privilege you have to be when you are in a position to do this type of thing and be able to reach a lot of people.
"If you find someone taking the time to - firstly - check out my items, and like it enough that they're willing to spend the money I'd like to try my best to ensure that this is the most pleasant possible experience for them,"" He continues.
Ben is a fan of membership because it's much more than a single cost "We're not discussing about"consulting agreements" which allow people to hire you to perform a job that's documented and everybody knows what terms they'll be receiving. More of a relation to the person who states"I'd like to be part of your group for the coming year, quarter or month. I love what you're up with and would like to help your efforts and be a part of it."
Membership programs provide the user with an effective incentive to be the best you can do as well as to produce great content. "People will naturally expect that I create high-quality content but I desire to create it for my readers as well as myself. "
Ben states that this helps create a strong bond with the group "I think I'm helping them rather than just this anonymous person buying an online class, but you're not sure they even look at it. This is more tangible with the membership, or more intimate. It's about creating a stronger friendship that transcends transactions."
From 'always-on' to microdeliverables
When the covid-19 pandemic struck, Ben had been delivering e-courses on data manipulation including Google Sheets for 10 years. "I delivered approximately 15 different classes on Teachable and possibly the possibility of up to 25 courses because some courses were renewed. When teaching the course, you must put in the same amount of effort, if not more, to marketing than the actual course. This is interesting, however I'm not a fan and it's not something I enjoy doing."
Ben L Collins Ben L Collins had taught e-courses for over more than 10 years when she was shocked by the covid.
Ben recognized that he would rather concentrate on spreadsheet technical content and aiding people. "People came to me to ask "How can I make this completed? This is a problem that could be fascinating to solve.
"Membership was something that I'd thought about probably two, perhaps three or four years ago," Ben says. Ben. "I really liked that model because it's a regular source of income. Membership isn't being forced to create something every single time to make cash. There's a chance to see a massive rise before the amount is almost zero." He says that it offers the stability of a platform and permits the creator to focus on the creation and establishing an association with their customers, not having to handle the business.
"For several years I'd considered the idea of joining, but was never able to get past the research process. I was afraid it might feel being constantly in this kind of model that demanded me to do a lot of things. I would always pull back, but continued to follow the directions." However, he was finished what he set out to accomplish.
"I'd almost completed all the subjects I could have covered in my full-courses. It was hard to find another course that wasn't becoming increasingly specific and it becomes less popular as you get to more sophisticated techniques," he continues. "There wasn't any economic reason for me to take a few of the classes I could be interested in."
Ben admits to feeling exhausted. "I thought "I've been asked to make 100 Teachable videos that all have to be one big cohesive thing.' I was not able to sit down and create this in a single block. It's impossible to know how many people will purchase this product. "
Ben explains that online courses have the instructor publishing their creation before trying to market the course. However, you don't necessarily have a clue if it's going to succeed. "It may take three to six months create a great course. If your course isn't successful then you cannot simply resell the course in the future, " he adds. "I discovered that I required a longer-term relationship with my readers with microdeadlines and microdeliverables."
Chess Simulating a game of chess using Google Sheets
It was a no-brainer. "I'll sign up for a daily newsletter. We can also have guidebooks and examples but they aren't required to belong to the same topic or be connected to one another. The information could be a little smaller and easier to manage for me which is also more accessible to others."
From a perspective of the consumer From a consumer perspective, many people aren't able to finish online courses "It's daunting to pay for an online course with over 10 hours of videos. It's hard to squeeze in 10 hours of content therefore you stop and never return to it. Whereas, hopefully if you get one email per week, you can plan 30 minutes of a lunch break and extract a lot of value from that week. Then, you could put it aside until the following week," Ben explains.
In the spring of 2024 Ben began to contemplate about joining. In the course of summer, he laid down the exact details of the members would include which he then launched on the 1st of September.
Email is still the most powerful form of emails.
In his interview about his work, Ben is keen to recognize his wife. "I'm extremely fortunate to have a wife was able to do everything prior to. She's run her own business and has launched a variety of items and knew how to set up the email lists." Ben was given a great deal of guidance early in his membership career "that was extremely helpful" and one of the lessons was the necessity of establishing email addresses.
His wife, Ben's was employed in content marketing at the time he started to establish his networks. "She was in an agency that was responsible for marketing of customers. They also wrote blog articles as well as SEO and social media. This was extremely beneficial, and clearly related to what I wanted to achieve during the time." Ben adds.
"Emails are the best method of connecting with your audience of choice," he continues. However, he admits that this may not be true for younger generations, but clarifies: "The problem with social media, and especially those that are more modern, such as TikTok, is that there's the lack of communication between your users and your own.
When you create content but the platform just showcases what's viral and trending. it doesn't matter if you have thousands or millions of followers. when the content doesn't meet the criteria of the algorithm, there's no way for any of your followers likely to be able to view your content. There's a risk of a difficult connection. It's a matter of the discretion of this platform. If they decide to alter their strategy, or they lose popularity - there have been many social media sites that have gone under - therefore, establishing an email list is vital.
A few tips for members who want to become members' operators
"If one were to create an account right now, I would say "Just get started!" Ben smiles. "With the retrospective view, I'd prefer to have made this decision in the past two years. These things just take the time. When you get started to move forward the more period of time you'll get."
Ben at Zoom Ben hosting the Zoom session of his clients
He admits it's simple to conduct a bit more research "You might convince yourself that there's something you're missing or there's another way of doing it. It's happened to me before. But when you click "Go" and let things go out into the world, and begin to interact with real individuals, it's an entirely new experience. This becomes about actualizing the issues you're trying to solve, not only these abstract questions."
It's crucial to remember not to worry too much: "If you're addressing someone's issue - and if anyone has a need to solve the issue, and your membership can do that, just leave! You can improve it in time."
Further information
To find out more and subscribe to Ben's weekly Google Sheets tips, go to benlcollins.com.
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