Being the best means taking cues from the best. When it comes to membership sites, thebest include such big shots as Monster. com, classmates. com, YouTube, MySpace and more. Here are 5 secrets of the big boys and how you can use them to launch your membershipsite. 1. Successful membership sites have a specific niche with a demand for their products andinformation. Think about classmates. com. What a fantastic niche! Imagine fitting the need ofmillions of people that want to connect to their old classmates, or are simply curious to seewhat everybody is up to. What is your niche? Even if it isn’t a niche that will reach millions,the tighter your niche, the more money there is to be made. 2. Successful membership sites know the value of maximizing their revenue by offeringmultiple revenue streams including:• Affiliate Programs• Advertising• Information productsMonster. com is a website that makes fantastic use of their market’s needs by offeringrelocation services, job counseling, resume and cover letter services, education tools, andeven money management tools. They also make money with advertisers and partner/affiliateprograms. Follow the same money making strategies and you’ll be sitting pretty. 3. Successful membership sites realize the importance of building your brand and increasingexposure to your site• Logo• Slogan• Repetitive design elementsYouTube has to be one of the most recognizable membership site logos around. Whetheryou see it from a distance on the side of a bus or at the top of a webpage, it’s instantlyrecognizable because it is simple, clear, and consistent. Three easy rules to follow whenyou’re designing your own logo and slogan. 4. Successful membership sites are successful at generating traffic via various techniquesincluding:• SEO• Content• Linking• Careful choice of keywords• Press releasesWeight Watchers and Elance are two membership sites that have capitalized on the power ofkeywords, word of mouth advertising, and valuable content. Whether you’re searching forrecipes, success stories, or even fitness advice, Weight Watchers has content on the subject. Elance operates a little bit differently, they’ve harnessed the power of the keyword “freelance”to make millions. Use these strategies to drive traffic to your membership site and success is virtuallyguaranteed. 5. Successful membership sites realize the value of keeping your members happy byoffering:• Articles• Trainings• Product reviews• Guest interviews• Content from other sites• Free products to download• Active forums. • Regular e-mail contact• Polls and surveys. Pick any major membership website and take a look at the benefits they provide to theirmembers. Monster offers a full range of services from education to relocation. WeightWatchers offers recipes, menu planning, and support for people with weight loss goals. EHarmony offers a bookstore, advice, and even parenting tips – that’s really jumping the gunbut it works for them. Give your members what they want and then go the extra step, give them what they don’tknow they want – yet. From The Desk Of,Bob Morfordwww. compusewer. info Article & Ebook Depositorywww. compuhosting1. com Free and Paid websites starting at $2/monthly
Secrets of Successful Membership Sites
5 Secrets of Successful Membership Sites
Being the best means taking cues from the best. When it comes to membership sites, the best include such big shots as Monster. com, classmates. com, YouTube, MySpace and more. Here are 5 secrets of the big boys and how you can use them to launch your membership site. 1. Successful membership sites have a specific niche with a demand for their products and information. Think about classmates. com. What a fantastic niche! Imagine fitting the need of millions of people that want to connect to their old classmates, or are simply curious to see what everybody is up to. What is your niche? Even if it isn’t a niche that will reach millions, the tighter your niche, the more money there is to be made. 2. Successful membership sites know the value of maximizing their revenue by offering multiple revenue streams including: • Affiliate Programs • Advertising • Information products Monster. com is a website that makes fantastic use of their market’s needs by offering relocation services, job counseling, resume and cover letter services, education tools, and even money management tools. They also make money with advertisers and partner/affiliate programs. Follow the same money making strategies and you’ll be sitting pretty. 3. Successful membership sites realize the importance of building your brand and increasing exposure to your site • Logo • Slogan • Repetitive design elements YouTube has to be one of the most recognizable membership site logos around. Whether you see it from a distance on the side of a bus or at the top of a webpage, it’s instantly recognizable because it is simple, clear, and consistent. Three easy rules to follow when you’re designing your own logo and slogan. 4. Successful membership sites are successful at generating traffic via various techniques including: • SEO • Content • Linking • Careful choice of keywords • Press releases WeightWatchers and Elance are two membership sites that have capitalized on the power of keywords, word of mouth advertising, and valuable content. Wether you’re searching for recipes, success stories, or even fitness advice, WeightWatchers has content on the subject. Elance operates a little bit differently, they’ve harnessed the power of the keyword “freelance” to make millions. Use these strategies to drive traffic to your membership site and success is virtually guaranteed. 5. Successful membership sites realize the value of keeping your members happy by offering: • Articles • Trainings • Product reviews • Guest interviews • Content from other sites • Free products to download • Active forums. • Regular e-mail contact • Polls and surveys. Pick any major membership website and take a look at the benefits they provide to their members. Monster offers a full range of services from education to relocation. WeightWatchers offers recipes, menu planning, and support for people with weight loss goals. EHarmony offers a bookstore, advice, and even parenting tips – that’s really jumping the gun but it works for them. Give your members what they want and then go the extra step, give them what they don’t know they want – yet.
What can I expect from a 3 month membership at eHarmony?
So I’ve been back on eHarmony for a bit over a month now, and so far, this time around, it’s pretty much Total Fail. Which is frustrating.
Last time, my eHarmony story was that I met exactly one guy, and it was the Hunky Actor, and we dated for like a year. I also had other guys in the queue – I actually canceled a date after I’d been out with the Hunky Actor twice. The time before that, I went on a handful of OK first dates before I met someone IRL.
This time, one month in: Nothin’, Nada, Can you Hear The Crickets?
Well, OK, I’ve had some requests for communication that I promptly closed. And I’ve had one of my requests for communication closed. And I got to “must-haves and can’t stands” with one guy who then closed me, which is fine; that’s how it’s supposed to work.
But let me back up. I’m throwing around eHarmony jargon, and I know that to many people eHarmony is a bit mysterious. I really like the interface at eHarmony, so let’s go over it.
OK, so you take a big personality test and then you join. First thing I really like is the profile questions. After that big test, the actual profile is just the right size and surprisingly illuminating. Fun, even. Questions include “What are you most passionate about?” and “Describe the last book that you read and enjoyed. What was it about? What did you like most about it?”
For a while I was using eHarmony as a book recommendation service. It’s totally why I read “Blink” by Malcolm Gladwell.
The only lame question is “Describe one thing about yourself that only your best friends know.” Because really, how many times can you read variations on “Well, if I told you then that wouldn’t be true, would it?”
I use that question to work in that I’m a blogger. “Well, I’m a really open person and a blogger to boot, so there’s not much. Really just the specifics of my romantic life. Only my friends get to hear the juicy details.”
So then eHarmony sends you matches. I really like this because it stems the avalanche you get at other sites, and I have a comfort level about who can see me and reach out to me and how. Eight to four matches a day is good with me, and I don’t really mind when it trickles down either. The one thing I do mind about the matching is that you can’t narrow down the geography to under 30 miles, which in Los Angeles is a problem. If I have to look up your city in Mapquest because I’ve never heard of it, we’re not going to work out.
I try to keep up with going through my matches, closing anyone I’m completely not interested in, keeping open those I could potentially be interested in, and requesting communication with those I’m definitely interested in. I’m also very conscientious about closing people who request communication with me who I’m not interested in. And I’m very conscientious about turning off matching when I’m not using the service.
So what is annoying me now is that I have five guys just sitting on my requests for communication. Part of the deal, but kinda lame. I’m mildly frustrated, but I wouldn’t be if anyone had come to play. Because I do like the guided communication.
The first round is five short-answer questions that you pick out of a giant list of possibilities. It’s like appetizers to see what someone picked to ask and how they answered. Then, the best part, your 10 must-haves and can’t stands. These are also picked out of a giant list of possibilities, so they are *really* enlightening. Finally, three open-ended questions. You can pick some of theirs or write your own.
I like to ask:
1. Describe the geekiest thing you do or have ever done. (geek-cred check)
2. When’s your birthday, how do you feel about it? Do you celebrate, and if so, how? (Yes, totally asking “What’s your sign?” Also though, you can find out if he’s a party-thrower, which is a big plus for me.)
3. A question based on something in their profile.
After that you’re onto open communication, where I generally go right for Here’s My Number. After all that guided communication, I’m ready to talk, you know? Plus, I find email correspondence with a potential romantic partner less You’ve Got Mail (though really, how quaint that we thought it would be like that) and more You’re-Hurting-My-Head.
So that’s how it works when it works. Sigh.
One personal breakthrough via eHarmony this time, though. I changed my dating age range to age 30 through age 40 – That’s right, I opened the field to the big 4-0. I’ve decided to employ a high school framework to my upper age limit, and the fact is, guys that were seniors when I was a freshman are now 40.
Look at me being all open.
Kinda. The magic numbers for me right now are clearly 34 and 35.
And I have the strangest romantic energy around me lately. I feel like a flame surrounded by very pretty moths but none of them have jumped into the fire.
Wait, maybe that’s not a good analogy.
Anyway, the eHarmony thing is a little bit of a bummer, but not too much, really, because I’ve been getting out there and having fun and connecting with all sorts of really great people lately. Life is better with kissing, of course, but besides that, things are pretty cool right now, so I’m just enjoying the flow.
I’ve been thinking of it as being “agnostic” about dating: I don’t know what’s going on, and that’s OK.
