Fill It! How To Get Them To Say “Yes” to Your Membership Site or Course
So, you’re ready to add an additional stream of income to your business. You have an idea for a membership site or course. You’ve got your outlines; you’ve hired people to assist with the production. The last thing you need is to get people in those seats.
A marketing plan is paramount to the success of your launch. The more you plan, the more people you can reach as opposed to just “winging it” and not being consistent with your promotions.
Now is NOT the time to hide behind your computer keyboard! Talk about your membership program or course with everyone in your circle. Be creative with finding new ways to market your product or membership. Enlist those who already love you to share your offer within their own circles.
These 21 ideas will help you expand your circle and get some eyes on your sales pages. By no means is this a comprehensive list of how you can attract people to your program but it’s a great start.
Plan Your Launch Schedule Carefully
Planning a launch is not for the faint of heart. You’ll have a lot of moving pieces – from creating your content to promoting it to making affiliates happy – so don’t try to cram all of that into a week’s time. Don’t wing it just because you want to launch. Set a plan in motion so have a checklist of what has to happen each week to get the results you want.
Plan your launch schedule carefully so you can create the awesome killer content your audience expects from you. If you’re rushing through the content creation so you can market it quickly, your content will fall short of expectations. The reverse is also true; taking your time with the content is ideal but then marketing it quickly (or not at all) will lead to few sales. Work backwards from the launch date and plan a realistic marketing period as well as enough production time. Your results will reflect the time you spent planning.
Network More…Both Online and Offline
While it’s wonderful to have your circle of friends and acquaintances, you’ll need to expand that circle to reach more people and to earn more sales. Networking is not about hard core selling; it’s simply one more way to get to know people. Clients will buy from people they know, like and trust and networking is the first step in this process.
Step outside that comfort zone with networking. Instead of sitting behind your keyboard, find a virtual or local networking event or meetup. These are often casual meetings of local entrepreneurs where you can meet new people as well as introduce your business. Small meetups like this are perfect for introverts. Extroverts may feel more comfortable at weekly BNI meetings or live conferences. In addition to these offline ideas, find new online groups where you can build relationships while offering your advice.
Take Pride in Your Membership Site or Course
Your excitement about your product will be contagious. The more you talk about your own excitement, the more excited your audience will be. The same is true of your affiliates. The best way to get excited about your course or membership site is to create something that speaks to your passion and also take your time to create the content.
Instead of taking shortcuts to create your product, take your time (as we mentioned earlier) to really overdeliver with your content. The deeper you dive into your chosen subject, the more you’ll uncover to share with your audience. You’ll likely find other experts whose case studies you’ll want to share or who will grant you an interview. You may also discover additional bonuses to create as a result of your careful and passionate research. What started off as a small course could morph into something much bigger, which is exciting.
Take Photos of Your Program
Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) is very real, especially in the online world. If you share photos or a video of your program – or even a short video – and share them on social media, your other followers will wish they were there, too. You’re not doing this to be mean or to purposely evoke feelings of FOMO; you’re simply sharing what you’re doing and how much fun you and your participants are having.
After seeing these, your followers will become more aware of what you’re doing and thinking how fun it would be to be part of your orbit. They likely will make a concerted effort to buy your next product or to join your membership program. As the old saying goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” and they can help portray the atmosphere of something better than a page of sales copy.
Seek Out Interview Opportunities
Interviews with any type of media are wonderful ways to promote your business but podcast interviews go one step further because the listeners can actually hear your voice and will hear your excitement as you talk about your workshop or course. When people hear your excitement, they are often excited enough to check out your event or product.
When searching for interviews, however, be someone selective with the media you choose. Keep your target market in mind and search out those podcasts or blogs where your audience congregates. Also keep in mind that if you’re promoting a live workshop or course, to choose interviews that will air or print BEFORE your workshop. Not being selective with your opportunities only sends your message on deaf ears if they’re not in your target audience.
Get Your Affiliates Excited
Affiliates already love you and what you produce but showing them some extra love will make them work harder to promote this new workshop or course. You have a built-in sales force with these affiliates and their excitement will convince their referrals to give your product a try.
Consider running a leaderboard contest with a killer prize, or multiple prizes for the top 3 sellers. Update who’s in the lead via emails to your affiliate team but also on social media. Showing your excitement for affiliates may recruit some extras to your team.
Organize a Facebook Contest to Giveaway a Free Membership or Course
If you use Facebook for business, consider running a contest. Facebook monthly users continue to increase in number so you’re sure to find your audience on that platform. Run a contest to give away a free membership or a free copy of your course. Mix it up and give away a second ticket so your winner can bring a friend.
Take care to read the Facebook rules on running a legal contest before you launch it. Their rules seem to change frequently and the last thing you want is to have your contest ended early or put in Facebook jail because you’ve ignored their rules. You’ll also find many third-party apps for running a contest so that may be an easy way to automate the process. Just be sure they stay within the Facebook guidelines.
Create New Social Campaigns
A new membership site or course deserves to have a branded social media campaign of their own. Don’t depend solely on stock photos for your paid products. And don’t just recycle previous graphics and try to “make do.” Create eye-catching graphics with the dates of your membership. Add the URL to purchase your course. Mention any time deadlines so viewers will know they should act quickly.
Hire a graphic designer for these campaigns if graphic design isn’t your strong point. You’ve got other money-making activities to do so delegate to the experts instead of going down the never-ending rabbit hole.
Put Your Face in the Spotlight
It’s time to step out from behind the computer keyboard and become the face of your business! Your followers want to see that you’re a REAL person, not just a figment hiding behind a business logo. Let them see your face and hear your voice to start building that business relationship.
Professional headshots do wonders to ramp up your business image. Invest in a photographer who specializes in headshots or lifestyle photography so they can capture your many facets. Invest a bit more for professional hair and makeup. You’ll feel like “Queen for a Day” and have beautiful headshots you’ll be excited to share.
Offer Different Discounts
Time-limited discounts are a great way to get more people signed up for your membership or course while also rewarding their action. The most common is the early bird discount, for those fast action takers who jump on the first opportunity to buy. Another type of discount is a “Buy One, Get One 50% Off” which is a great way to encourage friends or business acquaintances to enroll together, especially for live workshops which can be intimidating.
You’re under no obligation to offer a discount and you don’t want to make it so steep that you’re losing money on it. However, it could spur people to make that initial purchase. Always include the full value on your sales page and on any discount page so your customers know they’re getting a good deal.
Offer a Payment Plan for Higher-End Products
Payment plans can make a difference between a hard “no” and a “hell yes”. While you don’t necessarily want to target those who can’t afford your courses or memberships, a payment plan is often easier to budget for those who are just on the cusp of reaching that next income level.
You’ll also build a good reputation for working with people so they can still participate and benefit from your membership or course. A common strategy is to make the monthly payments total a bit more than the regular asking price. This takes into account multiple payment transaction fees as well as some administrative time setting up a recurring payment instead of a one-time fee. But most people don’t mind because they can manage the monthly payments more so than the upfront full payment.
Promote on Your Blog with Strong Calls to Action
Definitely write a blog post or two about your membership or course but also add a call to action at the end of EVERY blog post, no matter what the topic. Some of your readers may find you via search engines and this could be their very first notice of what you’re offering.
When we think “call to action” the most common thought is a blurb at the end of each blog post. That’s certainly one option but calls to action also come in the form of a page header announcing your latest offer. Or a tab in the side margin where you can click for more information. Here are 6 Call to Action Plugins made specifically for WordPress sites so you can announce your workshop or course in multiple spots.
Reach Out to the Local Media
Sending out press releases might seem old school but it’s still a valid way to reach out to your local reporters. Most print publications have online versions, so you may end up in both places. Even if it’s a highlight of a local business, it’s still publicity for your business.
Create a local media list and research those that offer an online calendar of events. If your workshop is a live event as opposed to just online, submit a listing well in advance of the date along with a link to buy tickets. If your workshop is held in a different location from where you live, research those local publications and submit your listing to those. If you sell out the event, these online listings are easy to cancel.
Ask for Social Followers to Share Your Event
You never know where your next client will come from. Sometimes all it takes is asking your followers to share the event within their circle. Even if they aren’t affiliates – or even know what an affiliate is – you’ll find good hearted people willing to spread the word about your membership or course.
But literally ASK people to share the post, either in the text of your post or by making a request inside any masterminds or memberships you belong to. Even family and personal friends can share to help spread the word, but they often won’t think to do it on their own. People like to help others and sharing a social post takes a second to help out.
Add a Pop-up Offer on Your Website
Pop-up platforms are plentiful and are an easy way to catch the attention of your website visitors. Those offers that pop-up are also easy to switch out, so why not add your promotional offer for your workshop or course so all your website visitors can see it? While these pop-ups are usually reserved for promoting free downloads to grow your email list, paid offers can easily be inserted.
Some people have a love-hate relationship with pop-ups, but they can be used strategically so they serve as a reminder about your offer as opposed to an annoyance. The more comprehensive pop-up plugins offer features such as triggering a pop-up when visitors click a link, when they’re about to exit the site, or when they reach a certain page on your website.
Send Out Virtual “Save the Date” Notices
“Save the Date” notices are often used for weddings and Sweet 16 parties, but they can also be used virtually to announce your launch date for your membership or course. Send this via email to your list, post on social media, write a blog post, and/or create a video letting the world know when your membership or course will be ready to join.
Why send out advance notice? You want to build some buzz around this event. Get people excited. Tease them a bit and leave them wanting to learn more about your offer. Building buzz consistently for a few weeks will build up the excitement and momentum so people will be ready to make a purchase.
Remember the Rule of 7, which believes that people won’t make a purchase until they hear about your offer at least 7 times? Plan your 7 touchpoints during this prelaunch period, so they have the information and their questions answered prior to your launch date.
Use a Webinar or Video to Tease Your Audience
Video is a powerful medium for connecting to your audience. If you can’t meet your people in person, video is the next best thing because they can see and hear you, just as if you were in the room with them.
Use this time to educate them about your offer, give them some snippets of information (but not too much) so they’re excited to buy. If you’re using a teaching platform, give them a behind-the-scenes look. Interview one of your speakers. Interview a past member about their experience. Use your imagination to connect with your followers via video so you can get them excited to join your membership or course.
Showcase Your Speaker Lineup
If your membership site has guest speakers – or even just one guest speaker – showcase those names along with their qualifications. Create special graphics highlighting each guest speaker with their training and accomplishments. Even if you and a JV partner are creating the membership site or course together, highlight each other, showcasing your unique expertise and why you are the perfect people to present this course or membership site.
Invite your email subscribers and your social followers to submit questions for the expert(s) prior to the launch. Answer each question with individual posts or hold a special Q&A to answer them together. Maybe a Facebook Live session would work best so others can submit questions live. This is a great way to introduce yourself and your partner or speaker(s) to those who may be new to your circle.
State the Obvious – What are the Benefits of Your Membership Site or Course?
Yes, your sales page should be clear with the benefits of your membership site or course and the easiest way to highlight those are with a bullet point list. But some prospective clients need more convincing than reading a simple list. They may need more reminders or repetition. They may not see themselves in your target audience unless you literally say, “This course is best suited for …”
Put these benefits into a social campaign and/or in your email campaign. Get creative; don’t just list the same bullet points from your sales page. Get into detail about WHY this person is your target audience. HOW will this person really benefit from your course? Give concrete answers or testimonials from past customers to solidify the message.
Repetition allows humans to remember what they hear. Some of your best clients may need to be convinced over and over through repetition that this is the course or membership site that will change their lives.
Use Your Email Signature to Promote Your Program
How many emails do you send in any given day? Your signature space is prime real estate so put in an announcement graphic or link for more information about your membership program or course.
Create a small graphic, logo, or thumbnail of your product or membership to add with the link. Consider adding a P.S. to the end of your emails, asking your reader to notice the link and mentioning any special pricing offers you have at the moment.
Make Networking a Part of Your Program
Live events are the premier place to network but you can add even more value to your program if you mix specific networking sessions into the entire experience, even if virtually. Just as you used networking to garner interest in your program, share that experience with your attendees. Include networking and introductions weekly or monthly. Hold break out sessions that have a specific topic but also allow participants to network and get to know each other.
Depending on the size of your program, consider holding a working lunch where the attendees take turns talking about your niche and what they can offer. Or encourage them to share a little-known fact about your industry. Just be sure to set a timer on these sharing sessions as some people can easily talk longer than others.
Best of luck filling those seats! Just remember…get excited about your offer, don’t be shy about promoting it, and enlist those who already love you to spread the word. The more you plan and the more time you leave for promoting, the better your sales. And if you’d like help creating your course or membership site, let’s chat!
