Title:
Why You Need To Have A Membership Site

Word Count:
497

Summary:
You need a membership site of your own. You may never have thought of having your own membership site, but it is a strong customer attractant and is in some ways easier than the typical affiliate sites.

Keywords:
internet, marketing, membership, website, residual, income

Article Body:
You need a membership site of your own. You may never have thought of having your own membership site, but it is a strong customer attractant and is in some ways easier than the typical affiliate sites.

Building the customer list is a goal of affiliate marketers. Having a membership site is a great way to get that list built up fast. A list is basically what a membership site is made up of- people who are interested and want to come back again to see what is offered. People can join the site for several different reasons. They may want a newsletter you are offering, they may be happy to get several things they want all in one convenient place, or they may just love the font you use. Whatever the reason they join, the members can be charged a small monthly fee to keep getting access to what you have to offer. This will generally include articles, services available to them, some type of customer service for questions ad problems, and a forum to tie it all together.

Meeting you monthly income goals becomes much easier when there is a steady stream of paying members each month. That can be in addition to your affiliate sales, or it can be used in place of them. Some affiliate marketers find that they enjoy building their membership site more than trying to keep several different affiliate sales sites going. A membership site is a brand, and can be marketed more easily than several smaller sites.

Some membership sites also use their own affiliate marketing programs to attract new members. A commission or a flat fee is given to members who bring in new paying members. That can also be accomplished by simply waiving part of the membership fee for members that recruit. This costs the site owner nothing and brings in new members at a exponential rate. Using a system such as this, getting large membership numbers can be done more quickly and with less expense.

Membership sites are also a safe way to protect against sales slumps. A month with low sales will be cushioned by a steady income of monthly membership fees. And if there is a problem with your smaller sites, such as a loss of search engine rankings or a product that bites the dust, the larger site is there to step in and make up for that loss in income.

There are also free membership sites that set up the same basic format, but try to attract more members by not charging fees. The income with those sites is in getting the largest list possible to market to in the hopes of sales. A free membership site may not bring in the membership fees, but it will likely attract more members. Whether you want to charge to enter your own web kingdom or not, having a membership site is a strong marketing technique that can help brand your information and your products.