This post was originally published on Restrict Content Pro.

As a digital business owner, you might often ask yourself: What can I do to bolster my brand and increase revenue? 

Enter memberships.

Memberships are the go-to business model in a fast-paced market that rewards increased efficiency, simplified payments, and regularly updated content.

Incorporating memberships into your existing business can transform the entire experience for you and your customers. A membership model enables you to streamline content delivery and grow your business to levels you might not have imagined possible. For example, if you run a podcast, you might use a paid membership site to provide content to paid listeners, ultimately growing your userbase. 

Let’s dive into five of the ways you can amplify your business with memberships so you and your customers can reap the rewards.

1. Build upon what you already have.

Short on ideas of what to offer members? Take a look at your existing content for inspiration. What can you offer at a premium on top of your regular product or service? For example, if you sell packs of Adobe Lightroom presets, you could offer members a few extra monthly presets to start. 

In short, think about products or services you already charge for that you could start gating behind a paywall. If you charge a $199 yearly fee for a plugin, for example, what about offering a monthly subscription option?

Sometimes, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Brainstorm all of the possibilities to see how you can squeeze every last drop out of the content you already have.

2. Offer premium content.

Whether it’s exclusive new content or simply the very best stuff you have to offer, premium content motivates members to sign up. Your most loyal long-term customers (as well as customers who are firmly in your niche) are the most likely to become members in order to get their hands on your premium stuff! 

Here are a few ideas for premium content you could offer through a membership site:

• Full-length articles or in-depth walkthroughs
• Downloadable PDFs
• Ebooks that curate the very best of your blog or knowledgebase content
• Full-featured versions of your software or service 
• An “academy” of tutorials and training using a WordPress LMS plugin like LearnDash

Keep in mind that you can also create tiers to your memberships. If you have some truly life-changing content, you might consider reserving it for higher-paying folks. Just make sure each membership tier is getting a good value.

3. Drive interest with exclusivity. 

One of the primary reasons that memberships are so popular is that people want to be part of something exclusive. The element of mystery—combined with the association between exclusivity and quality—can be a powerful driver for membership sales. 

People love being the first to know about or have access to something, and that can help drive interest in your membership program. Drive interest with exclusivity by offering your paid members early access to products, or hosting members-only events either online or in person. 

When you offer exclusive access, you also need to think beyond your product or service: How can you provide something extra, complementary, or special? What would improve your members’ experience – their lives, their work, their learning process, their skills? Put yourself in the customer’s shoes and think of all the possible avenues for expanding the exclusivity appeal of your memberships.

4. Offer one-to-one or group support.

Chances are, you’re already offering support for people who purchase your main product or service. So why not offer priority support as a member benefit?

Consultancy is one of the most valuable member benefits. By offering individual guidance to members, you can provide recommendations, assist in implementation, and ultimately nurture a customer’s commitment to you and your product. 

In addition to the one-on-one nature of consultancy, many folks also love to join in on private webinars, product demos, how-tos, and Q&As to receive answers to their immediate questions. Consider keeping an hour time slot reserved each week for a members-only group support call. That additional facetime between client and customer adds incredible value to your memberships!

5. Create a members-only community.

Building a community around your products is a tried and true way to reinforce your brand. It can also be a significant aspect of your membership offering. 

Not only does creating a community increase engagement (which boosts member retention), but a members-only community can also help people connect for support as they help each other.  Plus, you’ll receive immediate feedback that you can use to improve your products, website, and other offerings.

You can create a member community easily with tools like a member forum, a Facebook group, or a Slack channel. Don’t underestimate this value – access to an exclusive community could be enough for some customers to justify paying a bit extra for a membership.

The value of memberships

There are plenty of benefits to running a membership site. If you’re ready to get started, there are some additional considerations like pricing, marketing, and content strategy.

Ultimately, the membership model thrives on value. If you focus on the real-world benefits you can bring to your customers, you can truly level up your business with memberships! Ready to see how memberships can grow your business? Explore the MemberDash demo to learn how a gated membership could work for you.