First impressions mean a lot, even when it comes to your membership site, and once a customer has chosen to join yours, you had better make a good one. Doing so will depend mainly on how the type of welcome they get and may also determine whether they will continue to keep up their subscription.
In this blog post, we will discuss the do’s and don’ts of welcoming a new member into your site.
First and most importantly, don’t just leave them hanging. Any welcome is better than none at all, so if you don’t have a clearly thought out plan on how to make your new subscribers at home once they have become a member, there is no better time than the present for using these tips to get that taken care of. You wouldn’t give a complete stranger the key to your guest house without giving them any kind of direction as to where things were and what they could or couldn’t do once they got there, would you? The same goes for your membership site. New members need to be welcomed, shown around, given direction. And that is one part of your job that will make or break your business.
Do have a dedicated welcome page to greet new members when they log in. This page will allow you to greet your new (or returning) members and help them to understand the benefits of their membership. Here, you will begin to build a real and hopefully lasting relationship with your patrons and continue to build upon the trust they gave you when they decided to subscribe.
Don’t be afraid to include a video greeting. Welcome videos, especially those that you appear in as opposed to animations and screenshots, are a wonderful way to build rapport with your members. You can use these videos to give a more in-depth introduction to yourself, your site, and what benefits they can expect from being a part of your elite community. You may also use this time to encourage your members to sign up for and attend any upcoming webinars or coaching calls you have coming up.
Do remember to email newly joined members immediately. This task is one that will most likely be automated. Be sure to include your new subscriber’s log-in information, the URL to your log-in page, and instructions for what to do once they’ve gotten there. (Watch your welcome video, etc.)
Don’t skimp on bonuses! At the bottom of your welcome page, you might consider offering your members surprise, unannounced bonuses to show your appreciation for their purchase and to provide extra value. Who doesn’t love a surprise gift? You could also use this area to promote a bonus you may offer for another vendor’s product and add some monetization to your welcome page.
Do be sure to include directions on how to contact your support desk should your members have any kind of questions or concerns. Respond to any support tickets or emails in a timely manner and provide excellent customer service. This will help to ensure that your subscribers remain in good standing and don’t cancel their membership.
The main idea here is that you should be making it a point to offer your members a valuable, easily navigated, and pleasing customer experience within your membership site. While you may provide valuable information and training within your modules, the value should begin at the very moment your new subscriber logs in. Giving your members the directions they need to make the most out of their purchase is imperative to their continued enrollment. Help them to unlock all the benefits of being a part of your community and your membership site should continue to grow and thrive.
