So... you've done the initial membership site set up where you've purchased your domain name, web hosting, autoresponder and selected a payment processor. If you've decided on a membership site (rather than delivering content via an autoresponder), then you've also selected the platform you intend to use.
Now it’s time to get everything set up…
The first thing you need to do is get your deliverables uploaded to your website. In other words, here’s where you upload to your .zip file and other content so that you have a place for your members to download what they’ve paid for.
NOTE: If you’re not using a platform that secures delivery of this content, be sure your content is tucked away at an “unguessable” URL. For example:
Yourdomain.com/429dajld/dakld999/downloadpage.html.
Here’s what you need to do:
1. Create an order-confirmation page. This is the page your new members see immediately after they complete their purchase. This page should thank them for joining your site and then tell them what to do next. For example, if you’re delivering content via an autoresponder, then instruct your members to “register” for the membership site by filling in the opt-in form.
2. Upload the monthly content to a secure (or at least unguessable) location. Many people upload their content to a different domain, as hackers won’t find the link if it doesn’t even exist on the same domain as the sales letter. Once you’ve uploaded it, this is the link you’ll give to members where they can download the content. This link may appear on the download page and/or in the first email you send to members.
If you’re delivering the monthly content with your autoresponder (which I highly recommend, especially if you have a fixed-term membership site), then you also need to create your first email that members will receive as soon as they pay and opt-in to the list. Here’s what you should include inside this first email:
· Thank members for joining.
· Remind them of how they’ll be charged and when.
· Reiterate the benefits of the site to reduce buyer’s remorse (and avoid refunds).
· Give them a download link to their first month of content and any bonuses.
· Give them a download link to any unadvertised (surprise) bonuses, where applicable.
· Provide some instruction on how to get started. If you have a quick-start guide, share the link or tell them where to get it.
· Offer your email address or help desk information in case anyone runs into any problems.
· Let them know when to look for your next email, and build anticipation about what they’ll receive.
This email can be the start of your onboarding process, where you train members on how to use the content in a profitable way and encourage them to take action. This is one of the keys to a successful site, because people who take action (and get results) will see the value of the content, meaning they’re unlikely to drop their membership.
TODAY’S TASK: Today’s task is to start setting up your site. You’ll want to get about half of the job done today, because we’ve devoted two days to the task. Alternatively, you can use this time to find a “tech person” to do this for you, if this isn’t something you want to do yourself.