Setting Up WLM, the Right Way…

I get many inquiries about setting up Wishlist Member the right way, yet many people don’t realize there is no right way to set up WLM.

Wishlist Member is the most advanced and sophisticated membership software on the market and thus, because of this, provides the ability to implement at least a dozen different membership models with the ability to implement numerous content delivery strategies. Installing the Wishlist Member plugin is pretty straight-forward, you just need to upload the plugin to your WordPress plugins folder and then activate it. After that, one extra step is required which is entering your license key and purchase email and you’re ready to get started using Wishlist Member.

But how do you set it up right? Here’s a simple guide to get you started:

How to Grow Your Membership Automatically…

I’ve attended many internet marketing seminars over the last few years.  At one of these seminars, the trainer on stage held a small cup.  Then, he poured a ton of pennies over the cup.  Most of the pennies ended up scattered everywhere on the floor.  Only a small handful of pennies ended up in the cup.

He poured the pennies again, but this time, he put a funnel over the cup.  Many of the pennies still missed, but he filled that cup with pennies in just a couple of seconds.

The analogy is simple: if you capture as many leads as possible, you’ll make more sales and more money.

When people come to your membership site

Membership Magic…

Sometimes when creating a membership site it helps to take a step back and change your perspective. If you already have a membership site then this can be great advice for you to. Here’s something I found that might give you a slightly different perspective. A great little story from Seth Godin’s book, The Big Moo:

Harry Houdini Was A Lousy Magician

Historians of magic are in total agreement about this: Houdini did hackneyed mechanical tricks, showed little evidence of talent, and had almost none of the suave charisma that the great magicians of his era had.

Confirmed Opt-In for Members?

I personally believe that this isn’t a “chore” for newly paid members, if its positioned right. I have found that the responsiveness of my list is directly related to whether they double opted-in or not.

Getting members onto your mailing list is critical to an effective content consumption strategy. I have worked with clients who, when a new member did not opt-in right away, just gave up and didn’t pursue getting these members on a list.

One strategy that I teach my clients is this:

Memberships & Mobile Devices

One of the big questions with membership sites is this: How Can an App for a Mobile Device Help You and Your Membership Site?

There are really 2 ways a mobile app can help your membership site:

1. A Free App – by utilizing a Free mobile app, you can use this new platform as a way of distributing Free content in a new medium. Just think about it: you produce a free video with some interesting tip about your market, that video is distributed via the mobile platform and drives new, targeted traffic back to your site to consume even more info.
2. A Paid App – paid apps can be just for your paid members. It can even be a way of getting members in for a defined period in a particular membership level – just for mobile members! Utilizing specific RSS feeds within your membership, your paid members can access member-only content – videos, post, articles and audios.

In addition, you can also bring together your entire social media presence into a single app aimed directly at your market. By this I mean all of your activity on the BIG 4 of social media – YouTube, FaceBook, Twitter and even iTunes!

You’ll be able to build strong brand recognition for your membership site and you’ll be attracting a very profitable market of over 80 million iPhone users who are used to spending money using their device.

The Mobile OS and Device War

The introduction of Google’s Android operating system and the fact that Google decided to make their mobile OS completely free to device manufacturers has enabled Google to “hit the ground running” so to speak. (Something the Big G didn’t do with its Chrome browser)

The new Droid phone from Google | Verizon | Motorola – is the new threat to Apple’s iPhone platform. Now, aside from the OS, I think it’s a real shame they (Big G) decided to launch this with Motorola as the hardware choice. My past experience with Motorola is the quality of their build is lacking – but anyway, back to the Android OS.

This new OS from Google was built from the beginning with Apps in mind – in fact, you could say Android was built to become the iPhone killer!

The big question is -will Google get its mobile OS on enough “cool” devices for people to take it to critical mass? Time will tell.

The BIG 4 Mobile Makers

We all know about the success of Apple and its iPhone platform. However, by comparison, Apple’s puny little 80 million users is a small slice of the global market of mobile devices and the mobile OS scene.

Nokia is the world’s largest mobile/cell phone maker. Their own proprietary OS platform is called Symbian and is a strong contender in the world of mobile OS’s. The Nokia platform is the richest in followers and has even been “hackintoshed” to run the Mac OS 10.3 system. In addition many “gear-heads” are now turning to Maemo – a Linux based OS for Nokias.

Here’s a recap of the Big 4 Mobile Players:

1. Apple iPhone running the Apple OS
2. Nokia running Symbian
3. Motorola (and others) running Google’s Android
4. HTC running Microsoft’s Windows Mobile  platform

Looking Ahead

With the advent of “the common membership site” (everyone will soon have one) integrating mobile devices into the realm of continuity and paid for content is the next logical evolution.

Not only will mobile device manifacturers be able to sway the cool, hip and gotta have it technology gizmo seeking public, but niche content publishers will be able to ride-the-wave of coolness with the exclusivity of member-only content and private access communities.

We’re already planning on generating membership apps for the Nokia Symbian market and want to help memebrship site owners launch their premium content into a whole new world of mobile coolness!

Remember, we also give 1 hr Free consultations on how we can help your business position its membership site, paid content and private community to its greatest advantage!

How can a members forum help my membership?

Membership sites are all about creating a following. Having a community of like minded individuals all discussing and consuming content around a specific topic is a great way to create a successful following. Yet, not all membership sites implement a forum successfully.

Benefits of a members forum:

1. One of the things you want to accomplish ASAP after your membership site launches is member interaction. Having a members’ forum is a great way to help facilitate that interaction – not only with you and your staff, but with other members too.
2. Having a forum gives you a way to identify highly active and helpful members who you may decide to turn into forum moderators so they can contribute even more, get recognition and do some of the work you or your staff would have to do anyway.
3. If implemented correctly, a segmented forum allows you to create areas of the forum that only members who blong to a particular membership level can access. This allows you to create even more added value to your premium levels of membership – whether its for a specific course or even a coaching group.

When to launch your forum?

Starting your forum from day 1 of your membership site is probably a bad idea. Until you have reached a particular threshold with your membership, you will probably do more damage than good by launching a members’ forum.

When to launch your forum is a critical decision that is best determined when you create your membership site launch plan and strategies. Your forum is just one aspect of successfully launching (or relaunching) your membership site and if done correctly, can quickly generate hundreds of paying members.

How to get help with your forum?

WishList Member Coder is able to provide expert membership site consulting on an as needed or project basis. If you want to make sure your membership site reaches critical mass and maximum velocity, talk to us about how we can help you get there fast!