How to deliver on the experience of membership
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Michael GillespieMembership is unique. It offers access, human connection and a direct relationship with your members.
But let’s face it, the world is crowded. It’s noisy. It’s constantly demanding our time and attention from all angles.
So how do you carve out your own space in the middle of it all? How do you capture the attention of your audience and build a lasting connection with them?
It all comes down to setting the stage for the magic of membership to unfold.
Forget What You Think You Know.
If membership is anything for an operator, it’s humbling. You have an idea, you dive right in and begin waiting for the masses to flock to your product because it’s great. You’ve spent months working out the logistics, burying yourself in the details while going over every element of your brand with a fine-toothed comb.
You’re relentlessly focused on your product and you know it’s just a matter of time before you launch and realize that six-figure income, right?
The vision you’ve carried in your mind for so long has now taken form. It’s tangible. It’s real.
You think to yourself, “This is a product I would purchase without hesitation”.
And just like that, you fell into the same trap as 99% of other membership operators.
You’ve created a product that suits you. Because after all, you’re the expert, right? You know everything there is to know about your product.
The humbling experience that soon follows for a membership operator forces them to panic early and take actions that are unwarranted, ill-timed and uninformed.
“It must be too expensive.”
“They just don’t see the value that I do.”
“I need to rebrand.”
“I need more X and more Y.”
The operator thinks something must be wrong and goes down a never-ending rabbit hole of more tweaking…and more tweaking.
My goal here is to frame your thinking so you can become laser-focused on not just flying, but flying efficiently and reliably.
And in order to do that, you must be ready and willing to forget what you think you know about your membership product.
Membership Requires a Listen-First Approach.
Membership is less of a product and more of an experience. It’s an experience of belonging, an experience of dialogue and connection that doesn’t exist among other digital products.
But how can you facilitate any of those elements successfully without first walking in the circles of your potential members? You can’t.
Your market is speaking.
In today’s age, there’s no excuse for not understanding your target market. Each millisecond, millions of posts, conversations, interactions and exchanges are happening online - mostly in public-facing spaces.
Forums, social media platforms, search engines and websites contain signals, facts and wildly revealing insights into the problems that need to be solved by your product.
How you observe and listen to this information exchange will determine how effectively you’ll be able to address the needs of your market with your membership.
The Experience of Membership
Membership isn’t just subscriptions. It isn’t just newsletters, podcasts or access to content behind a paywall.
No, membership is more than that. Certainly it includes the items above, but at its core, membership is about how members feel when they’re close to something.
Membership is about creating an exclusive experience.
What elements work together to create that experience?
- The way you speak to members
- How relatable you appear to members
- How well you empathize with members
- The level of transparency you provide members
- How honest you remain with members
- How well your product solves member’s problems
- How you unexpectedly delight members
- What opportunities you’re able to provide members
- How reliable you are
From the above, it immediately becomes clear what the personal, human connection of membership involves. Obviously, elements such as paid subscriptions, features and benefits have their place beneath the surface.
But membership at its core is about connection - specifically human connection.
Your membership must be relentlessly focused on the experience that unfolds throughout the delivery process of your product - the things that happen along the way. Membership provides the perfect format for you, the operator, to go the extra mile for your members.
The Crowded Room
Imagine a setting where 200 people are gathered in a room (for any reason). As folks mingle and conversations start to unfold, something interesting would happen: There would be a natural formation of smaller groups of people with similar life experiences, stories and circumstances.
As humans, we simply gravitate toward what is familiar- the things we know, understand and identify with.
In that crowded room, you’d never establish a connection with all 200 people. But you would connect with maybe three or four others and have great conversation with them.
At that point, the room feels less crowded even though 200 people still remain. You found your spot, your corner full of those you relate to. A place to belong.
This type of connection is precisely what membership allows you to cultivate, just on a much larger scale. But it preserves the feeling of closeness.
The Operator’s Promise
You’re a membership operator - and that means people are watching, listening and always observing. Most importantly, people will expect things from you.
You see, being an operator is a unique opportunity. The most successful membership operators become great at doing one thing extremely well - they deliver on a promise to their members over and over again without fail.
The moment your first member chooses to trust you with their money, time and attention is where the true magic of membership begins. Your operator role becomes one of service, consistency and authenticity.
You’re now the adult in the room.
Membership is more than subscriptions and revenue targets. Membership is a promise. As an operator you now hold the opportunity of delivering on that promise in the palm of your hand.
Be relentless in your pursuit of delivering on that promise and you’ll soon see the magic of membership unfold right in front of you.
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