Membership Geeks Podcast with Mike Morrison

Are you struggling to encourage disengaged members?

Member engagement can be a tricky thing. We want people to consume the content, engage with the community, and really use the membership that they’re paying for, but we don’t want to nag people with constant emails either. Once someone becomes disengaged, it can be difficult to nudge them back into action.

In this episode I look at the ways you can maintain a careful balance between encouraging engagement without getting on people’s nerves, from soft unsubscribes to using email tags to using remarketing ads to gently encourage your members back to courses and back into the community.

Essential Learning Points:

• Why it’s important to maintain a balance between nudging and nagging
• Using tools in your CRM and messaging apps to create a buffer to reduce the nagging
• How to use soft unsubscribes to reduce email overwhelm
• How you can mix up the formats you use to send reminders
• Making sure you don’t overdo it with your messages and emails
• Why it's important to remember that people engage in different ways

Important Links & Mentions:

• Membership Academy Courses
• ConvertKit
• ActiveCampaign
• Intercom
• Drift
• The 90-9-1 Rule of Community Engagement

Key Quotes:

“If the reason they haven’t logged in is because they have something serious going on or a major change in circumstance, you don’t want to be that annoying person nagging them every week. Giving them the ability to soft unsubscribe from certain types of reminders and emails ensures that you don’t alienate or annoy those members.”

“Mix up the format and how you get yourself in front of people to try and reengage them to log in, rejoin the community, or finish that course.”

“You need to be smart and think about that bigger picture for the member and don’t overdo it, don’t try to force it and know when to stop. Make sure that you’re not going overboard.”

How can you launch a membership without any audience? The simple answer is you don’t have to. You need to put in the work to build that audience first.

That’s exactly what we did, and in this episode, we share all the little details that went into building our audience BEFORE we launched the Membership Academy.

So, join me on a trip down memory lane. We’re talking about the early days of The Membership Guys and what we did six years ago to get where we are today.

We share detailed tips on content marketing, blogging, building your email list, and gaining interest before you even sign up your first member.

Essential Learning Points:

• It doesn’t take thousands of dollars to launch a membership
• You don’t need a huge email list to launch your membership
• What steps you can take to build interest in your membership
• The importance of a solid launch strategy
• Where The Membership Guys are today.

Important Links & Mentions:

• The Membership Guys
• Membership Academy
• Member Machine book
• Membership Economy by Robbie Kellman Baxter
• Superfast Business
• Membership Toolkit

Key Quotes:

“Do what you can with what you have.”

“We hated having to turn people away and not being able to give them a suggestion of where to go.”

“450 people on an email list...you’re not going to brag to many people about that. It’s still fairly small...but it was big enough.”

What’s the secret to marketing your membership? Spoiler: there isn’t just one secret! There are multiple different methods to try, but there are some universal truths to always bear in mind first.

In this episode, we share the 12 universal truths to membership marketing. There may not be some hidden secret that will guarantee you success, but these truths apply to all types of membership (and many other businesses as well.)

If you’re unsure of what marketing approach to take or whether you need to spend much time marketing at all, don’t miss this episode!

Essential Learning Points:

• The 12 universal truths that apply to all memberships
• Why there’s never a one-size-fits-all approach to marketing
• Why building trust should be a key part of your marketing
• The importance of marketing and why you can’t overlook it

Important Links & Mentions:

• The Membership Guys
• Membership Academy
• Kevin Kelly’s 1,000 True Fans
• Bob Berg’s The Go-Giver book

Key Quotes:

“Think of your membership as a painkiller, not a vitamin. You want it to be a must-have, not a nice-to-have.”

“An average product that has great marketing will always beat a great product with average marketing.”

“What someone says about you is worth so much more than what you say about yourself.”

Did you know that private podcasting could enhance your membership business?

By now, most of us are familiar with podcasts. Many of us are avid listeners already. Private podcasting hasn’t quite taken off as much as regular podcasting, mostly because of a lack of systems in place to create them. But, if you could get your private podcast set up the right way, it could be a great way to offer your members exclusive content and extra value.

At The Membership Guys, we use Captivate.FM to host our podcast. Captivate is a great podcasting host which offers private podcasting. Using a selection of great automation tools, Captivate has really nailed their private podcasting system.

In this episode, I’m joined by Mark Asquith, the CEO and founder of Captivate.FM to discuss how private podcasts work and how they can enhance your membership business. I also reveal some great strategies to help you create a private podcast for your membership.

Essential Learning Points:

● What private podcasting is and why you should consider creating one for your membership site

● How to use Captivate.FM to create and host your private podcast

● How to use private podcasts to enhance the quality of your membership site

Important Links & Mentions:

● The Membership Guys

● The Membership Academy

● Captivate.FM

● 6 Ways to Use a Podcast to Promote Your Membership

If you run a membership site (or any business for that matter), you've probably heard things like, "You're leaving money on the table," from other so-called business professionals.

They might encourage you to launch a new product, start hosting events, or doing one-to-one coaching sessions, etc., with the sole purpose of generating more revenue. While this may be true for some people, it doesn’t mean it’s the right move for everyone.

In this episode of the podcast, I reflect on why it’s okay to “leave money on the table” if it's not a table you want to be at, how to be more confident in your decisions, and why you need to trust that you know what’s best for your membership site.

Essential Learning Points:

• Why it’s okay to leave money on the table when it’s a table you don’t want to sit at
• Understanding why people like to share “business advice” and why you shouldn’t feel under pressure to listen!
• The true meaning of success and why you should choose opportunities carefully

Important Links & Mentions:

• Episode 61: How to Add Multiple Revenue Streams to an Existing Membership

Key Quotes:

“Memberships can work very well as part of a larger ecosystem of products and services.”

“A lot of entrepreneurs will feel driven by their nature to feel like they have to jump on every possible opportunity available to them. However, that doesn't mean that you have to go in that direction.”

“What works for one person isn't always guaranteed to work for someone else. There are no guarantees, no one-size-fits-all business model and no absolutes in this game.”