Information Sells

Are You On The Right Track?

In our survey so far, Membergate has come out on top in terms of features, support, and ease of use. But there is no denying that it is one of the most expensive solutions.

The difference between aMember’s $300 price tag and Membergate’s $4,000.00 one can be the difference between starting and giving up. Many people just don’t have the cash on hand needed to buy into Membergate. For some, even aMember’s relatively low fees are too high. So let’s come at this another way.

Here are a few questions to ponder while comparing software:

How complicated is your recurring billing? Maybe PayPal’s Subscription solution will work for you. If your monthly subscription fee is low enough (say, under $25.00) and you are willing to shoulder some administrative tasks in return for lower start up costs, you can run your billing through PayPal, e-Junkie, or even ClickBank without a Merchant Account. Is it ideal? No. Is it better than doing nothing at all? Infinitely!

How many members do you expect in your first year? Tracking members, re-issuing lost passwords, answering support questions, etc, will eat up a good portion of your time. Can you find a way to give your members the support they deserve without breaking the bank or burning yourself out? Since you can’t do everything yourself, can you find a piece of software – a plugin, a script, some custom written code – that will take care of some tasks? Elance and Rent-A-Coder have made it easier than ever to find freelance help (though the quality is variable).

What sort of software skills do you really possess? Can you learn how to administer a forum? Will you be able to add content regularly? Do you need to hire outside help just to insert a hyperlink? Be honest with yourself. If you can do it yourself, and you are willing to spend the time, you can save a substantial amount of money. If, on the other hand, you have to turn to an independent contractor for everyday tasks, you risk running up hidden costs that far exceed those you “couldn’t afford” to begin with.

Can you find partner(s)? Partners can help financially, of course. They also add skills, hands, time and talent. Someone to bounce ideas off of can be worth her weight in gold, if you are so close to the project that you can’t objectively calculate risk any more. On the other hand, do you want to split the profits? Are you willing to share authority? Can you delegate? Be ruthlessly honest with yourself. The right partner can make a business. The wrong one… well, just don’t go there.

What do others in your niche do? If there are other sites catering to your target audience, what sort of format do they follow? If your customers have come to expect a high degree of professionalism and functionality, an amateurish WordPress site could harm your reputation. On the other hand, if the client sees the web site as nothing more than a portal to a conference call or a bulletin board, you might skate by with a minimal investment.

If you are planning for success (and not just hoping not to fail miserably), when you’ve run through your checklist of  candidates, questions, and options, you’ll want to weigh Return On Investment (ROI) and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and not just out of pocket costs. How much are you spending to acquire members? How long will they stay? How much will you spend on tech help, custom scripts, and even your own sweat equity to keep your site running?

There is no one right solution. Many successful sites are built on WordPress, Free Conference Pro, and a low cost web hosting plan – with an investment of less than $15.00 per month. Others have found that their free site turned into a money pit or a straight jacket and have had to spend hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars to migrate their users to a more stable site.

But even those who wish they’d started differently have one thing in common with wildly successful membership site owners – they started a site. Whatever you decide to do – even if you just test the waters with a free, but password protected, members only blog or forum – don’t let costs stop you. Take your first step and build from there.

Photo by macie3k Released under Creative Commons License

Similar Posts:

• Starting A Membership Site – What Kind of Support Is Available?
• How To Choose Membership Site Software
• How To Start A Membership Site

Tags: membership site