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Module 5: Managing Your Membership

Launching your membership!

You’re all set to launch your first membership product!

Knowing when it’s time to launch

We are aiming to launch Version 1 of your membership — the first version of your first membership product!

Your membership may ultimately expand to include additional products, and you may continue to make updates and improvements to your current product. It’s absolutely okay if your membership product is not in its perfect, final state. In fact, many membership products are never “final,” they’re continuously updated over time!

Unfortunately, many membership creators spend months and months trying to perfect their product, at the cost of getting a first version out into the world and beginning its growth trajectory.

We encourage you to launch a first version of your first membership product (your core deliverable) as soon as possible, to begin your journey of:

  • sharing your expertise and helping customers achieve their transformational goal
  • getting valuable feedback on your product (which you’ll use to continue improving and growing your membership!) 

As soon as your core deliverable has been completed, here’s how to plan for your first membership product launch:

Launching methods

First, you’ll choose the method you’ll use for launching this particular product. There are a few different options:
 

Beta test

Beta testing your membership product means releasing it to a small group of initial customers, usually free or at a discounted rate, specifically for the purpose of testing and providing feedback on the product. 
 
You can run a beta test via invite, where you select a particular group that has certain qualities or interests that align with your target audience (existing customers or clients tend to make good beta testers!). Or, you can run a beta test period with open enrollment — anyone who signs up is invited to participate in the beta version of your product.
 

Soft launch

A soft launch is the simplest and “quietest” method of releasing your new product. You simply turn it on, and it’s live and accessible for customers to join. Generally this method includes publishing a sales page on your website, and perhaps a navigation link in your site’s header. But it doesn’t usually involve heavy promotional campaigns. 

Scheduled launch

If you have an existing following that would be interested in your membership product, you can build up excitement for your launch in advance — announcing that you have a special release coming and it will be available on a certain date and time. You can tease content in advance and generate excitement that leads to signups.
 

Open enrollment

Most commonly, memberships are “open enrollment,” meaning that they’re available to join any time, any day of the year.
 

Closed enrollment

Closed enrollment means your membership is only available to join at specific times.
 
This could be because your membership is time-specific (it starts and ends on specific dates), or is based around a cohort and has limited enrollment in each session. Or, this method can be used as a marketing strategy to create urgency and drive sales. 
 
With this method, you will build up a launch event each time enrollment opens and closes. Because all sales must come in during the period enrollment is open, you’ll need to invest more heavily in marketing during this specific time.
 

Planning for your launch

What you’ll need to do to prepare for your launch varies based on the method you choose above. But, in general, there are three parts to releasing your new membership product:

  1. Prepare your marketing material
  2. Test your membership
  3. Go live!
 

1. Prepare your marketing material

You learned some foundational marketing strategies in Module 4, which you’ll use (if you haven’t already!) to create the marketing material needed to promote your membership.
 
This may include any combination of:
  • sales page on your website
  • promotional popup or banner on your website
  • email campaign(s)
  • social media campaign(s)
  • content marketing linked to your product
The particular channels you use will depend on where your audience is, and how you’ll be announcing your new membership product to them.
 

2. Test your membership

Before letting customers in the door, be sure you’ve fully tested your membership. With MemberSpace, you can do this by signing up for your membership with a 100% off coupon. 
 
Remember to test all aspects of your customer experience:
  • signup and login process
  • navigating through your content
  • any confirmation or onboarding emails customers will receive after signup
 

3. Go live!

When everything looks good, you’re ready to go live! 
 
If you’re not running a time-specific launch event, you can simply enable your member signup process, publish your sales page, and send or publish any promotional campaigns when you’re ready. Or, if you’ve drummed up excitement around a specific launch date and time, you’ll complete those steps at the designated time.
 
Launch Checklist

Continue Module 5

Managing Your Membership