Membership sites have never been more popular than they are at this time in our online history. I have 7 of them myself, and I can tell you it is a wonderful way to increase your income and to build residual income for the future. To make a connection with your prospects, offering them a free membership to your site can be the best overall strategy. We all like that feeling of belonging to a community, and your membership site can be that place for the people on your list.

I use a simple WordPress plug-in to set up all of my membership sites. It is inexpensive and easy to install, so check it out and see what you think.

Now you may be wondering how you can ever make any money if your site is free. The answer is quite simple. You invite them to join, continue giving useful information on your topic, and they will allow you to market to them for as long as they remain a member. It’s the law of reciprocity that makes this work so well.

Think about it, when someone gives you something of value at no charge, you feel obligated to thank them, whether it is monetarily or otherwise. I have students who thank me by retweeting what I write on Twitter, sending me links to information that will help me both personally and in my business, and by connecting me with others who I may not have met otherwise.

Decide what the focus of your membership site will be. You want it broad enough to encompass your ideas and niche, but narrow enough to include just the perspective you want to teach and share with your list. Once you have done that purchase the domain name you will use for this project. Shorter domains are best, but try to include a keyword phrase in there as well. Then set it up as a mini-site, with an optin page, a sales letter for what you will be selling, and the membership area. WordPress has a plug-in that makes this all very doable, even if you are not very technical.

Before you invite your members to join at no cost, add some relevant content to your site. This can include PLR (private label rights) articles and eBooks, rebrandable and other short reports, and short videos that teach more on your topic. That way it looks like you are completely ready to accept new members as they come in.

Within a month or two you will want to offer an upgraded membership for those who want to work more closely with you and need more information. Give them a special offer for taking the upgrade and be sure to include a bonus.

You may know that I now have 6 membership sites. These sites allow me to have multiple streams of online income in the areas where I am something of an expert. These include article marketing, affiliate marketing, and marketing for small businesses. So how can this help you, you may be asking?

I decided to offer one of these memberships at no cost to the people who have been on my list for more than two years and have continued to be supportive of what I am doing on the Internet to help them achieve the success they want and deserve. This is my way of paying them back for their loyalty and support.

What are you an expert in that you could offer to your list? It is so simple to set up these membership sites now, there just isn’t any reason not to use this technique for building your relationship with your list. Read my short report on membership sites and see how this business model will help you to build your own online empire.

It has never been so easy to set up your own membership site. With the help of a new membership plugin for your Wordpress blog, you are able to add your articles, links to teleseminars, tips, resources, and more. I recommend offering a free membership to the people on your list. This allows them to access your content on your niche topic, as long as they remain on your list.

Everyone loves the idea of belonging to a group. It gives us a place to connect with the people and information that will make a difference in our lives, By creating this type of community on the internet you will build trust with your target market and they will be more likely to buy from you.

Many people who are now Internet millionaires started out with free membership sites, and many continue to offer this type of site without cost as one of their business models. The membership plugin I am speaking of allows you to add other levels of membership to the same site, so you can create a paid membership when you are ready to do so. If you do decide to set this up, let me know and I will send you a 90 minute webinar I created that shows you exactly how to set it up and get started.

Interviews are a powerful way to connect with your list. At least once a month I like to interview someone special for my people. I choose someone who has something special to offer the people who trust me to share my knowledge with them.

Last month I interviewed Tracy Childers, the co-founder of Wishlist Member. This is a WordPress plug-in that turns your WordPress blog into a membership site. I have four of these membership sites set up already, so I knew my list would want to hear more and to be able to ask Tracy their specific questions.

So now you may be thinking ‘So how do I find people to interview?’ Simply ask them. I do one or two interviews each month, and most people are glad to schedule a time for you to interview them. Decide who would be the most beneficial in your niche, and then contact them. I have even connected with people on Twitter and ended up being able to interview them. These interviews can also go into your membership sites as additional content.