It is a common strategy amongst commercial websites: users sign up, gain access to a large library of content or services, all supported by advertising. The membership website has seen many revisions since its introduction to the consumer internet, but it still remains one of the most popular and enduring website types around.

Encouraging passer-by's to join your Free Membership site

What's one of my favorite features of using a premium WordPress plugin like WishList Member? The ability to show teaser content of a protected post, so part of the post is protected and part of it is not.  Grab the interest of readers in the first paragraph. Pull them into your posts with enough information where they feel compelled to join just so they can finish reading what you have to say. Non-protected content also has the added benefit of being indexed by search engines, so have enough keyword content in the non-protected part of the post for SEO purposes. Utilize categories and tags, always.

Speaking of SEO and keywords, one new tool I'm really enjoying that helps me to optimize each and every post for the search engines is Scribe SEO. Created by the brilliant folks at Copyblogger and the Thesis WordPress theme, Scribe SEO is like having your own team of seo copywriter elves sitting in your WordPress blog. Available for most any web page, "creating search optimized web pages, blog posts, and press releases used to be time consuming at best and mystifying at worst. Not Anymore". I just LUV it.

Nuts and Bolts

Of course, it is more than just a method for organizing users and data. Most membership-based websites use their member system as a selling point in itself -- Facebook's immense size and completeness draws in users from all around the world; PlentyofFish's homely design and friendly atmosphere brings in thousands of new users every day, and Twitter's fast-paced style results in rapid growth.

While these companies share a common design and user management style, they differ in one major aspect: their profitability. Facebook is a privately traded company, and thus does not share their earnings with the public. PlentyofFish is highly profitable, a fact well known amongst internet marketers. Finally, Twitter has yet to make a cent, but stands to potentially become one of the most profitable online companies around.

This profitability divide raises an interesting question: how can you make money from a free membership website? These four methods range from intense to hands-off, highly profitable to a slight trickle of income, and long-term to ultra-quick. If you have a free membership website, by all means experiment with one.

CPC Advertising

Using a cost-per-click advertising platform like Google Adsense can bring in some very easy income to your membership website. With single clicks paying anywhere form a cent to several dollars, a good user presence can turn a no-dollar website into a highly valuable online property in a matter of days.

Most membership website owners will want to experiment with a range of different advertising services, and with different on-page placements. Try placing your Google Adsense advertisements next to a body of page content or user data, causing raised click-through rates and boosted revenue. For best results, do not be afraid to experiment, split-test, and selectively place advertisements. Wondering where you should place Google ads on your pages? There really are certain locations that perform better than others.

There are other search-targeted click advertising sites you should check into, such as Chitika, a favorite of Darren Rowse at Problogger. "For advertisers and media buyers, Chitika is a proven channel for targeting on-line consumers and qualified buyers. For all publishers, Chitika is an easy-to-use platform for earning daily ad revenue."

Affiliate Advertising

I think of affiliate marketing as a way to share great products or services with visitors to my site. It's a great way to promote something you love AND make some money at the same time.

When I find products or services that I enjoy immensely, I like to see if they have an affiliate program. This allows me, as a happy and satisfied customer, to be able to refer new clients to them...and I do so without a question in my mind that the product is of superior quality.

You can also find products to become an affiliate for by joining affiliate marketplaces, such as ClickBank, Click2Sell, Commission Junction, PayDotCom, even Amazon.com.

Big Brand Advertisers

When it comes to big brand advertisers, numbers speak louder than words. That is to say, if your website has masses of traffic pointed towards it, you will have very little trouble attracting commercial advertisers and large companies. Brand-based advertisers love the huge amount of inventory available on large membership websites, and website owners love the potential income available from major companies and advertising networks.

Most brand advertisers will want banner space, so ensure that your website is geared towards banner-style advertisements. Create a top advertising spot, small sidebar advertisements, and if necessary, room for a custom commercial background skin.

Premium Membership Models

A variety of free membership websites have experimented with premium models, with PlentyofFish again standing out as the most well-known example, in the online dating world. Their idea of a premium service was a one-time “premium” badge applied to users' profiles, and it proved to be massively successful. Paid membership numbers increased, overall revenues went through the roof, and PlentyofFish enjoyed rapid growth.

Mixing free and paid content in a single site is very common and a great way to get people interested in the type of content or services that you offer. They come in a wide range of topics. Just look at SEOmoz, Geocaching, Allrecipes, WebShots, and the International Social Media Association.

If you are feeling experimental, perhaps this is something you want to try.

Mix em up!

You might notice that this site is based on providing an ad-free Premium membership level, but ads are visible for free content viewers. I'm using a combination of Google Adsense, global Affiliate advertising, and category specific Affiliate advertising. By utilizing the Widget Logic WordPress plugin I'm easily able to specifiy when ads are to be displayed and when they aren't, even down to showing very specific product affiliate banners only to the appropriate post categories. Way kewl.

Andrea is a Certified WishList Member Site Developer.

Contact her at 866-854-9550 for more information.

We have seen brands and businesses succeed on social media. From Nike to AirAsia, Comcast to Netflix, thousands of worldwide companies and major brands have embraced social media and used it as a force to improve their business and boost returns. Even small businesses have seen the effects of a positive social media presence first hand, with some of Los Angeles' mobile food services using Twitter and Facebook as a means to gather audiences and boost sales.

However, there is one thing that all of these businesses had in common before they stepped aboard the social media success train: a well-built, thought out business model. For every social media success story, there are several failures, primarily businesses that simply have not thought through their business models or marketing strategies.

Thousands of them bet it all on social media, somehow expecting it to work, and most of the time, it does not. If your new business is heavily invested in social media, especially to the point where it makes up the bulk of your marketing model, it might be best to examine just what social media can't do before you get started.

1. Social media can't create income out of nowhere.

Sorry, but it just does not happen. While social media marketing can benefit businesses with an already established business and income model, it certainly can't turn a business with no cash flow model into a big earner. While it may seem slick and worthwhile to invest in social media before all else, it is much more important to stop and look at the vital parts of your business: cash flow, income sources, and long-term plans.

2. Social media can't make up for bad PR.

Putting a bandage over a gunshot wound will do little to heal it. While companies are rushing to embrace social media as a PR model, most will find little benefit in it. If your company has experienced a streak of poor press and bad PR, social media can provide you with a platform to respond on. However, you certainly can't generate public sympathy and positive attention just  by having a Twitter account or Facebook fan page. That takes dedicated PR work, on or off social media.

3. Social media can't be used as a spam platform.

Why? Because social media is built on public participation, and spam simply doesn't last when it's put out in public. Spam emails and click-through links work because of the silent confidence and privacy that comes with email. When exposed to crowds of social media followers and public users, spam links don't become a target for clicks, but a quick target for moderation and removal.

4. Social media won't reward freeloaders.

There is a funny divide in perceptions that is very present in social media. Some users consider social media free media, giving them the power to broadcast any message for free, without participation or rehearsal. Others consider it earned media, media that requires participation and work in order to have effects.

The second camp is right -- social media depends on participation and input, not optimization and freeloading. While the occasional low-effort tweet or status update might get out there, the most valuable and successful social media presences don't just coast by on minimal effort -- they put in the time to generate their marketing results.

Let's start with the end in mind.

Your Ultimate Goal: Pull in all posts from your multiple RSS feeds into the Facebook Notes application.

You have a Facebook profile and/or Page. Facebook has a default application called Facebook Notes. You have several places you submit articles to or write posts on, and each one of those has its own RSS feed. Each time you post to any one of these places you would like it to be displayed in your Facebook Notes app. Why use Facebook Notes instead of adding a 3rd party Facebook RSS application that allows you to pull in multiple feeds?

It's simple, really.

The Facebook Notes app is the only one you can tag your friends in.

To find out more about why tagging in Facebook Notes is awesome, you must check out Mari Smith's blog post on the subject. Here's the problem: Facebook Notes only allows you to import one RSS feed. So...what can you do? You want to have a "mashup" of all your RSS feeds into one and create a single "combination" RSS feed. Fortunately for you, there are several online tools that allow you to do this, but today I'm going to show you how to use Yahoo Pipes to accomplish this.

I'm including some YouTube videos (not my own) on how to work with Yahoo Pipes to build your combination RSS feed. Plus, I'm also including my video on how it works in the Facebook Notes application and what the final results look like. I also found a blog article listing some cool ways to use Yahoo Pipes, so if you're interested in finding out more about it - check it out.

I have to tell you though, using Yahoo Pipes takes some getting used to. They do provide tutorials and I highly recommend reading them, but to get right to the point of this post, the YouTube videos I'm including are quick and easy. Perfect for what we want to know right now about how Yahoo Pipes fits into what we want to accomplish in Facebook.

YouTube Videos: You'll notice you can accomplish the same thing by using different methods. A huge thank you to the creators of these videos!

Here's my video included in this post:

Click To Play

I hope you enjoy this tip!

Listen in on a panel discussion between several virtual assistants, as we talk about our role in helping our clients handle their social marketing strategy. Hear first-hand the concerns, some do's an don't's, and brainstorming ideas taking place during the conversation. Audio is below.

This is a direct follow-up to my earlier podcast, when Facebook expert Mari Smith and I talk about how business professionals can utilize virtual assistants to help them manage their social marketing.

As a business professional, are you thinking of hiring a virtual assistant to help you enter the world of Social Marketing?

Earlier this week Mari Smith and I had an absolutely wonderful and eye-opening conversation about the relationship between a business professional and their virtual assistant when it comes to Social Media Marketing. Mari is not only a fantastic Facebook coach and guru, but she also utilizes a virtual assistant to help her with her own social marketing strategies and provides us with the business professional's point of view. Invaluable stuff here! Check out the audio of our conversation below

We discussed how important it is that the virtual assistant and the business professional work together to determine what the virtual assistant will be doing for them, and what they'll be handling themself. This 2-way communication is the foundation to a successful business relationship. It's a team effort.

Yes, it's true. The business professional will need to have a hands-on approach on certain things, which Mari and I discuss in detail during our conversation. Without both parties working together on the social marketing strategy, it is doomed to fail. Or in the least, it will not be as successful and productive as you had hoped.

Another point that was so obvious during our conversation was the fact that the virtual assistant MUST have some personal experience within the various social networks. That's why, as a virtual assistant, you really need to get a bit of training and dig into them yourself. Your clients are counting on you to be their guiding light. You don't have to be an expert, just experienced.

The key topics we discussed were:
1) Things a virtual assistant can definately do on behalf their client.
2) Things a virtual assistant most definately SHOULD NOT do on behalf of their client.
3) Things that COULD be done by a virtual assistant on behalf of their client, based upon the relationship between the VA and client, and how well they know them.

Our conversation was so engaging, an hour went by in a flash. It took twists and turns and new ideas unfolded on-the-fly. There are many other aspects of this topic and ideas to discuss that Mari and I both agree we'll be continuing our discussion at a later date.

As a Relationship Specialist, Internet Marketing Consultant, and Facebook Coach, Mari is a wealth of information and inspiration to us all on how to effectively and properly interact with each other in our internet relationships. She is a joy to speak with and a truly genuine person.

You can find out more about Mari's expertise, programs, and services at:
www.marismith.com
www.whyfacebook.com
www.facebook4pros.com

Looking for a virtual assistant? Check out these resources and submit an RFP (Request for Proposal):

IVAA: www.ivaa.org

VANetworking: www.vanetworking.com

Check out the audio of our conversation below.

Facebook! LinkedIn! Social Bookmarking! Blogs! Podcasting! AAARRRGGG!

Are you feeling the pressure of not being able to fit social marketing into your schedule? We've built a program just for you!

We developed a course that has been specifically designed for those that are already stretched on time, but still want to use social marketing sites and strategies to build and market their business. Sound like anyone you
know??

With this email-delivered program, you can create a complete social marketing strategy with limited amounts of time to devote to its growth. Juggling everything may seem daunting, but with a regular
schedule, you'll be able to maximize your efforts with less time than you think.

Who this program is perfect for:
• -those that believe they are too busy to fit social marketing into their schedule.
• -those that are overwhelmed by all they read that they SHOULD be doing.
• -those that can commit to spending 15 to 30 minutes a day to tend to their social marketing structure.

Why this program is different from other social marketing courses:
• -It won't cover absolutely everything available in the social marketing arena, which is likely to overwhelm you.
• -It will focus on the most effective strategies.
• -It provides a companion website for course material and ongoing news, tips, and ideas in the social marketing world – this is located in the E-Learning Center.
• -We'll be helping you to participate in your social marketing strategy in manageable chunks.

-Program plan:
• -Setup – Your first 6 emails will be once a week and are focused on laying the groundwork for your success. These are spaced so you'll have plenty of time in between each one to get everything done.
• -The Grunt Work -- After the groundwork is done, you'll receive daily emails for the next 21 days walking you through how to effectively market your business using the social networking sites and other strategies.
• -Follow-up -- After the daily emails, we'll follow up with reminders, tips & tricks once a week for 4 weeks, then twice a month for 2 months
• -Companion Website to keep you current. Fresh and new content is added regularly! All the material that is received via email is also posted here. Perfect for those that want to speed up or slow down the course. I've already posted an additional 14 bonus content items, with more to come.

The cost is only $85 for both the email-delivered program PLUS 6 months access to the companion website and all the bonus content. To sign up, go to: www.virtualassist.net/amember and log in. If you're not already registered, you'll be asked to register first.

Here's to your social marketing success!

Andrea

Andrea Kalli Virtual Trainer and Assistant, LLC

www.virtualassist.net

Click To Play