The Tribe Course – Stu McLaren

• The four reasons someone joins any membership site. The REAL reason someone joins a membership is very different than what you’d expect. And when you know this, you can position yourself, your community and what you offer to really stand out. It will give you a HUGE strategic advantage.
• The two must have pieces of research you need to know about your market in order to position your membership as a “I need this” resource vs “maybe I’ll give it a try”. I’ll show you exactly how to find this information and how to use it. Knowing this, members will be MUCH more likely to stay longer – which is what you want because that’s what will give you the opportunity to really serve them and make a lot more money.
• The six membership models and how to pick the one that’s right for you. Not every membership model is right for every market. That’s why I’ll walk you through selecting the one that will be the best fit for your market and the type of business you currently have.
• The “less stress” membership philosophy. Everything in the Foundation Strategy is intentionally designed around two core beliefs that I have about membership sites – maximize profitability while minimizing stress. There are many things you can do with a membership site. But one of the most important discoveries I had was that if your membership site becomes overwhelming for YOU or your clients, the site will struggle. I’ll show you how to make it low stress, profitable and fun.

This module is all about setting you up for success. It’s about designing the perfect business – and that’s what I’ll show you how to do. Next we’ll dive into your Content Strategy.

• The “Success Path”… which, regardless of your market, will provide your audience tremendous clarity and momentum (and that’s one of the reasons they won’t ever want to leave). I’ll walk you through creating your own path.
• How to create a year’s worth of content in less than a week. This is NOT about you being stuck on any content treadmill. This is about you designing a content strategy that incorporates massive amounts of leverage, to free up time (while providing a TON of value).
• The two types of must have content every membership needs. Most “hobby sites” only have one… and that’s a BIG reason why they fail long-term.
• Why LOTS of content is actually the kiss of death for long-term success. If you’re thinking that you just throw a bunch of content into a members area and call it a day, you’re wrong. That won’t work. More content does NOT mean more value – it’s actually the kiss of death. I’ll share how much to provide, when to deliver it and in what format.
• The #1 reason people cancel… and how to structure your content to avoid high cancellations. Because did you know that the timing of when you deliver your content can and will dramatically impact how long people will stay? Same content, different timing. It makes all the difference.

The more strategic you are with your content, the more freedom you’ll create for yourself and the more value you’ll bring to your audience. Once we’ve designed your content strategy, then we shift gears to focus on your marketing strategy.

Here’s specifically what we’ll cover:

• Open vs. Closed marketing plans. I’ve tried both and they each work. However, one will bring 3X the results with a fraction of the effort. I’ll share the case study on why there is only one option if you want year-over-year increases.
• The 7 pricing strategies… and specifically which ones will have the highest ROI in your market.
• The subtle pre-launch commitment campaign that generates massive momentum prior to any launch… and virtually guarantees your opening week is a HUGE success.
• The simple 3-part launch process and the timing of each part that broadens your reach and boosts your conversions.
• How to position your membership as a “must have” resource vs. “nice to have”.
• Evergreen campaigns, wait list promotions and other tactical blueprints that consistently bring you a steady stream of new members month after month.

Just be warned, many of the strategies in this module will be counter intuitive to what most people teach. But you and I don’t want “normal” results. We want a site that grows year after year – and that’s exactly what will happen for you when you implement the lessons from this module. Then, once you have new members joining, you’ll need to keep them happy and paying month after month. That’s what I’ll show you next.

If you’ve ever heard that members normally only stay for 3-4 months, then you know that person does not have a solid retention plan. My clients see members staying for YEARS, not months. So I’ll walk you through…

• The real reasons people stay (there are only 4 of them)… and how knowing this will shape the way you position your content, your marketing and ultimately your retention plan.
• One minor tweak that instantly tripled the lifetime customer value of a well known magazine… and how to use the same technique in your membership.
• How a subtle shift in the way content was delivered reduced the “drop off rate” by 40% of a well known subscription service. It’s so easy to apply and will almost instantly boost your lifetime value.
• Why the first 45 days are critical to your success… and the 7 actions you want every member taking to ensure their happiness.
• Membership guidelines and rules that impact people’s perception of your community
• Gamification and the role it plays in increasing your overall engagement (as well as how to implement it in a super simple way).
• Launch pricing and how to use it to increase commitment from your members while also increasing the perceived value of everything that you’re doing.

This module is so jammed packed that it could be it’s own separate course. But as you’ll see, I’ve broken it down into bite sized chunks that you’ll be able to pick and choose the strategies that make sense for your site. And as your membership grows and your members are happy, you’re going to need to get clear on how you will scale the business. Which leads us to the final module…

• The 4 growth stages of your membership… and why too many site owners rush the third stage which causes their sales plateau.
• The critical numbers you need to know in order to really scale the membership to high 7 and 8-figure businesses.
• The roles you should be looking to hire for and the timing for when you should hire them (because contrary to popular belief, you shouldn’t necessarily hire them right away).
• Tasks that can be quickly automated.
• Effective strategies for attracting highly engaged volunteers who will eagerly help you manage your community.

My goal with every client is to create a recurring revenue stream that frees you up to do what you do best. I want the same thing for you – and that’s what we’ll discuss in this module.