If I were trying to accomplish what I’m doing with the new site ten years ago, it probably would have cost me in the upwards of 4 figures to set this all up.
Just think…
Before WordPress and other CMSs, you had to hire programmers to setup complex databases. Today, you can just choose a plugin that does what you want.
Now that I’m learning how it all works, I’m really sorry I didn’t jump into this sooner.
When you’re faced with so many options, it can be paralyzing. And no matter what option you choose there are always going to be pros and cons.
So it’s really about choosing the option that has the most features you want, and go with it.
Now that the fear and analysis paralysis is gone, I’m looking forward to the freedom, control, flexibility and helping YOU have the same.
Why I Chose MemberMouse
Thanks to plugins like WishList Member, Paid Memberships Pro, S2Member and MemberMouse, you can sell content and video on your site with ease.
I’m only an affiliate for Member Mouse as I have not used the other plugins listed. However, these are some of the most popular membership plugins WordPress users use today.
You can opt for…
- a simple, one-time fee product setup
- a full-blown membership site
- a combo of both
I chose MemberMouse (MM) because it seemed to have the most features I wanted without having to install additional plugins, and they have a solid support record.
Are there cheaper options? Yes, of course. There are even FREE options.
MM is $20/month for up to 50,000 customers/members. So it pays for itself very early on.
But I don’t mind going with a monthly payment plugin because I like how they constantly reinvest into their product by adding new features.
It’s something that will grow with me, and they have several customers with over 100,000 members on their WordPress sites.
But it definitely has a learning curve and takes some getting used to. I could create a course on this product alone.
And…
I probably will! 🙂
They do have basic videos, but I have learned a lot on my own in order to apply the plugin features to MY individual situation.
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being easiest to use, I’d give them a 7.
It took me some time to learn the ropes. Those 3 missing points just give me room to make a course in the future. Ha! 🙂
Taking Baby Steps
I’ve learned (thanks to your feedback) to take my time and work in stages.
Many of you have given me such solid advice and suggestions based on your experiences, and I’m definitely taking notes! So thank you.
It was also cool to see how many of you are in transition with your business as well, so we can learn and share together. I really enjoy reading about your journeys so please keep those emails coming.
I’m glad I decided to share this process publicly. Plus, by sharing what you are struggling with is giving me content ideas for this blog and the new site.
If you are thinking of creating a full-blown membership site, you should realize that you don’t just set them up without much thought just because you are excited about residual income. No way!
You need to plan what you will offer and how you will offer it for the long-run.
That’s why I’m starting out by offering an introductory, one-time-fee course for anyone interested in selling their videos and/or courses online.
I’m keeping it simple.
But when I’m ready to branch out and make it more like a membership site, I can do that too.
MM is compatible with BuddyPress (WordPress’ free forum software). So I can even offer a customer-only forum if I want down the line.
Why So Long?
I waited a long time to sell from WordPress because of indecision about the plugin choice, video hosting, etc.
It’s hella intimidating when you’ve never done this before, but not so bad once you just make the decision to jump in and learn.
Another reason I chose MM is they are involved in the backend during the purchasing process. (Every order hits their server before hitting PayPal, Stripe, etc.)
So I always have another party involved and I need that.
I wanted the comfort of solid support, and I have already put them to the test several times! So far they’ve responded within an hour or so.
I even spoke to the founder, Eric, on the phone because my plugin didn’t install with all the tables for some some odd reason. Eric logged in with a temp account I setup and fixed me right up.
You know how some companies are very responsive before you become a customer, but get lax with support once you sign up?
Yeah, well… I wanted to make sure that didn’t happen. Let’s hope support stays top notch.
I’m Testing Like Craaaazy!
MM has a convenient testing platform with pre-populated test data that lets me run through the entire order process without using test/sandbox payment info from PayPal, Stripe, etc.
So I can quickly speed through (view confirmation page, test coupon codes, welcome emails, etc.) from start to finish.
I can even login as the customer with one click to see what pages/courses they can access (or can’t).
Being able to test all this with such great detail before going live gives me tremendous comfort. I’ve probably run close to 100 tests in the last month.
You Have Options!
Many people today are gravitating more toward turnkey, 3rd party course platforms (Teachable, Udemy etc.)
I totally understand why. These methods are certainly easier to setup, and the options we have online continue to grow.
That’s a good thing and a testament to how the e-learning space is growing. But at the same time, choosing a platform is becoming more overwhelming for newbies.
What’s great about selling courses or videos online is you can choose a setup that costs you virtually nothing at all (Udemy, GumRoad, for example) or spend hundreds per year on a more advanced setup (Ruzuku).
It really depends on what you want to invest in and how simple/complex you want to go.
For my setup, it’s costing about $33/month.
That includes…
- Hosting video files with Vimeo (I can protect videos so they can only be viewed/embedded on my site. YouTube video files cannot be protected at this level.)
- WP CourseWare plugin (A course plugin is optional and I’m configuring my site so I can remove it without much hassle if I choose.)
- MemberMouse subscription (It provides customer access to the course content after purchase.)
At the same time, I could have chosen a setup that cost me almost nothing, other than small transaction fees.
Again, you have options and that’s what’s great about all the various plugins, 3rd party sites etc.
A 101 Intro Course for Newbies
My first course on the new site is going to break all the course hosting options down (WordPress, 3rd party, low-cost, high-end and even the almost-free options).
I’m basically creating a product I wish I had access to when I first started selling courses.
I will strive to generate the same kind of reactions seen in the reviews of my Photoshop course.
I really enjoy the challenge of finding ways to break seemingly complex things down into laymen’s terms.
The new course is going to be perfect if you are…
- Looking to move away from Udemy or another 3rd party and use WordPress
- Wanting to sell videos or courses online (WordPress or 3rd party), but are overwhelmed with what you need and how to start
- Hoping to learn more about the pros and cons of all the options (self hosted or remotely hosted)
- Looking for less expensive options with minimal setup
- Fed up with low YouTube partner earnings and looking to better monetize your video content
The selection process can be intimidating if you’ve never done this before, and I am going to break everything down to provide tremendous clarity.
Change can be paralyzing, and as a result, you end up doing nothing.
Yep! Been there.
My mission is to pull you out of that phase by breaking down the info into delicious, bite-size chunks of info. 🙂
You may not want a setup as advanced as mine, and thankfully there are many other options. The course will cover those too.
That’s why I’m taking my time with this and really learning about all options, so I can offer a very thorough course for newbies.
I’m Being More Strategic
Another strategy I’m using that I didn’t use here is to start with a 101/intro course to upsell future courses — as opposed to offering random courses on various topics that aren’t necessarily related.
And to pique interest in the course, I’m putting together a free, color-coded PDF that summarizes the key features of popular options for selling videos and courses online.
This will be my lead magnet to help grow my email list.
I will be using Convert Kit (not an affiliate because I haven’t used it). This is going to pull anyone interested on this site over to the new list.
Then the magic happens… 🙂
From there, I can segment the list how I want. For example…
I might even include an option that says…
I’m not interested in selling courses at all. I just signed up to be nosy. Ha! 🙂
That way I can delete people from the list who are just signing up out of curiosity.
I’m so incredibly serious about the purity of my new email list.
[clickToTweet tweet=”I don’t JUST care about growing a big email list. I care more about the quality of the list.” quote=”I don’t JUST care about growing a big email list. I care more about the quality of the list.”]
I’d rather have 100 people on my list who want the same things than 30,000 with only a small percentage interested in what I’m selling.
Real talk!
This is the kind of information I’m looking forward to sharing more here on this blog once I get going with the new site.
I’ve noticed email marketing is a strong pain point with a lot of you. Well, we can learn and grow together.
Regarding The Launch…
When the introductory course launches, you will get an email with your launch discount.
Make sure you’re on this list.
And let me just say, act on the generous launch discount because the courses on the new site are not just going to be given away dirt cheap.
I’m so excited about all this; especially now that testing is going well and I can see it in action.
Notice how everything is going to be so much more strategic and focused than anything I’ve ever done.
But I can’t lie…
This new venture is scary for many reasons, but how will you ever learn and grow if you don’t step out and do something new and uncomfortable, right?
I’ll keep you posted, and would love to hear more about your experiences selling video/courses online.
I know this is a hot topic at the moment, so I wanted to say thank you for taking the time to share another great post. Best of luck with the course, it sounds like things are coming together nicely.
I love your boldness. When you want to do something, even if you don’t understand it 100%, you take a leap of faith and go for it. I have finally adopted that approach with some ideas I have to make money on line – which involves teaching through videos, so your lessons will really come in handy for me. My first leap of faith is to begin selling my first eBook online. I am in the process of purchasing my cover, and once that is completed, I’m going to upload it and begin marketing it. I’m saying this because it took me a long time to get my nerve up to take the first step. Thanks for being an example of showing the significance of taking a leap, even if you don’t understand everything right away.
Lisa you are the best.. thanks alot
Great post!!!
Im excited to use this.
Creating a membership website to sell online courses can be my niche too.
Thanks for the inspiration!
Hi Lisa,
It was really a awesome post, selling videos and memberships is a great idea, it boosts our business a lot, and i liked the quote you have mentioned, crawl before you walk, really we have to start with little steps and then hop in, thank you for sharing this article.
This is down to Earth talk for affiliate marketing success. Most affiliates don’t understand the concept of crawling before walking, because some think it’s easier said to push a button and think they’re going to amass millions online in a matter of months. Things don’t work like that. In fact, affiliate marketers have to work harder at making money online vs. ppl who work 9 to 5 day jobs because affiliates don’t get pension and social security from this line of work. An affiliate-internet marketer have to create their own everything “healthcare, future savings, in-house fiscal and monetary financial plan,” and so on.
Hi Lisa
I love your posts and you’ve been an inspiration to me on my journey to build a personal blog – which I’m just about to launch.
I also work for a company that has several sites and I was involved when we recently built a membership site. I don’t do the technical stuff at work but have learnt a ‘hella’ lot from being around the guys that do.
The membership set up they went with is called DAP – Digital Access Pass.
I know that it took a while to set up and wasn’t that intuitive – and I also know the guys here got a lot of good support from the provider. It looks like overkill for any simple membership needs I’ll have in the immediate future on my own site but I though nit’s worth mentioning as you’d compared other options.
Oh, and I’m using Thrive on my new site too. I git the whole suite which they use at work on some sites and they love it.
Keep on doing what you do.
Penny
Thanks Penny, I did look at that one too but there was something I didn’t like about it. Can’t remember now because I’ve reviewed so many. But I appreciate you letting me know!
Hi Lisa
Probably just that it’s very sophisticated and that makes it a bit tricky to set up. Oh, and it’s a monthly fee!
Penny
Yeah MemberMouse is also monthly but I don’t actually mind paying a recurring fee because typically the developers keep reinvesting and upgrading the product more often. So that can be a good thing but I do know that scares people off. I’m usually one who prefers a one-time fee product myself, but MM had what I wanted.
Hi Lisa,
Great post im excited to use this!!!
Hey Lisa,
First off, I haven’t heard the expression “hella” since my time growing up in Northern Cali. You’re not from there, are you? I think it’s a thing that we think we have a patent on the term. I didn’t think anyone that grew up outside of Northern Cali had ever even heard it. 🙂
Ok, sticking to the topic at hand. If I’m signed up to your email list, will I get a copy of your free eBook about MemberMouse? Or is there something else I need to do to get it?
Thanks, Lisa! I’m looking forward to following more of your journey and learning what I can along the way.
LOL! Really? No, I didn’t grow up there. It was a very common term in St. Louis as well. I still hear lots of people use it. 🙂
Yes, what I will do is send an email to everyone on this list and if you are interested in the new information then you have to sign up for the list on the new site. I will be sending out an invitation to those on this list. So stay tuned!
You learn something new every day. 🙂 It’s funny because that’s one way that people can sometimes tell the difference between a Northern Cali person and a Southern Cali person. That one expression. I’m going to have to break their minds next time I’m there and let them know that the expression is used elsewhere as well. LOL 🙂
I’m elsewhere now, so I don’t hear it anymore.
Sounds good, Lisa, with the email list dealio and all! 🙂 I’m kind of in a change of pace phase, too, so it’s cool to be tracking with your frequency here. I feel like its sort of a pointer to me that I just might be heading in the right direction. You really do have to keep up with the times and change things up when something isn’t working. So is the way with life, why wouldn’t it be with our businesses as well?
Hi Lisa,
I love your boldness. When you want to do something, even if you don’t understand it 100%, you take a leap of faith and go for it. I have finally adopted that approach with some ideas I have to make money on line – which involves teaching through videos, so your lessons will really come in handy for me. My first leap of faith is to begin selling my first eBook online. I am in the process of purchasing my cover, and once that is completed, I’m going to upload it and begin marketing it. I’m saying this because it took me a long time to get my nerve up to take the first step. Thanks for being an example of showing the significance of taking a leap, even if you don’t understand everything right away.
Hi Carolyn
You never learn if you don’t try right? And once you take that first step, each step gets easier and easier. I wish you the best.
Great post, Lisa, and thanks for sharing your steps along the way. I listened to your podcast about why you were moving away from Udemy and why you wanted to host your courses and have more control. I totally understand but not sure I am up for the learning curve as I seem to always be in a learning curve with just about everything. Ha. I am looking at teachable and teacheary right now. Do you know if there is much difference between them and Udemy? Thank you. Keep pressing on!
Hey Diane!
Yes there is a big difference. Udemy is free and COMPLETELY remotely hosted – meaning they handle everything from hosting your video, collecting your payments, etc. BUT there are limitations to what you can charge (this is new). Teachable and Teachery have no price limits but they cost you a monthly fee.
Lisa,
I love how authentic you are. Please DON’T change!!
I learn things from you that most people in your position wont share off the bat– Maybe because they are building up for more courses to sell to their subscriber list.
However, I just appreciate your willingness to just put it all out there. Good bad & the UGLY girl.
Just stay true girl, and I am POSITIVE you will continue to GROW.
Thanks very much GF. BTW are you following me on twitter? If not, please do, I will support there as well. I’m pretty sure I’ve been following you. If you tweet something you want to spread around, make sure you just @ me, and I’ll know what to do with it. Like, re-tweet, or whatever. Girrrl I ONLY support the most authentic! You fit that bill 10 fold.
https://twitter.com/StephieGellepes
Just followed you! There is nothing more important to me than maintaining that authenticity and integrity. It has taken me far out here so I will never lose that. You don’t know how much this means to me so thank you for all your support.
Hi Lisa,
Do you know if I can use MemberMouse with GoDaddy’s website builder?
If you have an 800 number for MemberMouse, I’d like to just call them.
Robert Campbell
Hey Robert,
No you cannot. It’s a plugin for WordPress only.
Hi Lisa,
I have followed you for many years and have always loved your content and the information you share. I think this is a great transition! It appears you have your finger on the pulse of where things are going and you’re doing a great job mapping it all out.
Thanks for sharing with us your plans for the new site and the software you will be using, MemberMouse. I think your strategy is spot-on and will allow you to scale things up.
I am really looking forward to following you on this journey, learning how to create and offer e-courses on my own site, and applying what you teach because it’s a business model I’ve been considering for a couple of years.
Lisa, you have inspired me to jump in and make it happen! 🙂
Awesome Iris! Inspiring is what I like to do. I’m excited too. 🙂 Thanks for your support.
Hi Lisa,
I know this is a hot topic at the moment, so I wanted to say thank you for taking the time to share another great post. Best of luck with the course, it sounds like things are coming together nicely.
Hi Lisa, I will be watching to see how this all plays out. Thanks for all of your info over the years.
Thanks Allan!
I am a “newbie” still wet behind the ears, but have an intense drive to learn as many new things as possible. So, I purchased a course with Udemy and got to it. Sadly, 4 steps into it, the 5th step couldn’t be done because of some server change or removal from one program and put into another hosting site.
I contacted the person who created the course and got a response of; “Oh yeah, sorry about that, this is how you have to do it now . . .” The change was virtually impossible for me to do so I threw my hands up, defeated and more confused than I was before. I’m sincerely hoping I can choose one of your courses and not feel overwhelmed or expecting a oops. sorry about that.
I really need to do this, any suggestions, I’m all ears! Thanks for listening to my rant, but I really am looking forward to learning from you.
Oh noooo! That’s not good. That’s why it’s important courses remain up-to-date. So are you trying to move your courses to another platform? What are you wanting to do?
Sooo you know that I am jumping up and down and tootsie rolling at the same time.
I cannot wait to see how things unfold with you and the new site chica! This is just so much awesomeness I cant contain myself.
Membermouse looks super dope so looking forward to the unveil of the site and how you will be using the plugin.
Cheers and have a great dayyy!
I almost choked on my water. LOL Tootsie Roll!! Oh you took me back to my college days. Thank you, girly!!!
{sad face}
Hi Lisa,
I’m one of those nosy looky-loos that you would probably delete. But there is the thing: your site has always been about teaching and I get so much value, even if I don’t want to do all the things you do.
You taught me about products and services that I have used. So, rather than clutter up your list, what is my best option for “auditing” your course?
As always, congratulations on attaining this next level of authority and content creation!
Cheers,
Mitch
Hey Mitch
I may not actually do that last option. LOL I will probably go more by who opens the emails over time. I think that’s a better gauge of how who is interested or not. You’ll be able to see exactly how my course/site is setup through the ebook I give away. Member Mouse also allows a free trial. So perhaps I can offer a short free trial as well. That’s certainly an option too.
{happy face}
Hi Lisa,
Yay! I do try to support you, when I don’t feel like I’m fracturing my focus. (I have a PluralSights account and I don’t even visit that as much as I should…)
Cheers,
Mitch
What WordPress theme will you be using for for the site?
The Hello Theme by Genesis, but it’s going to be moderately customized from the demo. I definitely wanted something with a pic on the front for personalization and I like the front-page layout for opt-ins, etc.
Oh and forgot to add I also bought Thrive Content Builder so I can further customize the pages.
Lisa, you are the first person that I started following 3 years ago when I became interested in setting up a website. I love how you are REAL and talk about the realistic things that we all struggle with. I have learned so much from you and will continue to follow your endeavors and learn more. I have taken all of your courses and am looking forward to seeing your new courses and your new site. Thank you for all that you share with us!
Thank you Paula for your support. Wow! You’ve bought all my courses? That’s pretty cool. What loyalty! Thank you.