They come for the content, but they stay for the community.
That is a phrase widely shared when it comes to the world of online communities and memberships. People who are interested often join for community or membership because they feel like they need a specific type of knowledge. And even though it may be true in some respects, the real truth is that we don’t know what we don’t know.
It’s often not until we are in something that we see the value. I can attest this myself. Recently, I went to a live mastermind event where I invested $2,000 simply for the event. And I signed up for one reason alone- because there was one person going that I wanted to learn from. The morning of the event, I learned that this person had to back out at the last minute and wasn’t going to be able to attend.
I would be lying if it didn’t cross my mind a few times that I basically flushed a few grand down the toilet. I wouldn’t have signed up for this if this person hadn’t been attending. So I had to take a deep breath, find a different perspective and see if I could get something out of the event.
During the second day of the mastermind, I was in the hot seat. I came in with one question that I was looking for clarity on. Because I was going to ask that one person their thoughts on this, I was prepared when I asked the group.
An hour later, I had not only the clarity I needed, but I also had an overwhelming response of validation from the attendees. When the session was done, I sat down and said to myself, that was worth the price in itself. Not only that, but I made connections during the mastermind that have already led to new income and a greater network.
In leading my own communities, I struggle with this from the other end. We have two live mastermind calls each week. As the leader, I would love for everyone to be on those calls. But that’s never happened. It’s usually about 15-20% of the community that attends those calls live. And I used to beat myself up about that.
But I did what I guide others to do- to seek feedback. And I realized from that feedback that my perspective- just like with attending that live masterminds- was off.
What did I learn? I learned that the membership offers more value than I realized, and that people find value in different ways.
Some people found the most value in attending the live mastermind calls. But for others, it wasn’t as important.
For some, they get the most value from attending the live retreats, which are only open to members of the community.
Others most value getting access to discounted coaching calls with me- which also is only offered to members of the community.
For others, they value the community the most. Meaning, being connected with other online business owners doing what they are doing, or looking to do. That network is incredibly valuable. Without my personal involvement, there have been countless collaborations that brought individuals more business than they would ever invest in just by being in the community.
That alone- without even being on calls- is very valuable to them.
Others seem to be lurkers, but they watch the replays of the calls and they take the courses within the membership. For those reasons alone, they find the membership worth more than what they invest in.
It would have been a huge mistake on my part to think that just because we get 15%-20% of members on the live calls, that the majority of members weren’t getting value. It turns out that it was the opposite. A diverse membership allows us to offer value in a variety of ways, and the members get to decide what is most valuable to them.
As someone who helps others build, grow and monetize membership sites, my own lessons are big ones to be able to teach others from.
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Here’s a question for you. If you could create a membership on any topic, what would it be about? Allow yourself to dream a bit. Would it be from a hobby that you have? A skill that you possess? A niche community that you would like to bring together? I would LOVE to hear your ideas! Please share them with me at vincent@totallifefreedom.com.
Have an AMAZING week!
Vincent
