Why have a membership site?
With the rise of the internet and the increasing demand for online coaching, membership sites have become a popular choice for coaches to share their knowledge, connect with their audience, and build a thriving community.
The online coaching industry has experienced exponential growth in recent years, especially during the Covid pandemic period. Despite the return to a more ‘normal’ lifestyle as the pandemic has eased, more people seek guidance, support, and mentorship in various aspects of their lives.
In fact, the global online coaching market size was valued at around USD 2.9 Billion in 2022 and is projected to reach around USD 6.79 Billion by 2031.
Membership sites provide a platform for coaches to create an exclusive community where they can offer valuable content, resources, and support to their members.
These sites allow coaches to package their expertise into structured courses, group coaching programs, or ongoing memberships, providing a continuous learning experience for their audience. The recurring revenue model of membership sites also offers coaches a predictable income stream and the opportunity to scale their coaching business.
The popularity of membership sites can be attributed to several factors:
Create a centralized hub for coaches to share their knowledge and interact with their members. This allows for a more personalized and engaging experience compared to traditional coaching methods such as one-on-one sessions or physical workshops.
Provide a sense of community and belonging for members. Coaches can foster a supportive environment where members can connect with like-minded individuals, share their experiences, and receive guidance from both the coach and their peers. This sense of community enhances the overall coaching experience and encourages members to stay engaged and committed to their personal growth journey.
The opportunity for coaches to monetize their expertise effectively. By providing exclusive content and resources behind a paywall, coaches can generate recurring revenue from their membership fees. This recurring income model provides stability and allows coaches to focus on delivering value to their members rather than constantly seeking new clients.
Importance of Choosing the Right Platform
Choosing the right platform for building a successful membership site is a critical decision that can significantly impact the functionality, user experience, and overall success of the site. With numerous platform options available, it’s important for coaches to carefully consider their needs, goals, and target audience when making this decision.
One of the primary reasons why platform selection is crucial is because it determines the features and capabilities available to the coach and their members. Different platforms offer varying functionalities, such as content management, payment integration, marketing automation, and community building tools. It’s important for coaches to identify their specific requirements and prioritize the platforms that offer the necessary features to meet those needs.
Selecting the right platform can also save coaches time, money, and effort in the long run. By choosing a platform that aligns with their goals and requirements, coaches can avoid the hassle of switching platforms or dealing with limitations that hinder their ability to provide a seamless user experience. It’s essential to thoroughly research and assess different platforms to ensure they offer the necessary flexibility, scalability, and ease of use.
Moreover, the platform choice should align with the coach’s target audience. Factors such as user-friendliness, customization options, and integrations can greatly impact the user experience. Coaches should consider the preferences and technical capabilities of their audience to ensure the platform offers a smooth and enjoyable experience for their members.
Top membership site platforms for online coaches
Kajabi
Kajabi offers a user-friendly interface that simplifies the process of building and managing a membership site. It provides a suite of tools for content creation, including course builders, drip content, and multimedia integration.
The platform’s marketing automation capabilities help coaches attract, engage, and convert potential members with features like email marketing and sales funnels.
It also offers customizable templates and branding options, allowing coaches to create a visually appealing and personalized membership site.
Kajabi offers different pricing plans, including Basic, Growth, and Pro, to cater to coaches with varying needs and budgets.
Coaches can customize their membership site’s look and feel with customizable templates, branding options, and domain mapping. Some of the more well known coaches that use Kajabi include Amy Porterfield and Brendon Burchard.
Memberpress
For those of you who prefer to keep all your content within the WordPress environment, Memberpress offers a powerful content management system that allows coaches to organize, protect, and deliver their content to members.
It supports various payment gateways, making it easy for coaches to integrate secure payment options into their membership site. It offers flexible pricing options, such as one-time payments, recurring subscriptions, and tiered membership levels, to accommodate different customer preferences.
The platform provides robust community building tools, including member forums and social engagement features, to foster interaction and connection among members.
Memberpress offers three pricing plans: Basic, Plus, and Pro, providing coaches with different levels of features and support.
Also, Coaches can customize their membership site’s appearance and functionality using the available themes, templates, and custom CSS options. A well-known personality in the online marketing space, Neil Patel, uses Memberpress.
Ontraport
Ontraport is a comprehensive business automation and CRM platform that offers robust membership site capabilities. We love it because it combines membership site functionality with powerful marketing automation tools, allowing coaches to manage their coaching business seamlessly.
The platform offers a user-friendly interface and drag-and-drop functionality, making it easy for coaches to build and customize their membership site without coding knowledge. It has advanced content management features, including drip content, course builders, and multimedia integration, to deliver a dynamic learning experience for members.
In addition, Ontraport’s marketing automation capabilities help coaches attract, nurture, and convert leads into paying members with features like email marketing, funnel creation, and conversion tracking. All this is essential for any business to have.
Pricing plans are based on the number of contacts and level of features required, making it suitable for both small-scale and enterprise-level coaching businesses.
Coaches can customize their membership site’s appearance and functionality using Ontraport’s flexible design options, including customizable templates and branding. Some famous online business coaches that use Ontraport include Ryan Levesque of the ASK Method Company.
Comparison of the recommended membership site platforms
We have evaluated each platform based on the following criteria:
- User-friendly interface and customization options
- Payment integration and flexible pricing options
- Content management and delivery features
- Marketing and sales automation capabilities
- Customer support and community building tools
| Kajabi | Memberpress | Ontraport | |
| PROS | – User-friendly interface for easy site building- Robust content creation tools for course delivery- Powerful marketing automation capabilities for attracting and converting members | – Strong content management system for organizing and protecting content- Flexible payment options to cater to different customer preferences- Robust community building tools to foster member interaction | – Comprehensive business automation platform for seamless management- User-friendly interface with drag-and-drop functionality- Advanced content management and marketing automation capabilities |
| CONS | – Limited customization options for branding- Higher pricing plans compared to other platforms | – Limited marketing automation features compared to other platforms- May require additional plugins for advanced functionality | – Higher learning curve for beginners- Pricing plans may be more suitable for larger coaching businesses |
Ultimately, the chosen platform should align with the coach’s requirements and provide the necessary functionality to build a successful membership site.
A Final Word
Choosing the right membership site platform is crucial for online coaches to build a successful coaching business. The platform choice impacts functionality, user experience, and overall site success. Membership sites have gained popularity as they provide a way to create a community, deliver valuable content, and monetize expertise. The recurring revenue and scalability benefits make them an attractive option for coaches.
After evaluating different platforms, we recommend three top membership site platforms for online coaches: Kajabi, Memberpress, and Ontraport. Each platform offers unique features and benefits that cater to coach needs. However, it’s essential to further research and compare these platforms based on specific requirements, considering pros and cons, pricing plans, customization options, and integrations.
We encourage you to start taking action and build a successful membership site. The right platform will provide the tools and capabilities to create a thriving community, deliver valuable content, and monetize expertise.
Choose the platform that resonates with your coaching style, and begin the journey towards building a successful membership site for your online coaching business. The platform is the foundation for growth and success, so take the time to research, evaluate, and make an informed decision.
As a Certified Ontraport Expert, we help to build membership sites for our clients. If you’d like to find out more, please schedule a no obligation call with us, we’ll be happy to discuss how we can use Ontraport to take your business to the next level.
