We talk a lot about the for-profit model of perpetual memberships. Time to take a look at some of those and see if there are other lessons we can glean.
Hottest subscription/membership services
Here are 10 of the hottest subscription/membership services out there today. Can you think of ways to leverage their ideas and implement them for your membership model?
Just Fab
Pay $39.95 a month and have a pair of shoes delivered to you each month. If you don’t like the shoes, return them. And incur no charge. But beware. There is a deadline by which you must make your decision and notify Just Fab or you will be charged for the shoes.
Could you develop a service by offering books or media offerings under a program like this? A whitepaper of the month?
Mistobox Coffee
Here’s a customized coffee plan just for you. You get custom blended coffee beans by consulting with your personal coffee consultant. Then pay a fee to have your special blend delivered to you on a regular schedule – weekly, monthly, quarterly.
Do you have services for which you can design a customized offering? A concierge level of service, perhaps your own special contact at headquarters?
Amazon Prime
Pay annually to receive discounts and special services all year long. Free two-day shipping, free streaming video services, books plus audio versions. Here, you’re paying for special services.
Think about how you might leverage this idea to deliver your own educational offerings or services.
Dollar Shave Club
They have one of the greatest advertisements ever. I’d use them just for this video!
Consider how you can leverage humor and a new voice to see how it resonates with your members.
Stitch Fix
It starts with a personalized quiz and it ends with the no-hassle shopping experience. Do you ask your members what they want?
Could collecting a personalized profile on your members help you design a suite of services to deliver to them? How could this benefit your organization?
Fruit of the Month Club
The granddaddy of the monthly services, they were ahead of their time. Can you remember a time when Fruit of the Month wasn’t available? Long a go-to gift for those who have everything, it’s still a favorite. It could have its roots back to 1937 when Harry and David introduced the “Box of the Month” plan. (I still like their mail order offerings!)
Weight Watchers – Once you paid by the meeting. Now you can pre-pay for several months at a time and have access to just the services you want – online tracking, meetings, and one-on-one counseling.
Services that are prepaid and perpetual are in demand. Are you offering this to your members?
BirchBox
Beauty products delivered to you once a month. Again they offer customized product selection and a subscription model. Do you see the pattern here?
Audible.com
Recorded books are very popular today. At Audible they offer one ”free” product for a low monthly fee and discounts on further purchases that month.
In essence, that’s the membership model most of us use: pay your dues and get member discounts on other products.
Costco
Whoever thought we’d pay for the privilege of shopping at a store? But we do and we love it, as we carry out our big rolls of paper towels, 10 pounds of chicken breasts, and gallons of olive oil.
They saw what we did in membership-world and really capitalized on it. We feel privileged to be part of “club” and we love getting their monthly magazine. Don’t you want your members to feel cozy with you just like that?
What companies do you know who are doing it right and making membership a marketing tool? Write them down in the comments below.
Here are some more ideas to put ideas into action where perpetual memberships are concerned.
A tool that will help.
More info on perpetual memberships.
