How to Start a Community Website, or Add One to Yours (In 5 ...

Tons of online businesses and organizations use the MemberPress plugin to create and manage VIP communities on their websites. Nomadic Matt is ... SkiptomaincontentSkiptoprimarysidebarSkiptofooterAdditionalmenu GetMemberPresstoday!Startgettingpaidforthecontentyoucreate! GetMemberPressNow It’simportanttokeepcommunitiestogetherforthemtothrive.However,inthecurrentclimatepeoplearemoredisengagedthaneverbefore.Unfortunately,thiscanbedisastrousfororganizationsandonlinebusinesses. Fortunately,bytakingyourorganizationonlineoraddingacommunitytoyouronlinebusinesswebsiteyoucanhelpbringpeopletogetheragain.Membershippluginsofferauniquesolutionforbusinessesandorganizationslookingtoengagetheirmembersandcustomers. Inthispost,we’lllookatwhatamembershipsiteplugincandoandhowonecanbenefityourorganizationorbusiness.We’llalsoexplainhowtostartacommunityonyourwebsiteinfiveeasystepsusingtheMemberPressplugin.Let'sgettowork! TheBenefitsofOnlineCommunities Amembershipcommunityrequiresuserstoregistertogainaccesstospecificcontent.Somesiteschargeafeeformembers-onlycontent,whileothersofferaccessforfreewithregistration.Howeverthey'restructured,onlinecommunitiesareusefultoolsforbusinessesandgroups. Communitywebsitescanbehandyforchurches,housingassociations,localparentinggroups,non-profitorganizations,councils,andevenonlinestoresandeducationalsites. Forexample,theCorporateVolunteerCouncilofAtlanta(above)hasawebsitetoorganizevolunteerprojectsintheAtlantaarea. MemberPressCommunityWebsiteExamples TonsofonlinebusinessesandorganizationsusetheMemberPressplugintocreateandmanageVIPcommunitiesontheirwebsites. NomadicMattisoneexample.TheVIPcommunityonthisNewYorkTimesbest-sellingauthor'sblogrunsonMemberPress. Brick-and-mortarbusinessesoftenrunonlinecommunities,too. Forexample,MikeBoyleStrengthandConditioning(MBSC)isanationallyrecognizedgym.ThesiteusesMemberPresstomanageanonlineprogram,whichincludesaccesstowebinars,coachingsessions,and(youguessedit)aVIPcommunity. BenefitsofAddinganOnlineCommunityMembershiptoYourSite Theyprovideaneasywaytoshareinformation Havingaplacewherelocalgroupscanshareinformationcanbeextremelyhelpful.It’seasyfordifferentcommunitymemberstoupdateandcontributetothesite.Also,everyonecanaccessrelevantdetailseasily,eventhosewhostruggletogetoutofthehouse. Theymakeiteasiertocollectfunds Collectingmoneyforcommunityeventscanbeadifficulttaskfororganizers.Withamembershipsitecreatedusingamembershipplugin,youcancollectfundsanddonationsonlineinasecureway,makinglifeeasierforbothaccountantsandgroupmembers. Theyofferprivacy Forsomegroups,suchasparentingandchurchorganizations,itmaybenecessarytosharesensitiveinformationthatyouwouldn’twanttobeaccessibletoallinternetusers.Withonlinecommunities,youcanbesurethisdataisonlyavailabletoregisteredmembers. Theyboostcustomerretentionanddatacollection Whenabusinessoffersaccesstopremiumcontent,specialsales,andotherVIPbenefitsthroughanonlinecommunity,theyincreasecustomerloyalty.Atthesametime,thesebusinessesgainexclusiveanduniqueaccesstocustomers. It'seasytoseethatmembershippluginscanbeausefultoolforgrouporganizersandonlinebusinesses. Nowwe'lltakealookathowyoucanstartacommunityonyourwebsiteusingtheMemberPressplugin. HowtoStartaCommunityWebsite,orAddOnetoYours(In5EasySteps) Communitymembershipscanbebeneficialandeasytosetup,evenforbeginners.Byfollowingthefivesimplestepsbelow,youcansetupawebsiteforyourownorganizationusingtheMemberPressplugin. Step1:InstalltheMemberPressPluginonYourWordPressSite Ifyoudon'talreadyhaveone,you’llfirstneedtocreateabasicwebsite.WerecommendWordPress–acustomizableplatformthat'sfreetouseanddoesn'trequiremuchtechnicalknow-how. READ>>4ReasonsYouShouldUseWordPressforYourMembershipSite OnceyourWordPresssiteisupandrunning,youcaninstalltheMemberPressplugin. Tostart,visittheMemberPresswebsiteandchooseapricingplanthatsuitsyourneeds.Onceyou’vesignedupforaplan,you’llbepromptedtodownloada.zipfilecontainingtheplugin. ThenheadovertoWordPressandlogintoyoursite'sdashboard.Touploadtheplugin,clickonPlugins>AddNew>UploadPlugin>ChooseFile: Onceyou’veuploadedthe.zipfile,youcanclickInstallNowandthenActivatePlugin. Step2:CustomizeYourMembershipPlans Thenextstepistocreateyourmembershipplans.Thesegiveusersdifferentoptionsforsigninguptoyoursite.Dependingonyourneeds,youcanmakeoneplanorarangeofoptionswithdifferentaccesslevelsthatcatertovariousgroupswithinyourcommunity. Tosetupanewmembershipplan,navigatetotheMemberPresspluginintheWordPressdashboardandclickonMemberships.ThenselectAddNewatthetopofthepage.You’llthenseetheAddNewMembershippage: Onthispage,youcannameyourmembershipplanandcustomizeavarietyofotherelements.Youcansetparameterssuchaspricingplans,billingtypes,andlevelsofaccess. Also,youcanscrolldownthispagetocustomizesettingssuchaspaymentmethods,buttontext,thank-youmessages,andmore: Onceyou’redonecustomizingyourmembershipplans,clickonPublishtosaveyourchanges.Ifyouneedtoalteryourplansinthefutureasyourcommunitygrows,youcanalwaysgobackandmakechanges. WATCH>>creatingmembershipsinmemberpress Step3:CreateaRegistrationPageforYourCommunity Foruserstobeabletoregisterforthecommunity,they'llneedaregistrationform.Fortunately,settinguptheseformsusingMemberPressisstraightforward. Tostart,chooseAppearanceinthemenuontheleftsideofyourWordPressdashboard.ThenclickonMenus>ManagewithLivePreview: ThiswillthendirectyoutotheCustomizer.ClickonPrimaryMenu>AddItems>Memberships.Youcanthenselectthemenusyou’dliketoaddbyclickingontheplussymbol.Thiswilladdyourmembershipoptionstothepageandallowcommunitymemberstoregister. Step4:SetUpYourSite’sRulesandPermissions Ifyouhavemorethanonemembershipplan,youmaywishtogivedifferentgroupsaccesstovariouscontent.Forexample,ifyourcommunitygroupisaimedatlocalfamilies,youmayhavedifferentpagesforchildrenandadults. Toensureeachgrouphasaccesstotherightinformationonyoursite,youcanusetheMemberPressRulesfunction. Tocreaterules,gototheMemberPressplugininyourWordPressdashboardandclickonRules.ThenselectAddNew: Onthispage,youcancustomizewhocanaccesswhatcontentbysettingaccessconditions.Onceyou’redonesettingupyourrules,clickonSaveRule. watch>>protectingyoursite'scontent:howtousememberPressrules Step5:CreateaCommunityLoginPage Thefinalstepintheprocessistocreatealoginpagesouserscansignintothesiteandaccessmembercontent.Todothis,gotoMemberPress>Settings>Pages.ThenselectAuto-CreateNewPagefromtheMemberPressLoginPagedrop-downmenu: YoucanthenclickonEdittocustomizethepageandmakesureithasallthefieldsrequiredforyourmemberstologin.Afterthatstepiscomplete,you'rereadytostartreceivingvisitorsatyournewonlinecommunity! watch>>howtocustomizethememberpressloginpage Bonus–AddingaCommunityForum Althoughoptional,addingaforumtoyoursite'sonlinecommunityisagreatidea.Itgivesmembersaplacetoshareideasandinformation.Anditcansignificantlyincreaseengagement. READ>>HowtoAddaForumtoYourMemberPressSitewithbbPress Conclusion Nurturingaclose-knitcommunityisn’talwayseasy.However,amembershippluginlikeMemberPresscangivepeopleanotherpointofcontactthatwillhelpthemstayconnected. Fortunately,creatingamembers-onlycommunitywithMemberPressissimple,soanyorganizationcanenjoythebenefitsofhavingone. Here’sarecapofhowtostartacommunitywebsiteinfivesteps: InstalltheMemberPresspluginonyourWordPresssite.Customizeyourmembershipplans.Createaregistrationpageforyourcommunity.Setupyoursite’srulesandpermissions.Createacommunityloginpage. Doyouhaveanyquestionsabouthowyoucanstartacommunitywebsite(oraddonetoyourexistingsite)?Letusknowinthecommentssectionbelow! GetStartedWithMemberPressToday! Ifyoulikedthisarticle,besuretosubscribetoournewsletterintheboxuptoyourright! AffiliateLinkDisclosure AboutJohnHughesJohnisabloggingaddict,WordPressfanatic,staffwriterforWordCandy.co,andaregularcontributortotheMemberPressandEasyAffiliateblogs. AddaCommentCancelreplyThanksforchoosingtoleaveacomment!Pleasekeepinmindthatallcommentsaremoderatedaccordingtoourprivacypolicy,andalllinksarenofollow.Pleasedon'tusekeywordsinthenamefield.Let'shaveapersonalandmeaningfulconversation.Name* Email* ThissiteisprotectedbyreCAPTCHAandtheGooglePrivacyPolicyandTermsofServiceapply. Comment Δ ReaderInteractions16commentson"HowtoStartaCommunityWebsite,orAddOnetoYours(In5EasySteps)" jeffhesterDecember10,2021 I’mabigbelieverinthepowerofonlinecommunitiesingeneral,andonlinediscussionforumsinparticular.Ofcourse,FacebookandReddithavedrainedsomeoftheattentionawayfromnicheforums,Ibelievewearebeginningtoseearesurgenceofthesemorepersonalcommunities.HavingyourownonlinecommunitywithanareaformemberstointeractviaadiscussionforumlikebbPressmeansthatyourmembersaren’tgettingdistractedbythe“shiny,angryobjects”foundonFBanditsilk.Gettinguserstogothereregularlyremainsachallenge(that’swhereFBshinesfornow),butIseemoreandmorepeoplequittingFB.Thetideisturning. Reply NeilHarrisDecember11,2021 Thanks,Iamjustgettingstartedwithmyfirstmembership.Thiswasagreathelpingettingitsetup. Reply MichaelSaeleeDecember12,2021 Greatcontent!Thisplugissupereasytouse.I’mplanningtobuildastronglocalhubtohelpothersbuildwealthandlookingforwardtousingMemberPresstoachievethesethings.Havedonealotofresearch,watchedalotofyoutubereviews,andmadethedecisiontogowithMemberPressbasedonallthepositivefeedbackandrichfeatures.Thankyou! Reply LaurelLaFramboiseDecember17,2021 Hey,thishelpedalot!IjustboughtastarterMemberPressandwillbeinstallingitmyself.Iwasabitnervousbutitlooksprettyeasy,andI’llreferbacktothiswhileinstalling.Also,IlikedthelinktotheforumsetupwithbbPresspluginasthat’sonmyagenda,too! Reply GabrielBahnareanuDecember23,2021 Thanksforsharing–thisisbeenveryuseful.I’mbuildinganintranetandI’vestartedusingMemberpresstoorganisewhohasaccesstowhatcontent.MemberpressmakesitsupereasyandIfoundthedocumentationcontainedsofaranswerstoallmyquestions. Reply capelaDecember28,2021 Iwasalreadyusingmemberpresstosellmyonlinecoursethroughlaunches,butitwaswhenIdecidedtocreateamembershipcomunitythatIrealizeditspower. Theabbilitytohaveaevergreenbusinesswithconstantcashflow,andtheworkisalmostthesameasthelaunchofabigonlinecourse. Thanksmemberpress! Reply chrisvconleyDecember31,2021 Fosteringacommunityonyourownsiteiscriticalinbuildinganaudiencethatyoucannurtureandhelpdevelop.Whenyouuseotherpeople’ssitesforyourcommunity,you’rebuildingtheirassets,notyouown.IuseMemberPressandBuddyBosstohaveanamazing,easytouseplatformforsupportingmytribe! Reply NolanMartinDecember31,2021 Greatarticle!UsingMemberPresstonurturemymediaclient’scustomershasbeenagamechanger!Buildingapaidcommunityandbeingabletomanagesubscribershasbeengreat. Reply BeauBridgesDecember31,2021 Perfect!I’vebuiltupanaudienceinvariousplacesbuttocontrolandmanageitonmysiteisthenextevolutiontoit.Bellabeatisagreatexampleofthis. Ithinkthelong-termaffectsofaddingacommunityonyoursitewillpaydividendsinwayofretentionandrevenue. Reply DavidOlsonDecember31,2021 Sweet.AsarecentconvertfromKajabitoWordPress,thisisoneofthenextthingsonmylisttobuildout! Reply NathanLampeDecember31,2021 Thankyouforthisarticle!Ihavebeenusingmemberpressandlovehowitintegrateswithothersystemslikebuddyboss.Overallitsapowerfultoolthatissimpletosetup.I’veusedquiteafewothermembershippluginsbutthefeaturesandeaseofusewillkeepmeusingmemberpressonmycommunity. Reply [email protected]December31,2021 Builtacommunityalreadywithmemberpress&highlyrecommendit!! Reply egauvinDecember31,2021 I’msogratefulforMemberpress’srobustaccessandidentitymanagementcapabilities.Itreallyisthiseasytotogetsetup,butoneofmyfavoritethingsaboutMemberpressisthesupportandtrainingdocs.EveryoneatMemberpresshasbeensofriendlyandhelpful.Thanks! Reply [email protected]December31,2021 Heygang,firstoff,thanksforwhatyoudoandHappyNewYear!I’macustomergettingreadytolaunchamassivecommunitycalledzindolabs.comusingBuddyboss,LearnDashandyouguys.Superseamlesstoputtogetherandworkslikeitwasintendedtobeamatch. WhatI’daddtothebenefitsaboveisthatyouownthecommunity.Havingyourmembersonaplatformyoucancontrolspeaksvolumesintoday’sonlineenvironment.ThedaysofonlyhavingtheoptiontobuildaFacebookGroup,etcisnomorewithtoolslikeyours. Thanksagain! Audra Reply SybleHarrisonJanuary4,2022 HeyAudra🙂 Thanksforsharingwhatyou’vegotgoingwithZindolabs.Keepuspostedonthedevelopmentofyourawesomeproject! Syble Reply JasonDecember31,2021 Thanksfortheinformativepost,MemberPressteam!Iwouldalsoaddthevalueofyourintegrationswithemailservices.Forexample,weareabletocommunicatewithourcommunitiesbasedonmembershiplevelthroughConvertKit.Thiscanbehelpfulfordeliveringtargetedemailsdirectlytoeachcommunitybasedonthemembershiptier.Keepupthegoodwork! 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