{"id":1758,"date":"2017-08-08T06:00:03","date_gmt":"2017-08-08T13:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/membermouse.com\/?p=1758"},"modified":"2020-07-29T16:22:18","modified_gmt":"2020-07-29T23:22:18","slug":"wie-3-unternehmen-ihre-mitgliederzahl-erfolgreich-und-nachhaltig-steigern-konnten","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/membermouse.com\/de\/strategien\/wie-3-unternehmen-ihre-mitgliederzahl-erfolgreich-und-nachhaltig-steigern-konnten\/","title":{"rendered":"How 3 Companies Successfully and Sustainably Grew Their Membership"},"content":{"rendered":"Sometimes it\u2019s hard to know if you\u2019re heading in the right direction when it comes to running a business. Sure, your sales figures are improving and your membership is growing, but will you survive next year? How about the year after that?\r\n\r\nSuccessfully growing a business of any kind isn\u2019t easy, especially over the long haul. That\u2019s particularly true for membership and subscription businesses, too. Members tend to become flaky, subscribers unsubscribe, and people sometimes forget about you over time. It\u2019s the human way.\r\n\r\nSo how do the big member companies stay in business for so long? And more importantly, how can you make sure you\u2019re doing what they\u2019re doing so that you\u2019re around for years to come?\r\n\r\nWell, in this case, it\u2019s best to learn from the pros, which is why we\u2019ve put together some inspiring stories of membership and subscription businesses that started from nothing and grew to be worth millions (and even billions).\r\n\r\nAnd don\u2019t worry; we\u2019ve got some tips you can apply to your own business model, too.\r\n\r\n[content_upgrade cu_id=\"1759\"]Don't miss: 7 Practical Solutions for Growing Your Membership<\/strong>[content_upgrade_button]Click Here[\/content_upgrade_button][\/content_upgrade]\r\n

Fizzle.co<\/h2>\r\n\"Fizzle-co-980x6001\"\r\n\r\nIf you\u2019re not already familiar with Fizzle, you should be. It\u2019s a site that helps \u201cindie entrepreneurs make weekly progress on their business.\u201d Fizzle was co-founded by three friends, Corbett Barr, Chase Reeves, and Caleb Wojcik.\r\n\r\nCorbett and Caleb were previously running a site called ThinkTraffic.net, where they used Corbett\u2019s startup and programming background to help online entrepreneurs understand how to build a successful business by growing their traffic and email lists, which eventually became Fizzle.\r\n\r\nFizzle currently has over 8,000 members and growing, and while that may seem modest compared to some membership sites, their retention rate is high. They work with more than 2,000 members every month and their online community is used daily by hundreds of entrepreneurs. They also have had over 2 million unique visitors to their blog.\r\n\r\nSteph Crowder, Fizzle\u2019s head of Member Success, has said that one of the keys of Fizzle\u2019s success is being a company that avoids burnout. In an interview<\/a>, she says that she\u2019s seen people start a business only to end up resenting it because they never take a break. While \u201chustle\u201d is important, Crowder maintains that being a \u201cmartyr to hustle\u201d isn\u2019t helpful for growth.\r\n

Pricing Structure<\/h3>\r\nFizzle provides group coaching every Friday, forums for entrepreneurs, and a 9-stage small business roadmap for $35\/month. They also offer a two week free trial membership that can be cancelled at any time.\r\n

Keys to Success<\/h3>\r\nAccording to Crowder<\/a>, she has two pieces of advice for budding entrepreneurs:\r\n
    \r\n \t
  1. Don\u2019t go at it alone, and<\/li>\r\n \t
  2. Understand why you\u2019re doing it<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n\u201cOnline entrepreneurship can be so isolating simply because so many people in your life have no idea what you\u2019re working on. Find a buddy or a community and get a support system. At some point you\u2019re going to want to quit and you\u2019re so much less likely if you have somebody.\u201d\r\n\r\nFor experienced entrepreneurs she recommends focusing on iteration. \u201cYou need a product people are going to buy,\u201d she says, \u201cand a community that\u2019s hungry for it.\u201d\r\n

    MyFitnessPal<\/h2>\r\n\"myfitnesspal\"\r\n\r\nFounded in 2005 by Mike Lee, MyFitnessPal<\/a> is a nutrition-tracking sensation with over 80 million registered members. Lee and his then-fianc\u00e9e first launched the business out of personal need \u2013 originally just a website and later on a mobile app \u2013 after wanting to lose a few pounds for their wedding.\r\n\r\nLee\u2019s brother, Albert, bootstrapped the company in 2009 to help with development and redesign of the app, eventually reaching $18 million in raised funds. At first, the company had great success, with over 40 million downloads of its mobile app after it released. Keep in mind, there are always challenges, as Lee notes that the company did fall into the red once they started expanding the team.\r\n\r\nMyFitnessPal was acquired by Under Armour in 2015 for $475 million.\r\n

    Pricing Structure<\/h3>\r\nIt\u2019s free to be a regular member on both the website and the mobile app. In 2015, they launched a premium membership<\/a> \u201cfor fitness buffs\u201d that offers additional features and removes ads. Premium membership is priced at $9.99 monthly or $49.99 per year.\r\n

    Keys to Success<\/h3>\r\nIn an interview<\/a>, Lee says that self-doubt was a major roadblock at the launch of his business. He notes, \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of risk in starting your own company\u2026 You can gain experience on the job and grow fast, but first you have to get past that initial self-doubt and just do it.\u201d\r\n\r\nHe also notes that they encountered roadblocks when scaling the team. \u201cWe needed to grow to accommodate our expanding user base\u2026 When you\u2019re no longer a 5-person team, certain methods need to be put into place [to] keep that balance between an organic, collaborative environment and implementing necessary processes.\u201d\r\n

    Lynda.com<\/h2>\r\n\"lynda\"\r\n\r\nWhen Lynda Weinman launched her business \u2013 Lynda.com<\/a>, a subscriber-driven online learning platform \u2013 in 1995, she had no idea it would one day be worth over $1.5 billion dollars.\r\n\r\nWeinman, a web design instructor, started her company out of necessity after struggling to find resources available to teach other designers the tricks of the trade. She had scoured bookstores for materials, but only found complicated technical guides \u201cthat were impossible for the average person to understand.\u201d\r\n\r\nShe eventually wrote her own book, Designing Web Graphics<\/em>, and began teaching onsite courses to design students, officially launching Lynda.com as a way to keep people informed about upcoming classes and to post a few relevant videos.\r\n\r\nBefore the 2001 dot-com crash, Lynda.com had 35 employees and was worth nearly $3.5 million in revenue. But after the crash, the company had to lay off 75% of the staff. That\u2019s when Weinman had the idea to put the enire business online, and what started as 20 online videos has grown into 6,300 courses and more than 267,000 video tutorials. Lynda.com now has over 4 million subscribers.\r\n

    Pricing Structure<\/h3>\r\nLynda.com lets visitors to use the site free for 10 days, after which they can choose one of the membership plans starting at $24.99\/month.\r\n

    Keys to Success<\/h3>\r\nRaymond Pirouz, a former acquaintance of Weinman, said<\/a> of her business, \u201cIt\u2019s one of those overnight success stories that wasn\u2019t overnight at all.\u201d\r\n\r\nWeinman also credits two things to her success: creative thinking during times of crisis, and a commitment to providing value. In her own words<\/a>, Weinman says, \"A lot of people are focused on the price. It surprised a lot of people who are not in our industry. For me, I'm focused on the impact. The first words out of my mouth were: 'Wow, that will have a big impact.'\"\r\n

    Takeaway<\/h2>\r\nSo what do all of these success stories have in common? Quite a lot, actually. While each company approached the initial stages of growth different \u2013 some shunning start-up funds, others embracing it \u2013 and each comes with a unique and varied pricing structure, they all approach their membership business in similar fashion. Here\u2019s what they do that makes them so successful (and what you can do, too). They:\r\n
      \r\n \t
    • Fill a need in the industry that isn\u2019t otherwise being met<\/li>\r\n \t
    • Provide high levels of engagement with members<\/li>\r\n \t
    • Offer additional content and resources to help members meet their goals<\/li>\r\n \t
    • Slowly build a membership over time (no rush to find new members)<\/li>\r\n \t
    • Don\u2019t fear failure and implement creative strategies during times of crisis<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n[content_upgrade cu_id=\"1759\"]Want more tips? Check out our list of 7 Practical Solutions for Growing Your Membership<\/strong> [content_upgrade_button]Click Here[\/content_upgrade_button][\/content_upgrade]","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      M\u00f6chten Sie Ihre Mitgliederzahl erh\u00f6hen? Diese Unternehmen haben es geschafft und Sie k\u00f6nnen es auch. Hier erfahren Sie, wie...<\/p>","protected":false},"author":10821,"featured_media":3129,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_strive_editorial_status":"not-started","_strive_copy_of":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_strive_checklists":"\"\"","_strive_active_checklist":"","_strive_post_notes":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[63,60,50],"class_list":["post-1758","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-strategies","tag-grow-a-membership-business","tag-membership-businesses","tag-membership-site"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/membermouse.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1758","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/membermouse.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/membermouse.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/membermouse.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10821"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/membermouse.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1758"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/membermouse.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1758\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/membermouse.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3129"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/membermouse.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1758"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/membermouse.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1758"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/membermouse.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1758"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}