Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Best WordPress Pluginsto Sell Subscriptions &Memberships
New Webinar
Speakers
Tyler ArcherMembership Development Tech Consultant
Justin LukasavigeFounder, NeedaTopic.com
Kathy McCabeEditorSubscription Site Insider
Cassandra FarringtonCOO WhichTestWon.com
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
WordPress: Yes or No?
[Tech Primer]
Should You Build a
Paywall Site in
WordPress?
Top 5 Pros
Top 5 Conshttp://subscriptionsiteinsider.com/members/400.cfm(Free for Insider Members)
Biggest Pro:Very customizable open code – lots of flexibility and lots of off-the-shelf options available.
Biggest Con:The more complicated your site, the more complicated the code and plug-ins will get … likely leading to performance problems.
Your Site:- WordPress CMS- Content Template Design (WP or custom)
Merchant AccountSSL CertificateGateway Acct or Payment System (e.g. PayPal)
PaywallPlugin
Marketing Email:AutorespondersFree Newsletter
Hosting: Site Video
Domain+
Content
Member Email:NewslettersTransactional emails- Passwords- ReceiptsDiscussion Group
Other software: Web analytics, RSS Feed, Apps, Sales Mgmt System, content development, Marketing & PPC mgmt systems, Print fulfillment, affiliate , etc.
Content/function plugins
Paywall integration Plugins
Paywall Design
What’s included in a Paywall Solution?
- Some version of a paywall or access limitation- DRM (Digital Rights Management)- Customer service database- Integration with payment systems- Integration with marketing systems - Basic transactional emails
Templated Order Page
Disconcerting 3rd Party Cart Experience
Custom Paywall Page
Paywall Questions to Ask Can I create a unique “teaser” paywall page for each
piece of content behind the paywall?
How many changes can I make to the look/feel of the paywall (buttons, typeface, form fields, etc.)
Can I A/B test my paywall?
Can the order form be on my site (vs dumping the visitor into a 3rd party cart)?
Can I control what the ‘thank you’ receipt page looks like?
DRM: Digital Rights ManagementKey elements:• Multiple levels (e.g. Gold, Silver
memberships)• Multiple terms (e.g. monthly, annual)• Drip content• Small group sales• Large group sales
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
Example DRM CMS:
Customer Service (CRM) DatabaseBiggest question: Are customer names only kept in 3rd party cart, or do you have records in your main system?
What security do you have for customer names, credit cards, account info?
What do your records include? - List of members - Site activity (active vs not active)- Actives vs cancels- Ecommerce orders per account- Date started - Origin of order, source of name- Customer service notes
Integration with Payment SystemsAll-in-one systems- PayPal- Google Cart- ClickBank… many others
Gateways & direct to processor
- Authorize.net- Chase Paymentech… many others
Carts- 1ShoppingCart…many others
6 Key Questions for Payment Systems:
1. PCI Compliance?2. Which Currencies?3. Can You Sell Your Site?4. Integrate Analytics Through Cart?5. A/B Test Cart Design?6. Optimize Design of Cart (beyond your logo)?
Determine your payment system
needs FIRST. That will inform your choice of membership software.
Integration w/ Marketing SystemsMarketing EmailMembers-only EmailWeb analyticsAffiliate marketingEcommerce storeSales management systemsPrint fulfillment or labelsCustomer list security – can your staff see all?
Marketing Reporting Bounced emails DRM double-use password alert Original source of name Total account value (including ecommerce) Revenues by source Average account lifetime More sophisticated circulation management reporting
Transactional EmailTypes of Transactionals New buyer receipt Trial period email series Reminder auto-renewal notice at
one-year Credit card fail series (3) w/ varying
times Upsell to year (from monthly or
other)
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
More Considerations for Making Your Plugin Decision
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
Open Source Or Not?If needed, can you edit the code of the membership plugin to fit your needs?
Does the software update when WP updates? (Frequently).
Are those updates included with your purchase?
Little Known Fact: Some plugins call themselves “open source” but are in fact encrypted so
the code cannot be accessed.
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
Quick Reviews…(In Alpha Order)
Buyer’s Guide to WordPress Plugins to Sell Memberships & Subscriptions
Coming Next Thursday!
aMember Professional
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
Price: $179
Payment Integration: 60+ Payment Processors
Pros: Lots of payment options, lots of integration plugins (forums, email, etc.), customizable.
Cons: Complicated script setup. WordPress integration is not full featured.
Sample sites
Digital Access Pass
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
Price: $167 - $997. Higher price ranges include one-on-one online meetings to walk through the set-up process.
Payment Integration: PayPal Website Payments Pro and Authorize.net ARB.
Shopping Cart: PayPal, 1ShoppingCart, ClickBank, Authorize.net, e-Junkie, WorldPay
Pros: Very flexible and highly customizable, if you’re comfortable tackling the code. High marks for content drip features. New feature allows users to purchase products with “credits”.
Cons: Some non-techies find it difficult to set up and not intuitive to manage. Sits outside of WordPress, requiring a separate login & interface.
Sample Digital Access Pass Sites
InfusionWP
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
Price: $570 Per Year + Infusionsoft monthly fees ($299)
Payment Integration: Infusionsoft only
Pros: Very powerful, tight integration with CRM and payment processing. All the “bells and whistles.” Very customizable. Hundreds of shortcodes.
Cons: Only 1 payment processing option, not “open code”. Can be as complicated as you want to make it.
Sample InfusionWP Sites
Paid Memberships Pro
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
Price: Free – released under GPL license
Payment Integration: PayPal Website Payments Pro and Authorize.net ARB.
Pros: Free, great to test out a concept or idea.
Cons: Limited payment integration, bare-bone features.
Sample Paid Memberships Pro Site
s2Member Pro
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
Price: $69 single-site, $129 unlimited-sites license. Bundles available with other s2 theme plug-ins.
Payment Integration: PayPal Website Payments Pro, AliPay, and Authorize.net.
Shopping Cart: PayPal, Google Checkout, ClickBank, ccBill
Pros: CRM within WordPress environment, good database export function, easy to set content levels, significant version upgrade released June 2011.
Cons: Clunky e-mail editor within system. Previous concerns were its lack of integration with Authorize.net – now available.
Sample s2Member Pro Sites
See Subscription Site Insider’s case study on TestingMom.com at:http://www.subscriptionsiteinsider.com/members/369.cfm
(Free for Members)
WishList Member
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
Price: $97 for one site with one year of updates
In Use: over 25,000 sites
Payment Integration: PayPal, QuickPay ProShopping cart: Clickbank, 1ShoppingCart, Ultracart, Premium Web Cart
Pros: Multiple levels of membership, highly integrated with WordPress, good support
Cons: Limited payment processors
Sample WishList Member Sites
See Subscription Site Insider’s case study at http://www.subscriptionsiteinsider.com/members/364.cfm(Free for Members)
WPMUDEV ‘Membership’
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
Price: Membership in WPMU-DEV $79 per month
Payment Integration: Authorize.NET AIM, 2Checkout, PayPal Express
Pros: Very easy, buddypress integration.
Cons: No per post protection. Limited payment processors.
Sample WPMUDEV Sites
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
Example Sites:•http://pro.gigaom.com/•http://www.izzyvideo.com/•http://psd.tutsplus.com
6 Tips for Development Success
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
• Create and design site first; then add memberships.
• Either launch a separate free site for lead gen, or build an email opt-in into all heavy landing pages.
• Obey legal guidelines for trial & autorenew offers.
• Pick a paywall you can grow with – assume you won’t switch for two or more years.
• Hire a designer & programmer separately (different brains).
• Assume 50% time overruns for unexpected delays.
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
Cost
Official Costs
Free to $997/year
Hidden Costs:
Custom programming
Custom design
Integration
Other software needed
Keeping up with WP upgrades
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
New WP Member Site in One Week
Key Facts:
Launch Time: 7 Days
Launch Costs:$274 software (with online coupon)$38/month Aweber + PayPal recurring fees35 hours programming & design
Plugin: aMember + aMail + amProtect
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
Adding a Paywall to an Existing WP Site
Key Facts:
Launch Time: 90 Days
Launch Costs:$250 software$62 SSL certificate90 hours freelance programming & design (included host change)
Plugin: aMember + aMail
Live Q&A with:Tyler ArcherMembership Development Tech [email protected]
Justin LukasavigeFounder, [email protected]
Kathy McCabeEditorSubscription Site [email protected]
Cassandra FarringtonCOO [email protected]
How to “raise your hand” to ask a question
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
You’ll be “unmuted” and invited to talk
Watch for the microphone icon to turn green
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
Live Q&A with:Tyler ArcherMembership Development Tech [email protected]
Justin LukasavigeFounder, [email protected]
Kathy McCabeEditorSubscription Site [email protected]
Cassandra FarringtonCOO [email protected]
