How I Grow my Membership without Giving Everything Away!

Are you a Giver?

If you're reading this, I'm thinking you are.  You're an artist, a teacher, business owner and maybe even a parent.  You've got a lot of giving going on. 

As someone who is a giver, it's sometimes easy to over do it.

Maybe it's my Lutheran/Catholic upbringing, but if someone did something for me, I simply couldn't just say thank you.  I would have to return the favor, make them dinner or knit them a scarf.  Seriously, it used to be that bad.

Can anyone relate?

These days I'm so much better at saying a very genuine "Thank You." 

So when someone asks you to feature your gifts or talents, do you find it a little hard to "limit" what you share?  You have a lot that you've learned over the years, and you're just so flippin' excited to share what you love! Whether it's a master class your teaching, a client your coaching or a friend asking to "pick your brain for advice" it's easy to want to share all the things.  

For example, I vividly remember this event about fifteen years ago. I was asked to give a workshop on stage presence.  My audience was a volunteer worship team at my church.  Being an actor/singer/dancer, with a degree in the topic, I was thrilled to share everything I knew. And I mean EVERYTHING.  The workshop lasted twice as long as it really needed to, and honestly after all the eyes refocused after being glazed over by my expertise, I don't think anything really came of it.

Did I offer tips, tools and value.  Absolutely. But it was way too much information that overwhelm quickly set in and have you heard the saying?  Paralysis by Analysis?  

As a creator of an online dance program, the same over indulgence can happen.  And let's be real.  It probably already did.  But if we're smart, we're always learning, tweaking, and re-evaluating. 

I have two online membership programs.  One is to help studio owners grow their adult dance program every single month through my BoogieFit Curriculum.  You can grab a free download right here! (Membership re-opens August 15th) 

My other online membership program I have is an extension of my brick and mortar, called TDH Virtual Dance on Demand. It's a place where adult students can learn to tap, ballet, yoga or get a great work out in through my dance fitness class.

Since my last blog post where I shared how I grew my membership by closing it,(CLICK HERE to get updated) my inbox was flooded with questions from other dance colleagues wanting to learn a bit more.  

"How do you structure the membership?"  

"How often do you post new content?"

"How much do you included?"

These questions do not have a one size fits all answer.  The answers will be as unique as you are.  But here are a couple tips from what I learned in my online journey. 

1. Less is More. 

In the beginning I wanted to share everything.  I also wanted to have a  "library" of content that people could browse through.  I used to post new videos every week, in every single dance style.  It helped me grow my library of content quickly, but it was too much for my members to digest. And let's be real... it was exhausting for me. 

So now I post a new video about once a month in each dance style.  There may be a month where ballet gets more focus, and then the next month Tap gets lots of love.  

On a side note, I put myself in my members dancin' shoes.  Most of my videos are quite short so they can grasp a concept on move on to the next step or sequence, making them feel like they have accomplished something.  For longer tutorials, I'll stream it live, so my people can "join" me, making it more fun for all of us! 

2. What is the over all Goal?  

What transformation are you creating for your people?  Take that end goal and work it backwards.  Maybe it's just 3 steps or maybe it's 8!  Whatever it is, you can communicate up front to your people what they will experience, how long it should take and how you're going to take them there.  

For me, I gear my memberships around dances.  In TDH Virtual Dance on Demand, they are "learning how to dance" so I choose to create a dance using the steps that they are learning in the shorter videos.    I break this down over a few months so it's not a huge chunk of content at one time. 

3. Ask your Tribe.

This seems so logical, but honestly it's the scariest for me.  What if they don't like what I've giving them?  What if they want something totally different that I'm not able to help them with?  Then I have to get over myself and be honest.  If they want something else and I can't help them, then they aren't my people. 

Instead, think about how you can serve them better.  Ask them what they are liking, what would they like to see more of, what was their favorite part, or if they could only choose between A or B? From there you can make their experience even better and cultivate an even more loyal following.  

Side note:  Sometimes you'll hear crickets.  I've asked these questions to my members only to get NO response. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but it doesn't help you either.  My Tip: bribe them.  I have been known to ask a question or "your honest feedback" and if you answer me within a deadline I'll "gift" you with something.  Usually someone always answers.  Ps. the gift can be a Funny Youtube video or a meme for the biggest hug ever. 

Creating an online presence can be a great, creative and fun way for you to grow your business.  If you'd like a bit more in depth training, I've created a four part video series where I walk though exact steps I did to start my business. This video series will not only help you get started in the process of creating your own online platform, but it will also help you grow your brick and mortar.  CLICK HERE to grab it.

I also have a FREE Facebook Group where I come in weekly to share tips, tools and strategies and answer your questions on how to create and grow an online dance platform.  Come on in!  CLICK HERE.  We're a fun group.  

Have a question? Comment below or email me!  BoogieFit@thedancinghouse.com  I'd love to hear from you.