Terms
Ben L Collins, the Google Sheets expert behind the educational site benlcollins.com Ben L Collins is deeply happy with his membership-based company and the online creator economy in general. "When you've created something - whether you're a musician or a designer of an instructional course, or any other type of building-related member or even a person decides to use their wallet to offer your cash, you'll see the immense privilege you have right now and at the time you can do the same thing and interact with a lot of users.
"If somebody is taking the time to - just take a look at my work and is impressed enough that they're willing to buy it, I'd like to do absolutely everything that I can to make it as good as possible for them," the artist says.
Ben likes membership because it's higher than one cost "We're not discussing about"consulting agreements" which allow the company to complete an assignment that's written and structured and all parties are aware of what they're receiving. It's an agreement, where that person is saying "I'd like to be a part of your team in the coming calendar year or even for a month, or a quarter. I'm impressed by the work you're putting into it and would like to help you in a way and join this."
He believes that membership can give you an incredibly powerful incentive to be the best you can do and to create high-quality media. "People expect me to make quality content However, I truly want to - to make it for them as well as for myself. "
Ben explains that it helps to establish a great bond with the group "I believe I'm making a difference to the people around me instead of just a random individual purchasing a course and you don't know if anybody even takes a look at the course. This is a more personal experience with the membership, or more intimate. The goal is to build a more lasting relationship that goes beyond transactional."
From "always-on" through microdeliverables
At the time of the covid-19 outbreak, Ben had been delivering workshops on the manipulation of information using Google Sheets for 10 years. "I had delivered about fifteen courses on Teachable possibly with as many as 25 classes, as certain classes had been revived. When teaching the course, it is essential, you must dedicate as much, as much effort, as you can, if not more effort to advertising the course. While it's interesting but I'm not one of them as it's not what I excel at."
Ben L Collins Ben L Collins had delivered e-courses for ten years when she was hit by covid.
Ben knew he preferred to be focused on spreadsheets' technical content and assisting people. "People came to me with questions like "How could I do this?' It would be an intriguing task to solve.
"Membership was something I'd considered maybe two, or perhaps three several times before," Ben says. Ben. "I loved the idea because it's an ongoing revenue. The idea of membership doesn't require you to introduce something new to generate revenue which can cause a huge rise in sales, only to be left with nothing." The creator explains that it's a stable platform, which allows the creator to focus on their work in conjunction with those making use of the platform, rather than to do marketing.
"For several years I'd thought about joining a club, however, I'd never made it through the idea of doing research. I worried that I would feel as though I was constantly in the loop when I followed this kind of model that required me to constantly be involved in something. I was always able to pull back and continued to follow the classes." He had finished what he set out to accomplish.
"I'd mostly covered possible aspects I could have covered with my full-courses. It was difficult to find different courses that weren't more specialized, and there's a decline in demand when you move into more sophisticated methods," he continues. "There was not a compelling economic incentive to choose one of the courses I could have thought of."
Ben also notes that he was burned out. "I was thinking 'I have to create 100 Teachable video tutorials that must be an integrated piece of work.' There was no motivation to do this in a single block. There's no way of knowing whether people will purchase the item. "
Ben clarifies that online courses require the authors to release their creation before trying to sell it. With this, it's impossible to know for certain what will happen if the course succeeds. "It could take anywhere from three to six months develop the best course. If the course does not succeed it, it's not feasible to sell the course at a later date, " he adds. "I decided that I wanted long-term relationships with my customers, which would include microdeadlines and microdeliverables."
Chess A game of chess of chess using Google Sheets
Membership was a concept that suddenly was clear. "I'll commit to a weekly newsletter. I've got guidelines and examples, however it doesn't have to be the same topic or even be connected to each other. The format could be smaller and easier for me to read which is also easier for other people to follow."
Additionally, from a consumer standpoint, very few people are taking their classes online "It's daunting when you buy the course which has more than 10 hours worth of video. Students find it difficult to keep track of 10 hours worth of material, so you give up and you never even get to the course. But, if you receive one email every week, you could spend 30 minutes on a lunch break to gain an abundance of benefits each week. After that, you'll be able to put it aside for this for the rest of the week." Ben explains.
In the spring of 2024, Ben began to think about membership. In the summer, he was able to sketch exactly the type of membership he desired prior to the 1st of September.
Email is king
When discussing the work he does, Ben is keen to acknowledge his colleague's gratitude. "I'm blessed that my wife has accomplished all this prior to. She's owned her own business; she's launched various products, and she knew how to set up the email lists." Ben was given a variety of suggestions early in his time in membership "that were extremely useful" and among his lessons was to set up an email list.
Ben's wife was working as a content marketing specialist when the time came to begin building his network. "She had an agency that did marketing for clients. They also created blogs, SEO posts and social media posts. This was extremely helpful and clearly suited to the task I wanted to do in the moment," Ben adds.
"Emails are by far the best method of communicating to your target audience," he continues. The author acknowledges that the idea is not pertinent for those of a younger age However, he states: "The problem with social media, particularly the newer ones such as TikTok is the disconnect between you and your audience.
In the event that you make content and then the platform displays what's viral and what is being talked about - it doesn't really matter if you have 10,000 or 100,000 followers. in the event that your post doesn't rank as viral according to the algorithm, it's not likely to be the case that one of your followers is would ever be able to view the material. It's possible to have a weak relationship. You exist at the whims of the platform. If they change their algorithm or go out of style There have been numerous social media platforms that go under, therefore, having an email list is essential.
A few tips for members who are interested in becoming membership operators
"If anyone were starting an account now I'd suggest "Just start!" Ben smiles. "With the perspective of the future, I'd like I'd started this two years earlier. It takes time to complete these tasks. As soon as you begin getting started then the more time you be able to enjoy."
Ben on Zoom Ben hosting an online meeting with his fellow members
It's easy to do an additional amount of research "You could convince yourself that there's something missing or that there's a different approach. I've been guilty of this time and again. When you hit "Go" and then release an item within the universe, and begin talking to real people, the item becomes a different thing. It becomes a matter of actually solving problems you must solve, not only these hypothetical issues."
He advises everyone not to worry too much: "If you're addressing someone's problem - and they are in need of resolving the issue that you're willing to help them solve and you can do that, just be out there! You can improve it as time goes by."
More details
For more details and to sign up to Ben's weekly Google Sheets tips, go to benlcollins.com.
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