Business Solutions Category Archives | Page 17 of 18

How to Monetize Your Blog with Premium Content (and Why It’s Better than Ads)

If you weren’t already a successful blogger, odds are you wouldn’t be looking for information on monetizing your blog. So, first of all: congratulations on your hugely successful blog.

Now that you’ve got thousands of unique visitors every single day and more page views than you can even believe, it’s time to take the next step and quit your day job, right? Maybe! Plenty of people make their living with full-time blogging, and there’s no reason you can’t either. But like any other business you need to have the right revenue model if you want to be successful.

Many if not most people assume that monetizing their blog is synonymous with putting up ads. Ads are certainly one way to make money with your website, but they’re not the only one. They aren’t even a very good one. But before we go into why we think putting up ads on your blog is a mistake, let’s take a closer look at a much better alternative: premium content.

A Declined Card Isn’t the End: Dunning Management Tips for Subscription Based-Businesses

There’s no denying it: there’s a lot to love about the subscription business model. Why else would we be witnessing the rise of the so-called “subscription economy?”

But for all the advantages that subscription customers and automated billing offer any business, one pain point that can’t be avoided is the hassle of dealing with declined credit cards. As with almost any other problem, the best course of action is prevention – but since that’s not always possible you need to have an effective plan for collecting on past due accounts and retaining the clients attached to them. This is true whether your subscription service is selling business software or a monthly delivery of curated snacks.

This process, known as “dunning,” is difficult but not impossible. Let’s take a closer look at what exactly dunning is and how to do it right (spoiler: Subscription DNA helps).

What are the Benefits of the Subscription Business Model & Subscription Billing?

If you’re an entrepreneur, business owner, or even a creative freelancer you’ve got two basic options when it comes to bringing in revenue from your customers and clients: charge by the service or product or work out a subscription billing model. The former might sound simpler and easier to sell, but there are numerous advantages to subscription business models – for you and your customers alike.

If this weren’t the case, why would subscription-based businesses be booming right now? Netflix has replaced Blockbuster; Dollar Shave Club has cut into the profits of the corner drug store; waiting for Blue Apron to deliver has become the new grocery shopping; even the e-commerce world has plunged into the subscription game with Amazon’s well-publicized Prime service.

But why is this the case? What are the benefits of the subscription business model? Let’s take a closer look.

Annual vs. Monthly Billing: What’s the Best Pricing Model?

If you’re a company that sells services or software as a service rather than products or hard goods, establishing a billing system so you can get paid is one of the most crucial first steps. In addition to finding a reliable billing platform, you need to decide what kind of billing schedule you’re going to offer. For most companies, this means either annual billing, or charging customers on a monthly model. Each revenue model has its own pros and cons for you and your clients alike. Let’s take a look at a few.

What to Look For in Good Membership Management Software

Like almost anything else, when it comes to membership management systems a really good one can be hard to find. If you’re in the position when your organization is successful enough that you need help keeping track all your members, there are definitely worse problems to have. Nevertheless, you might be a little daunted when trying to find the right management software.

Different companies offer and emphasize different features like event management, content publishing, advertising functions, member interaction tools, and more. Different features and systems will have relative strengths and weaknesses depending on your specific needs, but there are some common features that almost any worthwhile membership management system will offer. Keep reading to learn more.