Webinar Wednesday 180 – June 5, 2024

Free iPad Giveaway 00:01:35

• An iPad giveaway was held in the Brilliant Directories Facebook group.
• Lars from Germany won the iPad Air.
• Runner-up winners received lifetime website plans and Amazon gift cards.
• Most prizes have been delivered, with a few exceptions.
• The next giveaway may offer two iPads if 1,000 comments are reached on a post.
• New updates and features are continuously added to the Brilliant Directories platform.
• Webinar Wednesday showcases features that help grow the user's community.
• Topics include increasing traffic, converting visitors to members, and revenue opportunities.
• A Q&A session is available at the end for questions about membership websites.
• The presenter mentions that the lab updates are significant and may deserve their own dedicated tip of the week in the future.

DIGITAL PRODUCTS: Custom donations and recurring subscriptions 00:03:49

• Users can now donate custom amounts or set up recurring donations to the site.
• Website owners can offer multiple recurring subscription options with different prices and cycles.
• Website owners can now offer infinite and unlimited recurring subscription options.
• With the member credits add-on, website owners can choose to grant credits after the initial purchase.
• Website owners can choose whether members can use their existing credits towards a purchase or not.

TAGS: In Admin, Create Custom Tags to Pin to Members 00:06:44

• Create custom tags in the admin area to organize members.
• Assign tags to members to identify specific groups or attributes.
• Use tags to create static smart lists for targeted communication.
• Bulk actions allow for efficient tagging and untagging of members.
• Future phases will include API integration and dynamic tagging based on user actions.

EMAILS: Email Outbox to see emails sent out from your website 00:10:05

• Email Outbox feature allows you to see all system emails sent by your website.
• You can view emails sent to leads, members, website visitors, and more.
• Email Outbox tracks emails such as signup emails, review emails, payment due emails, and billing reminder emails.
• You can see who an email was sent to and the exact content of the email.
• Email Outbox provides information on email status, including delivered, opened, clicked, or bounced.
• You can filter emails by status, such as unopened, clicked, spam complaints, etc.
• Email Outbox is a valuable tool for website owners to monitor and analyze email communication.

POST COMMENT: Users get notified of new comments via email 00:11:57

• Users can now follow posts via following comments.
• Following comments requires a basic user account with a registered email address.
• Users can choose to get notified via email for any new comments or only for replies to their comments.
• Website owners can decide if they want to enable the follow comments button for each post type.
• Upcoming features for post comments include upvote/like features and the ability for users to edit or delete their comments.

2FA VIA EMAIL: Secure admin login (soon) 00:15:41

• Two-factor authorization via email will be available for admin logins.
• This will add an extra layer of security by requiring a token upon logging in.
• The feature will be released for website owners first and later for membership websites.

BUSINESS DATA: Access millions of business records to populate your directory in just a few clicks! (soon) 00:16:42

• The "Business Data" feature allows users to search and import business listings into their membership sites.
• Users can search for businesses by category, location, and preferred attributes.
• Each BD site starts with 50 free record downloads, with the option to purchase credits for additional listings.
• Users can customize imported members' membership plans, statuses, tags, and categories.
• Importing records enhances the appearance and credibility of new membership sites.
• The import process involves finding logos, geocoding records, and creating profiles for each record.
• Once imported, the listings are added to the site, increasing its usefulness and resourcefulness.

Guest Presenter: Spencer Mercy 00:23:02

• Spencer Mercy is the special guest presenter for the webinar.
• Spencer is from Brilliant Setups, a third-party partner in the webinar host's marketplace.
• Spencer has extensive experience working with business directory (BD) site owners.
• He specializes in helping BD website owners create a holistic business plan for their directory and membership websites.

About Spencer 00:23:13

• Spencer has been working on BD sites since 2019.
• He has worked with many BD website owners on basic website setup, member journey, and business plan creation.

Introduction 00:24:35

• Spencer Mercy is the founder and senior strategist at Brilliant Setups.
• Brilliant Setups is an agency that helps businesses with strategy, implementation, and marketing for their Brilliant Directory platform.
• They offer full-stack agency services, including development and marketing teams.
• They also provide quick website setups.

Case Study 00:25:16

• The Alternative Pain Treatment Directory, owned by Cindy Pein, aims to provide a platform for alternative pain treatment professionals and products that often face bans on other platforms.
• The website's homepage prioritizes educating visitors about the brand, its value, and its content, rather than immediately directing them to a search.
• A successful directory site tends to have a more niche or targeted market, allowing for better audience engagement and tailored content.
• Cindy Pein focuses exclusively on alternative pain treatment and caters to different personas within that niche.
• The website's redesign shifted from a search-centric approach to curating educational content that informs visitors about the brand and its services.
• The text-heavy homepage is well-suited for the medical alternative pain treatment market, as visitors seek comprehensive information.

Strategy 1: Introducing Upsells Into Your Pricing Strategy 00:31:24

• Introduced a $25/month subscription for practitioners to list their services as an alternative pain treatment practitioner or as a vendor to list their products.
• Once practitioners or vendors are familiar with the brand and content, it becomes easier to upsell them to the $50-$60/month subscription.
• Many practitioners and vendors want to advertise their products or services on the site, making the upsell more likely.

Strategy 2: Bring Clarity on the Value Being Offered 00:32:50

• The pricing page should emphasize the platform's value and features to establish a connection with potential customers.
• The "join page" should feature a video of the business owner introducing themselves and explaining their journey, followed by a description of the problems they solve for their customers.
• Benefits should be highlighted rather than just listing features on the pricing page.
• A free membership plan can effectively nurture potential customers and build relationships before they commit to a paid membership.
• The buyer journey with a free membership plan typically starts with a landing page that focuses on the target audience's pain points and the benefits of signing up for the website.
• Building relationships with potential members is crucial before focusing on paid content.
• Including buttons in the dashboard for potential members to purchase or access additional content can increase sign-ups and sales.
• Offering a free membership plan should be accompanied by a clear buyer journey that includes opportunities for members to upgrade or purchase additional content.
• Providing options for potential members to book calls or meet for discussions can expedite the buying process, as people value personal connections.

Making Sure Each Website Section Delivers Value 00:39:29

• Focus on 2-3 post types and provide a great user experience rather than listing all possible features.
• Cindy adds a new article to her website every week based on industry trends and keywords.
• She uses platforms like moz.com to identify trending topics and keywords.
• Cindy also has an "Inspiring Stories" section where she shares positive experiences of practitioners with clients.

Promoting Her Members and Products 00:42:06

• Cindy promotes her members through newsletters and social media, providing valuable content and building trust.
• Newsletters and social media posts include links to her website, products, and professionals, improving user experience and search engine rankings.
• Cindy creates articles for different types of pain alternative treatments, linking back to her website and promoting her members and products.
• Spotlighting members through articles attracts new sign-ups and generates interest in the site.
• The membership site owner focuses on content creation, planning, and learning from the industry to find the best strategies for her brand.
• The site's homepage, pricing, and content promotion system are well-designed and effective.
• Cindy has been using Brilliant Directories for several years and has seen success with her website.
• The main focus was on optimizing the buyer journey, content, and marketing ideas, with minimal custom design work.

Conclusion 00:49:30

• Free sales video course on buyer journeys available at www.brilliantsetup.com.
• One-on-one consultation with Spencer can be booked at the link provided.

Categorization of vendors vs. practitioners? 00:51:00

• Vendors and practitioners are two separate top-level categories with their own membership plans.

Which post type was used for products? 00:51:36

• The products post type was used for vendors' products.

What was the process for identifying paying points? 00:51:53

• Pain points were identified through industry expertise and understanding the problems the directory site aimed to solve.
• For those less familiar with the industry, it's advisable to research competitors and identify the problem the directory site aims to solve.

Breakdown of marketing strategies? 00:53:23

• The marketing strategies used for the site included organic search, PPC ad campaigns, social media, SEO, and newsletters.
• LinkedIn was the most successful platform for the site, with a lot of professionals using it.
• SEO is a long-term strategy, and Moss.com is recommended for SEO improvement.
• Social media marketing was done on Facebook, but LinkedIn was more successful.

Gating members-only content 00:55:11

• Content can be filtered based on membership level, allowing different access levels to different content types.
• Members-only content can be created, and specific members can be granted access to certain post types.
• Users can be allowed to reach search results pages but not read the full article, encouraging membership upgrades for full access.
• Gating information can entice users to sign up for higher membership levels or purchase a membership.
• Custom code was implemented to enable members to view different information levels based on their membership status.
• The body class of a signed-in user contains the user session and plan ID, which can be used to hide or show elements on the site based on membership level.
• CSS can be used to hide or show elements based on whether a user is logged in and their membership plan.

Delete / Archive sent items from the outbox 01:02:05

• Ability to delete sent items from the outbox is not currently available.
• System emails are stored in the outbox for reconciliation of email usage.
• An archive system for sent items could be a better solution.
• An admin area to filter and organize different types of emails is suggested.

Phone number formatting standards 01:03:37

• Phone number formatting standards vary depending on the country.
• A feature to automatically format phone numbers based on the selected country code is suggested.
• This would prevent users from entering phone numbers in incorrect formats.

Passwords Generator / Admin area 01:05:19

• A password generator in the admin area is suggested for quickly adding new members.
• An option to skip the password requirement when importing members from a CSV file is also suggested.

Product Vendors Classification 01:06:15

• Spencer's product vendors are classified under a subcategory search, so they don't mix with professionals and don't have a dedicated search result page.
• To achieve this, a top-level category is initially pinned to a category, and then the sub and sub-sub search is utilized, allowing users to skip the top-level category and directly search for professionals.
• Alternatively, the search modules can be placed in the sidebar or other locations, omitting the top-level category selection, so it jumps right into subs and sub-subs for professionals.
• Vendors can also be added as a menu item, directing users to their sub-sub page, where they have a similar profile structure to professionals, showcasing their products.
• Employers are removed from any type of category to prevent them from appearing in general searches.
• A simple way to differentiate vendors from practitioners in search results would be to add a menu option asking users what they are searching for.

Identify not needed customizations and utilize standard features 01:13:53

• Check the Brilliant Directories blog or support center (support.brilliantdirectories.com) for a changelog of new and updated features.
• The changelog is updated weekly and includes information on widget updates.
• If a customized widget has been updated, consider disabling the custom widget and using the default functionality instead.
• Disabling a custom widget does not delete it and allows you to easily re-enable it if needed.

Free Trial vs. Demo 01:16:38

• Demos allow you to guide potential clients through your site, highlighting its best features.
• Free trials allow potential clients to experience your product or service firsthand.
• Both free trials and demos can be effective strategies for winning over potential clients.

Free Trial with or without credit card 01:18:53

• The decision of whether to require a credit card for a free trial depends on the stickiness of your product or service.
• If you are confident that users will want to continue using your product or service after the free trial, you may want to skip asking for a credit card upfront.
• If your product or service is less sticky, you may want to require a credit card upfront to increase the chances of converting free trial users into paying customers.

www.BrilliantSetups.com/go 01:20:32

• Spencer mentions a free workshop or roadmap video available on brilliantsetups.com/slgo.
• The video course covers topics such as the buyer's journey, introducing the brand to new visitors, and optimizing landing pages for sign-ups.
• It delves deeper into marketing psychology and compelling users to take action on the website.
• Huge Leap updates were shared, including the Business Data feature, which is expected to be released by the next webinar in June.
• The Brilliant Directories Facebook group will post the YouTube live replay of the webinar.
• Viewers are encouraged to join the Facebook group and subscribe to the Brilliant Directories YouTube channel.