I was recently asked for my opinion about the differences between membership sites and micro continuity sites and which would I recommend. 

 I’ve been noticing a trend over the last 12-18 months where there was a shift in some membership sites to social networking sites.  I’ve also been noticing that there is a lot of attrition with membership sites.  Micro continuity is becoming extremely popular because the continuity is for a shorter time period, i.e. 16 – 26 weeks.  When there is a clear ending in site, people have a tendency to stay involved, whereas when it’s going to last forever, people may bail out of the program.

However, there is a purpose for both types of programs, so it’s important to determine your business model to see which is the right one for you.  Internet Markeing and Social Media is not a one-size fits all type of marketing media, it always goes back to your business strategies as to which is the right solution for you.

I also encourage my clients to consider starting their own social networking site so that they are building a community that consists of their target audience.  As it grows, you learn what problems your target audience is facing, what their needs, wants and desires are through posts in the forums.  It is your captive audience.   

You can set up your own free social networking site at www.ning.com , but there are limitations with the free solution.  I have two other social networking platforms I work with;  Social Networking Empire – www.budurl.com/SNEgo (a hosted solution – I have www.iWomanLife.com on this platform) and Niche Socializer (a software download solution – this one is not finalized yet, since there is a lot of flexibility in the software and it takes more thought and effort in setting it up).

To Your Success! 

Kathy Perry