Written by Community websites are great places to build relationships with customers and potential clients. But how do you monetize community websites?
There are many ways to monetize community websites, including affiliate programs, advertising, sponsorships, and even selling products. In this article, I’ll share my top tips for making money from a community site.
I’ve tried most of these techniques myself, and I’m going to tell you exactly how to get started and succeed.
What is Community Monetization?
Community monetization refers to the process of earning money by giving away your own content. This can be done in a variety of ways, including:
- Advertising on your website or blog
- Sponsoring an event
- Offering a free product for sale
- Giving away products and services for free
Creating a membership site where members pay a monthly fee to access premium feature
These are just some examples of what you could do. The key here is to find something that you enjoy doing, and then make it easy for others to benefit from it.
How Much Money Can You Make From An Online Community Website?
The amount of money you can earn depends on several factors, such as:
- The type of community website you have
- Your niche
- Whether you’re building a business or a hobby site
- The size of your audience
- The number of visitors you receive each month
- The amount of time you spend creating content
And more…
You may not be able to make a lot of money right off the bat. However, if you keep at it over time, you will eventually start seeing results.
6 Unique Ways To Monetize Community Website
Ask For Donations
If you want to give people an incentive to donate to your cause, ask them to sign up for a newsletter or join a mailing list.
For example, you might offer a special discount to those who sign up for your email list. Or maybe you could send out a weekly update about your progress.
This way, you can stay connected with your supporters without having to constantly beg for donations.
Get Sponsors (Advertisements)
Another way to generate revenue from a community website is to get sponsors. If you create a video tutorial, you can sell ads against it.
Or perhaps you could write articles about topics related to your niche. Then, you can place sponsored links inside the text of your posts.
Of course, you don’t need to limit yourself to paid advertisements. You can also try offering freebies in exchange for feedback.
Sell your community’s brand merchandise
You probably already have a large following if you run a popular online community. That means you have a valuable asset that you can use to promote other things.
One of the best ways to do this is to sell branded merchandise like t-shirts, mugs, pens, mouse pads, stickers, etc.
To help you get started, check out our guide on how to sell merchandise on your online community website using Woo Sell Services.
Create a Membership Site
A membership site is similar to a regular forum. People can register to become part of the community, and they can post messages and interact with one another.
However, unlike forums, there are no rules or guidelines. Members can say whatever they want, whenever they want.
Membership sites are perfect for communities that focus on sharing knowledge and information. They allow users to share their expertise and gain new insights by interacting with other experts.
Membership sites are also great for businesses because they provide a platform for companies to connect with customers. This helps build trust and loyalty among consumers.
In addition to these benefits, membership sites are very cost-effective. Because they don’t require any upfront fees, they tend to be much cheaper than traditional websites.
In fact, many successful community websites are now turning into membership sites. So, if you think your community would benefit from becoming a membership site, then go ahead and take action!
Sell Online Courses
An online course is a type of training program where students learn through videos, audio files, and written content. You can sell courses as either digital products or physical items. Digital products include eBooks, PDFs, MP3s, and more. Physical items include printed books, CDs, DVDs, and more.
The good thing about selling online courses is that you can reach a wide audience. Plus, you don’t need to worry about shipping costs since most people live within driving distance of an Amazon warehouse. The bad news is that creating high-quality courses takes time and effort. But if you’re willing to put in the work, you’ll reap the rewards.
For example, Udemy offers over 1 million active learners around the world. And according to them, each student spends an average of $1,000 per year. So even though Udemy has only been around for 10 years, it’s already generating millions of dollars in annual revenue.
It is super easy to install the learning management system plugins on an online community website. You can read our “how to create a community with online course” guide to understand the basics of teaching your online community.
Affiliates
If you’ve ever sold anything online before, you know that affiliate marketing is one of the easiest ways to make money online. It doesn’t matter what kind of product you’re promoting – whether it’s digital or physical.
You simply sign up with an affiliate network like ShareASale, Rakuten LinkShare, or ClickBank. Then, you set up a special link called a referral URL. Whenever someone buys something using this link, you get a commission.
You can use your own affiliate links or promote other people’s products. For instance, you could advertise other people’s services or products on your blog or feed.
Want to monetize your online community? Get Started!
In conclusion, if you have a passion project that you’d like to turn into a profitable online business, here are five ways you can use to monetize community website. First, build a strong audience. Second, find a niche. Third, create content around that niche. Fourth, promote that content. And finally, sell products related to that content. This will give you a solid foundation from which to launch your own successful and monetized community website.
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