Online Mentorship Programs: Cash in on Your Expertise
Whether you're a former retail store owner known for your creativity, a championship bridge player, or a psychotherapist with a long current waiting list for openings, if you possess expertise that makes colleagues and aficionados want your pearls of wisdom, you can create a new income stream with an online mentorship program.
Such a program charges a fee for people to sit at your feet and learn from you. The program would have a special focus (not for everyone) and offer information, resources, advice, insider tips and problem solving. While a mentorship program could take place in the "real world," it is especially easy to set it up, promote and run it online.
Before I created my online mentorship program, MarketingforMore.com, in the fall of 2003, I did extensive research on fees and features of other programs. I looked most closely at seven examples whose fees ranged from $30 a month to just less than $600 a month.
At the lower end of this spectrum, $30 a month didn't give members very much personal access to the expert around whom the program revolved, while at nearly $600 a month, a member received just about unlimited private access to the expert. Likewise, the program with the lowest fee accepted anyone who applied, while the higher fees required application, with no guarantee of acceptance.
Features in the online mentorship programs I looked at included some or all of these: * Topical teleclasses or conference calls * Member newsletter * Member-only articles * Feedback and advice from the designated expert * Discounts on products and services * Free books, tapes or reports * Free in-person meetings * Group discussion board
You should do this research yourself to see who has a program similar to yours, what they charge and what they offer. Join a couple of mentorship programs and learn from what you like and don't like in what they do.
When you decide to go ahead, you can either buy a readymade software program for running such an online program or create your own web site. Membergate (www.membergate.com) is the best and most reliable such tool, with a one-time licensing fee of $3,500 and up. Since my husband is a programmer, we built our own site with a password-protected area and an online application for prospective members to fill out.
However much or little you decide to charge, it's essential for members to feel they're getting their money's worth, and that means that you must offer quite a lot of member-only content, with fresh material added often. I not only quit one mentorship site but also asked for my money back because it didn't live up to the promise of listings that were updated daily and the site owner appeared to be nowhere in evidence.
Be flexible in what you're willing to offer members. I started off thinking that a member-only discussion board was the best way for members to get feedback and advice from me, but I learned that while some members loved that, others preferred the exchange of ideas in a live conference call. So I added those to my program.
Because I thoroughly researched and planned before launching my online mentorship program and have remained determined to have members think they're getting an unbelievable deal, MarketingforMore.com got off to a successful start and has continued to grow. Good luck cashing in on your expertise!
Marcia Yudkin is the author of 6 Steps to Free Publicity and 10 other books. She runs an online mentorship site, MarketingforMore.com, which supports business owners who are growing their businesses. Download her free report, "Charge More & Get It," at http://www.marketingformore.com/survey.htm . Or find out about her upcoming Marketing for More seminars at http://www.marketingformore.com/seminars.htm .
PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts,
Websites, and more... "Goals are dreams with deadlines." -Diana Scharf HuntWhen clients come... Read More Your market is not everybody, as so many small businesses... Read More Direct mail can be one of the most effective tactics... Read More Are you planning an event or participating in a trade... Read More People attend trade shows because they are in a specific... Read More Every January, trade publications put out a list... Read More The N-word! We all know the value of networking and... Read More You may not realize it, but you already have a... Read More Direct marketing is advertising from a manufacturer or front-end supplier... Read More I have been working on a direct mail campaign for... Read More Marketing your cleaning business is something that you will already... Read More Without doubt, understanding what a customer's wants and needs are... Read More We're back to the subject of ethics, more specifically, business... Read More You need only one card, but make it noticeable. Make... Read More Sometimes the simplest data is the best. Marketing is not... Read More It used to be you that if you had a... Read More Direct mail is a cost-effective way to make sales and... Read More Are you still waiting for business to turn around before... Read More If you want to learn how effective Niche Marketing can... Read More One of the hardest jobs in fundraising is crafting original... Read More 'Word of Mouth' is still one of the most effectivemarketing... Read More For years now we have been inundated with offers of... Read More Too often we small business owners get caught up in... Read More Staying ahead of the marketing curve seems to be a... Read More Multicultural marketing mirrors the changed face of America and is... Read More
Adsense
websites
Creating a Marketing Timeline That Works: 17 Simple Ideas for Marketing Your Small Business
Target Your Market
Direct Mail Leads - Brand Identity Guru
10 Beer Budget Event Marketing Tips
Be a Smarter Marketer - Learn the L-A-W for Trade Shows
Adapting Blog Technologies To Corporate E-Newsletters
Sowing and Growing Your Network
The Secret to Adding Credibility to Your Business ? Testimonials!
Direct Marketing Puts Information In The Buyer?s Hands
Questioning the Data of Demographic Off The Shelf Marketing Products
7 Proven Tips To Market Your Cleaning Business
Knowing Your Customer Is The Key
Misrepresentation - Through Silence!
Design, Design, Design
Basic Marketing Dope
The Death of Product Packaging as We Know It.
Nurture Sales Leads with Direct Mail Marketing
Mail Can Make You Money
How Nearly Going Broke Taught Me The Value Of Niche Marketing
51 Ways to Say Thank-you in a Fundraising Letter for a Non-for-Profit (Includes Examples & Samples)
Word of Mouth Marketing
Has the Free Report Had Its Day?
A Perfect Partnership for Business
A Great Marketing Model ? Utilizing the Power of OPM
Multicultural Marketing ? Taking Care of Business At Hand
Affordable and Reliable Web Hosting Starting at $4.49/Month
Go Guerrilla
Jay Conrad Levinson coined the term guerrilla marketing, which I... Read More
Marketings Nuclear Weapon
Three seconds. That's what you have to convey your message.... Read More
Two Methods of Marketing Using Joint Ventures
Whether you're a contractor a local merchant with 150 employees,... Read More
Simple Marketing Idea - Big Marketing Results!
Have you ever noticed how many times it's the simplest... Read More
Increase Sales With Travel Incentives
Today's business environment has changed dramatically over the past 10... Read More
How To Turn $100,000 Into $1,191,817 In Just One Year Part II
Turning a modest $100,000 annual turnover into $1,191,817 may sound... Read More
Marketing Strategy and Template for Independent Professionals
Having a marketing strategy and marketing approach is very important.... Read More
Marketing Is A Long-Term Investment
"Dig your well before you're thirsty" is the title of... Read More
John Kerry, Amazing Direct-Marketer!
If you want to uncover a little secret about how... Read More
Sleigh Bells Ring...And Cash Registers, Too
During the holidays, folks everywhere shop many long hours to... Read More
Online Communities - A Marketers Wildest Dream and Worst Nightmare!
Online Communities are all over the Internet and attract lots... Read More
Tips for Trade Show Rentals
Trade show rentals allow you more flexibility and the opportunity... Read More
How To Be A First Class Marketer?
Did you now how to follow up a new customer... Read More
How to Turn Your Marketing Into a Money-Making Machine - Setting The Stage For Successful Marketing
Powerful Marketing has become elusive to many companies seeking strong... Read More
Direct Mail
Do you have a website? A Web Newsletter? A mailing... Read More
Dear Friend: Dont Start Your Non-For-Profit Fundraising Letters As A Stranger
Dear Friend:Don't do it.Don't start your fundraising letters with "Dear... Read More
Successful Marketing Through Seminars
One of the best ways for potential clients to find... Read More
Judge Rules in Consultant?s Favor with 80-20 Rule
I opened the registered letter and was shocked. My best... Read More
Creative Online Marketing For Salespeople and Business Professionals
New to a sales career? Want to market yourself but... Read More
Future of Marketing Part 2
In Part 1, I discussed how traditional marketing is no... Read More
How To Start With Absolutely Nothing And Create Wealth online in 30 days or less.
Without a doubt, if you asked me, Shane if there... Read More
Sowing and Growing Your Network
The N-word! We all know the value of networking and... Read More
Loan Officer Marketing ? Why Realtors® Don?t Read Your Brochures
When you place brochures from every mortgage company side by... Read More
Are You Ready To Research Your Market?
Picture this. You develop some product or service, spend countless... Read More
Target Marketing: The Bell Curve
Finally, Something You Learned In Math Class Makes Sense In... Read More
Marketing |