147: How to Run a Successful MEMBERSHIP with over 2,500 Active Members (Featuring Dr. Marnie Ginsberg)

When I first started researching Dr. Marnie Ginsberg’s story, I was blown away by the success she’d had in helping teachers help their students improve their reading literacy. It was a no-brainer that I had to have her on The Online Course Show to talk about how her membership model course has worked, what she’s learned on her online course journey, and why she’s so passionate about what she does. “Don’t get overwhelmed by all the things. No one can do all the things, [so] focus on finding the core things… Consistency and persistence and listening to your community will teach you to provide what they want.” - Dr. Marnie Ginsberg It was fantastic to hear about the impact that Dr. Marnie’s resources are making on the world. Chatting with her was super-inspiring, and I think you’re going to really enjoy hearing what has worked for her business as it's grown! In This Episode, We Talked About: (0:44) Upgrades and updates (4:11) Engaging an audience while giving presentations virtually (8:41) Relaunch magic (9:45) Setting the stage for today’s interview (11:45) Introducing Dr. Marnie and why she created her course (14:53) Why this niche is so important both for families and teachers (21:12) Dr. Marnie’s membership model (23:47) How she set up her course + membership business (28:17) Group coaching considerations (30:37) Building a community and platform choices (33:54) How does Dr. Marnie keep retention rates up? (37:06) Learning from bingeable shows like Stranger Things (39:10) Can a membership site get too big? (41:04) What led Dr. Marnie to dive deeper into her niche and share it with the world (45:38) First sales, breakthroughs, and passion (50:07) Her response to skeptics (plus parallels and contrasts with piano learning) (52:21) Stories of how her resources have impacted people’s lives (56:24) Being a guide for students on their learning journey (1:00:09) Where does Dr. Marnie’s traffic come from? (1:02:43) How much is too much to spend on Facebook leads? (1:04:52) Funnels, freebies, and webinar evolution (1:09:29) Creating scarcity (1:10:38) Systems and struggles (1:15:04) How the pandemic has affected Dr. Marnie’s business (1:17:56) Her advice for new and aspiring course creators (1:19:15) David and I discuss different course models (1:28:21) Community options and the Facebook debate That’s all for now, folks! See you on the next episode of The Online Course Show. Links Bonjoro Free Trial ClickFunnels Free Trial Dr. Marnie Course: Reading Simplified Uplift desk Smart Passive Income interview LearnDash BuddyBoard Platform Storybrand Moolah Marketing Active Campaign Traction Jacques’ Courses: The Online Course Accelerator Next Level Courses Piano in 21 Days David’s Course - Wellness Program Expert