For all those thinking about starting a subscription-based business, or adding a subscription service to a business, Robbie Kellman Baxter shares an article that identifies five things you shouldn’t do and one you should.  Netflix is a true leader of the Membership Economy. Back in 2002 when I first started working with them, I fell in love with their business model. I loved their focus on doing one thing really well, their Forever Promise (FP). I describe that FP…

  Robbie Kellman Baxter takes a look forward at subscription businesses in 2021 and provides a few tips on how to improve sales through improved membership strategies.  The time leading up to American Thanksgiving is often especially busy, with a combination of major conferences, ambitious sales goals and, of course, planning for the upcoming year before people check out (physically and/or mentally) for the holiday season. You’ve probably spent some time already thinking about your goals for next year, and…

  Robbie Kellman Baxter writes about her experience as an online subscriber to Disney+ and whether Disney will deliver on their forever promise of family connection through membership. This weekend, my family watched Hamilton on Disney+. We weren’t the only ones. I’m guessing a lot of the 54 million (as of May) subscribers were also singing along as part of a “shelter at home” Fourth of July holiday. Like many others, we subscribed last week, specifically to watch the musical….

  Robbie Kellman Baxter identifies what ‘freemium really means’, how it can be used as a tactic, and the role of freemium in both ordinary and extraordinary times.  Lots of organizations, particularly subscription businesses, are changing their rules about what is free and what is paid, in response to the coronavirus. The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg News are a few of the many publishers that have removed the paywall in front of coronavirus-related content. In other words,…

  Robbie Kellman Baxter shares a story about her favourite bookstore and how it provides a great example of the Membership Economy in action. When a Menlo Park bookstore was economically threatened, the community stepped in and created a membership program to improve long-term sustainability.  Founded in 1955 by peace activist Roy Kepler, Kepler’s Books is a large independent bookstore. After its founding, it quickly became a center for intellectual thought and community discussion for the people living in the…

Subscription businesses were a big deal in 2019, so what’s the forecast for 2020? Robbie Kellman Baxter shares her expertise on what lies ahead.  I’m no fortune teller, but something about the beginning of a new year and a new decade makes me want to start spouting predictions. Actually, this isn’t the first time I have taken a crack at predictions. The final chapter of my new book THE FOREVER TRANSACTION is all about the future of subscription and membership…

Robbie Baxter explains why companies need to prioritize their mission over their products to take advantage of new technologies and services and build a new kind of relationship with today’s–and tomorrow’s–members. As association leaders, many of you are Membership Pioneers. Membership is something you probably have been thinking about for years. But in the last 10 years, membership has reinvented nearly every industry. Companies like LinkedIn, Amazon and Salesforce have created forever transactions of their own with their customers by using many…