Why Membership Site Retainers Are Essential for Growth

Moving beyond the initial build project is key to a sustainable membership site business. Retainers offer significant benefits for both you and your clients:

• For Your Business: Provides stable, recurring revenue; increases client lifetime value; allows for better resource planning; positions you as a long-term partner, not just a contractor.
• For Your Clients: Ensures their site remains secure, updated, and performing optimally; provides access to ongoing support and expertise; facilitates continuous improvement and adaptation to member needs; offers peace of mind.

Without a retainer structure, clients often neglect ongoing maintenance, leading to site issues, security vulnerabilities, poor performance, and ultimately, member churn. Offering a well-defined retainer package addresses these critical needs proactively.

Defining Your Membership Site Retainer Services

What goes into a typical membership site retainer pricing package? It varies, but commonly includes a mix of the following:

1. Technical Maintenance:
   • Core platform updates (e.g., WordPress, specific membership software like MemberPress, Paid Memberships Pro, etc.)
   • Plugin and theme updates
   • Security scans and vulnerability patching
   • Performance monitoring and optimization
   • Regular backups
2. Technical Support:
   • Troubleshooting site errors or issues
   • Addressing user access problems
   • Fixing broken features
   • Emergency response (often at a different rate or tier)
3. Content & Member Management Support:
   • Assistance with uploading or formatting new content
   • Helping manage member accounts or subscriptions (within platform capabilities)
   • Basic reporting assistance
4. Growth & Strategy (Higher Tiers):
   • Consultation on optimizing member engagement
   • Planning and implementing new features
   • A/B testing member journeys or offers
   • Integrations with other tools (CRM, email marketing, etc.)
   • Reporting and analysis on site performance and member behavior

Clearly defining the scope of each service is paramount to avoid scope creep and manage client expectations.

Common Membership Site Retainer Pricing Models

Several models exist for structuring membership site retainer pricing. The best fit depends on your business model, your clients’ needs, and the complexity of the sites you manage.

• Fixed Monthly Fee (Tiered): The most popular model. Clients pay a set fee each month for a defined set of services or a block of hours. Tiers (e.g., Basic, Standard, Premium) allow clients to choose a package that fits their budget and needs. This offers predictability for both parties.
• Value-Based Retainer: Prices are based on the value delivered to the client (e.g., reduced churn, increased member engagement, time saved), rather than just hours or tasks. Requires deep understanding of the client’s business goals and metrics.
• Hourly Retainer (Block Hours): Clients pre-purchase a block of hours at a potentially discounted rate. Provides flexibility but can lead to clients hoarding hours or uncertainty if hours are exceeded. Less common for core maintenance, more for flexible support/development tasks.
• Blended Retainer: Combines elements, e.g., a fixed fee for core maintenance plus an hourly rate for additional support or development work.

Structuring and Pricing Your Retainer Packages

Developing profitable membership site retainer pricing requires careful planning:

1. Calculate Your Costs: Understand your internal costs for delivering each service (staff time, software licenses, overhead). This sets your minimum price floor.
2. Define Your Scope Clearly: Specify exactly what is included in each package tier (e.g., number of updates per month, response times, types of support requests, hours included). Equally important is stating what is not included (e.g., major feature development, third-party plugin conflicts not related to updates).
3. Research the Market: Understand what similar membership site agencies charge for comparable services. This helps benchmark your pricing.
4. Determine Your Value Proposition: What unique benefits do your retainers provide? Focus on outcomes like site stability, security, performance, and enabling client growth.
5. Create Tiered Packages: Offering 2-4 tiers allows clients to self-select based on their budget and perceived needs. Name tiers clearly (e.g., “Maintenance Only”, “Support & Security”, “Growth Partner”). Use psychological principles like anchoring by presenting a higher-value tier first.
   • Example Tiers (Illustrative USD):
     • Tier 1 (Basic Maintenance): $199 - $499/month (Updates, Backups, Monitoring)
     • Tier 2 (Standard Support): $500 - $1,500/month (Tier 1 + Limited Technical Support Hours, Content Upload Assistance)
     • Tier 3 (Growth Partner): $1,501 - $5,000+/month (Tier 2 + Strategy Consultations, Feature Development Hours, Priority Support)

Presenting these options clearly and interactively is crucial. Tools like PricingLink (https://pricinglink.com) are specifically designed for this, allowing you to build configurable packages with options for different retainer tiers, add-ons, and setup fees, providing an immediate, transparent price for the client as they make selections. This beats static PDFs or complex spreadsheets.

Presenting Your Retainer Pricing to Clients

How you present your membership site retainer pricing significantly impacts your close rate.

• Start with Value: Frame the retainer not as an expense, but as an investment in site stability, security, and future growth. Connect the services directly to the client’s business goals (e.g., reducing member churn, saving time on tech issues).
• Explain the Structure: Clearly outline what’s included in each tier and the benefits of choosing a higher tier. Use analogies if helpful.
• Offer Configuration: Allow clients to see how different choices (like adding more support hours or a strategic consulting component) affect the price. This is where an interactive pricing tool shines.
  • While comprehensive proposal software like PandaDoc (https://www.pandadoc.com) or Proposify (https://www.proposify.com) can handle the full proposal including e-signatures and contracts, they can be complex and often overkill if your main challenge is presenting pricing options clearly. PricingLink (https://pricinglink.com) is laser-focused on creating that dynamic, configurable pricing experience, making it easy for clients to understand their options and make selections immediately.
• Address Objections: Be prepared to discuss the cost relative to potential problems or lost opportunities if maintenance is neglected.
• Use a Clear Pricing Link: Sending a single, clear link to an interactive pricing page built with a tool like PricingLink simplifies the process for both you and the client, capturing their selections and contact info upon submission.

Retainer Contracts and Managing Expectations

A clear contract is non-negotiable for any membership site retainer pricing agreement. Ensure it covers:

• The specific services included in the chosen tier.
• The monthly fee and payment terms.
• The duration of the agreement (e.g., minimum term, rolling monthly).
• Response times and support hours.
• What constitutes an “out of scope” request and the process/cost for handling them.
• Termination clauses.

Managing client expectations from the outset is crucial for a successful long-term relationship. Clearly communicate deliverables, reporting frequency, and how communication will be handled.