There will always be people who value information they can hold in their hand over information they acquire over the Internet — no matter how much they paid for it. There is something to the visceral experience of holding something in your hand that increases the perceived value of a product. Therefore, it makes sense that your continuity program would provide offline, physical benefits to its members.

Some examples include:

• Newsletters printed on paper.
• CDs of the monthly call.
• DVDs of the monthly video.
• Binders to hold the newsletters.
• Special reports.
• Membership card.
• Members-only paraphernalia, such as T-shirts, mugs and key chains.

But why would you go through the added expense of not only shipping these things, but producing them, as well? In short, increased perceived value. You can charge more for your membership when you include physical products — much more.

For example, let’s say that your membership benefits include a monthly informational call with guest experts. If the membership is virtual, you could probably charge anywhere from $15 to $35 for a monthly fee. Now add to that membership a recording of that call on CD, along with a hard copy of the transcript and a binder to keep it all nice and neat. This would probably cost you around $5 a month to produce and ship. But, you could now charge anywhere from $10 to $30 more per month!

By adding a physical benefit, you’ve increased the value of the membership way more than you increased the cost of the membership. Not only that, but your membership retention can be much higher, as well — making your income potential that much more predictable.

Now that’s a benefit I’m sure you would like for your business!