Many media businesses who publish content online for free are investigating subscription or membership packages as a way to drive revenue from their online content.  It’s a bit easier for b2b publishers who can build research reports or databases or workflow tools, and are also dealing with businesses with a defined budget for information, research or lead generation.  So is anyone succeeding in consumer markets?  I’ve found a few examples, and identified five key elements that appear to be adding value to membership packages.  What unites them is that online content alone is not enough.  And discounts on products and services are expected to be offered as part of the deal.  So here’s some ideas for how to add real value to the package: (more…)