What to do with trial users who do not convert into paid subscribers?

Email marketing, trying to find why they didn't buy and after that trying to solve it (if it's in my hand) Offering a different product that may more suitable

I'd say look at what you are offering. There is no email or paid ad that is as convincing as TRYING product or service and finding it uesr friendly and WORTH PAYING MONEY FOR.


You will have tire kickers and freebie seekers....that's normal. If you have a good conversion from ad to 'free trial period' and people are not joining/paying....either they don't see the membership/product as useful to them....or they don't think it's worth the price.

This is an interesting topic... There are a few ways o maybe tighten up the numbers a bit.

#1 would be traffic source and getting better Qualified free subscribers. I would suggest in the macro of this topic that this would be the most common reason for HUGE amounts of subscribers to e-mail or a free offer and few that actually convert.

#2 might be something like VALUE. are you presenting enough value in what you are offering to convert someone from FREE to an actual paying customer?

#3 Are you actually hitting a prospects pain points? Meaning are you answering problems the end user may have?

#4 Is what you are offering as a subscription congruent with what got them to your landing page to begin with, and what may be offered free from there? - this is another HUGE hang up for most marketers.

This sounds like a "depends" issue.

If your sales copy/funnel is all about getting free trial sign-ups, then congrats - it's working. Now you need to focus on the service itself. Test price points, subscription periods, value packages - and ask for user feedback. Then work on the service/product and all the variables until the conversion rate is acceptable.

If your sales copy is focused on the paid subscription with the free trial option as an afterthought, you've got some serious work to do on the copy, the offer or the targeting. Maybe all three. In this scenario, the conversion rate of the free trialists shouldn't be your main concern.

Make them an offer they cannot refuse.

I got this idea from Dan Kennedy.

I used to have free e-mail subscribers, and I converted many of them to paid.
The paid subscription was $39 a month.

This was the offer. They got the first 3 months of the paid newsletter for just $5.95. And I included lots of freebies, a DVD full of back issues, a free copy of my latest (at the time) book. After their first three months, they would be charged $39 a month until they cancelled.

Did a lot of them cancel before the first $39 charge? Not really. The average number of months they stayed was about 8. But the ones that lasted past 4 months? They stayed an average of 18 months. That's 15 paid months.

The important thing was that they paid something, and I had charged their credit card. Now, they had to do something to cancel.

I also learned (but never tested myself) that about $19 a month is the most you can charge and have it be low enough that they never go to the trouble to cancel.

I have lots of $10-20 a month charges that I no longer use. If it were $50 a month? I'd be a lot more likely to cancel after I saw the charge on my CC statement.

Why not send an email and ask them. Most marketers just end up deleting non converting subscribers. So, maybe a quick email with a simple form or just a multiple choice question.

Something in the lines of

Of course you will have to write the email in your voice and taylor to your audience but even if you get a few responses it could tell you something.

al

The War Room is a totally different product than it was when it was launched.


What was designed as a section of experienced members offering free products (no strings, no signups, no promotions), special deals and high end help - is now a full section of curated and/or rewritten content by Admin. What was launched in 2013 or so for $37 for lifetime membership is now $99/year.

It IS a 'different product' and if people are trying it and not joining - it is overpriced.

Asking them as mentioned above is great. You'll probably get some responses. Could be good for pain point language in copywriting, new features to work on.

How about some Cialdini? Once someone commits a little, then it's easy for them to commit a little more.

Offer a rewards program for paid signups by referral. For the few who are action takers and advocates, they get money for recommending your offer...and that'll make them more likely to sign up themselves.

Run a contest. Segment your list to pull out those who have been on the free plan for say 2+ months and no longer than 6-12 (your choice). Those past 6 months or a year probably forgot you exist. Specifically tell them the contest is for people who signed up for the free offer but aren't using it. Ask them as the entry ticket for a testimonial on why they'd use it and how having the full services of a paid subscription free to them for a year or two would change their lives.

These testimonials can now be used in your marketing forever.

Run the contest, give away full service offers for a year or two to the two winners. Advertise the winners repeatedly so people know it actually happened. Get comments from the happy winners. Share those, too.

Those who didn't win, give them a special offer to sign up immediately following the contest results. They already said how their lives would be better with the full product, didn't they? Cialdini pushes them towards buying now.

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, go get the classic On Influence by Cialdini and discover a new world of persuasion.

You imagine your trial is the direct HOTLINE to your FULL & FURIOUS "SAIL EVRYPLACE IN A YACHT TILL'N THE SUN COUGHS ITS LAST HEAT" solootion.

It is naht.

Ours is a trial an' error world -- less'n you gaht any kinda previous smarts -- so you gonna see a crazy amounta triallin' gowin' on.

Aftah all, what is it 'bout 2035 that is so inevitable we can kinda sleepwalk there?

Plenty present day saints & celebs gonna be dust by then, so who is readin' their memoirs for succor?

So I figure uncertainty an' flux are always with us ... an' so how may we commune with the mutable an' pull tangible rabbits outta the miracle hat?

You gotta trial an' test, I guess.

BUT ... NOT AT RANDOM, BCS YOU MORTAL!

So I would always wish to say 'bout trials don't work out is to review the MISMATCH between HEY C'MON an' HOW THIS WORKS.

You primin' prospects for dufferismo?

Happens all ovah!

So ... don't promise nuthin' you cain't delivah.

Second is, your fullah version don't pulse out on killah feachoores to warrant the cost.

Plenty variables here, go do the math.

Third, your supah free offah gaht evrywan curious, and, now they LOOKIN' (bcs you PRESENTED), actshwlly this SUPER COOL SOLUTION is available ELSEWHERE for CHEAPAH plus MORE FEACHURES.

Identify the mismatch.

"He kissed me sweet, but showed no intrest in lickin' my hair."

Inevitably, promisin' too big an' deliverin' too lame ain't gonna work out.

An' one night in the sack don't nevah predict marriage.

You can remind them when the free trial is about to be over, so they can subscribe to the paid service if they forgot what day it is. Or you can provide an early discount if subscribe before the trial is over. I would also follow up via email even after the trial is over to ask them to subscribe, and mention the benefits of subscribing when doing so.

You may have a disconnect:


You are the Warrior Forum. But the forum is kind of dead, people get a lot of "Search Engine Journal says" type of articles.


If I joined a forum, the curated articles would be the maraschino cherry, not the cake. The cake would be the forum.


If I saw lots of "Search Engine Journal says" type of articles, I'd tell myself, why don't you go over Search Engine Journal and subscribe to them? I would never tell myself, pay Warrior Forum extra so I can see mini-summaries of articles in the Search Engine Journal... (or whatever journal last came up).


The paid version gives you access to a lot of old things... very few new ones. Many of the old things are still applicable. But if I'm new to marketing, how do I know? I see 2013 date and think, why read this? Things must have changed a lot.


And Savidge is right: If the way I got to sign up is my interest in dropshipping, I would want a lot of current droppshipping stuff to come my way... You have a droppshipping section and that's good. But, there, I have to go look through things, sort by myself. You pointing out to me good stuff would be worth my money.


By pointing out I mean, email me stuff or just arrange the forum differently, by droppshipping topics... Which means, maybe, just this: your search function should be better. Right now, not so good.

Maybe it means more than that. Bit it would make me think paying might just be worth my money.

I will just say this and you can take it for what it's worth.
Ask yourself an honest question.
Would you buy something that is broken?

1.\Advertise the thing as it should be advertised.

Dominate your niche with this stupid simple tool
Ebooks, Training, Software. You name it-The ULTIMATE internet toolbox is at your disposal.
Stop wasting time and money and make the right choice right off the bat.
This is the War Room.
Join Today.

How ya gonna dominate the industry? It's filled with niches from bread tags to MMO

2.Stop the free trial because it is not needed because you don't update it so it is all accessible and no reason to stay. Could be why nobody is staying.

Offer a package f 3 ebooks chosen from the war room and give them to them if they register. Tell them about the value and why that is applicable to them. The War Room is your product sell the benefits.
A feature is-Content from some of the best in the online world
The Benefit is. Stupid simple formulas you can easily apply and get started right away..

3.Update the content. You have access to the best and most brilliant minds so utilize that.

4. You're personally doing a good job thanks for putting in the time. I am not ragging on ya just trying to be helpful.

Always Onwards.
-WD

Offer special bonuses to sign up for paid subscription obviously...

maybe

• not the right audience, that's why the conversion from trial to paid is lower, or
• they don't get it, don't see the value

lets focus on the 2nd reason, if that's the case, meaning we can have a specific education system to teach them the benefits , use case, case study, results of using our products

Make sense?

Interesting topic