🔍 How To Convert Free Trials Into Paying Customers

How To Become A Better Marketer? Find a Marketer In The Shoes You Want To Fill And Learn From Them

So, Mailchimp & Co did it for you.

They talked to marketers to gather insights from 1500 agencies and freelancers and compiled it all in their 2023 Mailchimp & Co Benchmark Report.

You’ll learn how to:

63 pages full of insights. You can download the full report here.

How To Sample And Bridge The Curious Into Customers

Reading time: 3 Minutes

You ever been to the mall, hungry as hell, and as you walk through the food court looking for what to scarf down, somebody holding a tray of perfectly seasoned chicken offers you a sample?

You take it and next thing you know, you’re waiting in line to place an order.

That’s because “food sampling converts browsers into buyers at a 20% higher rate than customers who didn’t sample.”

The birds-eye view learning: Sampling a product converts more customers.

Which leads to three questions:

To let the right customer try its product before making a decision.

To make sure the product delivers on the promised value.

So what’s the fix?

Let customers experience the value for free by sampling the product → Create a bridge that connects customers to the WOW moment → Give a preview of the paid product

We’re going to cover:

1. Give Tools

Ahrefs offers its subscription and also the 10% Webmaster Tool for free.

The 10% Webmaster Tool is for people who want a glimpse into the value without fully committing to it.

But that 10% shows you all the potential the remaining 90% could provide.

Plan A is optimal. Plan B is optional. But the best plan b bridges to plan a.

2. Give Credits

No credit card. Just credits.

SparkToro offers potential customers 20 free credits each month.

Only need 20 searches a month? Then you can use SparkToro for free, forever.

Need more than 20 searches? Wait till the following month or subscribe.

The best way to retain customers? Give them access forever until they find so much value in the product they need to subscribe for more access.

3. Give Time

Youtube doesn’t ask for data, only your time.

Interested in YoutubeTV? Hit one button and experience what it’s like.

Like what you experienced? Start the free trial.

Enjoyed the free trial? Subscribe.

A natural progression from curious to customer.

Quick Onboard To WOW Moment

A free trial isn’t the solution. It’s only part of it.

The second part is getting customers to the wow moment - the moment where they realize they need this product.

You don’t do this by reminding them of benefits in a welcome series - you do this by getting a potential customer to experience the benefits ASAP.

1. Instant Access

I previewed YoutubeTV for 20 minutes and 20 seconds later I was watching UFC live.

They didn’t make me jump through loopholes to experience the product, they just let me watch and put a time cap on the experience.

2. Direction & Results

I signed up for Sparktoro and before I tried figuring out the product myself, a guided tour with the Founder Rand Fishkin popped up on my screen.

Why?

Because he created a product to solve a specific problem so when you sign up, he’s going to walk you through how to solve that problem with his solution.

How To Convert The Curious Into Customer

They used your product, but do they know how to get every ounce of value out of your product?

If not, that’s where the work needs to be done.

Because your job is to make the customer feel like they can never go back to how their life was before starting a free trial.

1. Preview Paid Capabilities

Seconds after I used Sparktoro for the first time, I got an email from Rand.

And it does 6 things amazingly well, it:

Here’s How To Implement

This Week’s Rabbit Hole Reads & Resources

This week’s newsletter was written in the 107 degree heat in Austin, TX while laying in a hammock wanting to go inside but not going inside until I finished writing.

If you’re interested in reading a new marketing book then here’s what I’m currently reading. It’s all about positioning - something not enough marketers talk about.

Your friend,

Alex Garcia

Here’s how else we can help you: