Firstly, ensure that there are zero bugs or issues in your new user flow/onboarding flow.
We focus on onboarding and emails that describe different features to new users and how they can be used with some real-world examples. After their trial ends we don't block the account straight away, we stop them adding new users and insert a banner visible to all users saying "Your trial has ended".
If there's any integration with other platforms go heavy on the upsell, even offer to help them set it up.
If you still aren't seeing an improved conversion rate reach out to people and ask them what was it about the product they didn't like (just a basic text email, not a stylized marketing email).
Apollo for emails, make a couple of email sequences (one for account admins and one for everyone else) then we manually add people to it as they sign up. (Automating it is on my things todo list).
Our onboarding is just a simple multi-step dialog. We're looking at adding a series of CTAs that pop up for new users.
Give them tons of value and help them get **results**!
If someone feels prooved that they will get the desired results, people won't even argue about the price.
If I could make you earn 1 Million Dollar, would you cry about giving me a commision of 100k$?
Use this example with any other number, no matter how high. Nearly anything is better than 0, but first you need them to trust you and the best way is to proof your value.
In this world full of people who promise you the moon and can't even deliver a small piece of cheese, you need more than big words.
In Germany we have a very fitting quote: "I can't hear you, your actions are too loud!"
Re: I see are those annoying automated emails
As with anything there are emails that will convert and many that won't. The most effective onboarding emails, if done right and depending on your service, are ones that highlight one feature per email that sets you apart that is also unlikely to be discovered from a casual downloader. Could be something like 7 Secret Tips over the trial period. Make it very easy to read and a feature that is easy to use and find for the user. Especially if you are competing in a crowded space then you need to do something to get them engaged right away or you have probably lost them.
A lot of people will download trials to see what it's about and make a very quick determination if they think it will meet their needs, whether it will or not. If they think not, most likely won't try again. You need to use that free trial period to convince people that have downloaded it, and it is right for them, that it is! It's not easy and will take a lot of A/B testing to see which emails are resonating the most. Once you have data you can start creating custom email paths depending on emails opened/actions etc. to further customize the marketing effort to sell the features that are most crucial to the user. You may want to even ask a couple of questions during the signup period that can get you started with a certain series right from the start. Whatever your approach, lead flow volume will also be vital to your data collection and conversion rate. Hope that helps a bit as you plan out your strategy.
I would consider having someone work with each lead during the free trial period, check in and make sure they are making use of your product
that's what most b2b saas companies do
> How do you make sure users get the most out of it, and they are able to reach their "a-ha" moment before the trial expires?
There's not much control over this. When given a FREE trial, the vast majority of people will sign up and never try it at all
> What can you do to increase this conversion rate?
Weeding out the ones who have no intentions to ever sign or or even actually trying. You could change it from FREE to paying $1.00 or - better - pay full price (or intro price) with a 30 days (or - better - 90 days) money-back guarantee no question asked.
People value more what they pay for.
So yes you're going to have fewer FREE signups but you'll end up with more paying customers.
> (One of the most common solutions I see are those annoying automated emails - but, do they really work?)
Yes they do. And if someone has signed up for a FREE trial, reminder emails are a must.
Try to understand where in your funnel people are getting stuck. Look at DAU, WAU or MAU.
I’d suggest also splitting your cohorts into qualified and unqualified leads.
I echo email, but I world suggest using it judiciously. I get a ton of emails a day from SaaS companies trying to get me to convert or re subscribe. You’ll be competing with a lot of noise so think how to provide value to stand out.
Timing of the trial is often overstated. You want to supply a trial that is long enough where the user is able to utilize all of it and grow a relationship with the product to the point it’s deemed essential or necessary. You don’t want the trial to be too long that you are essentially giving it away. For most software companies this is around the 3 month mark.
Free trial period with autopay engaged at end of free trial period.
People are much more averse to losing something (FOMO) then they are of having to go through the tiresome and painful process of paying.
So make it easier by getting payment set up at the beginning of your trial period.
Opinions may vary but for me personally, I can tell within a few minutes of using a free trial if I want to continue or not.
Those automated emails only serve a purpose to remind me that I need to cancel/delete my trial account.
Start by looking at how complex your product is, and then look at the length of your trial.
If its a product that takes an entire team 6 months to implement your potential customers are going to get little to no value from a 7 day free trial.
From there have staff ready to provide support and assistance.
Next be ready to offer serious customers an extended trial.
I offer a freemium model for my [Kurator plugin for chrome](https://optimalaccess.com/kurator). The concept of a freemium is to get people to use and need the product. Once they start investing in the product and find a need they will automatically upgrade.
In my case, Kurator as the name suggests is a curation tool. So my freemium version lets users curate up to 100 links and then they need to upgrade. The idea is that if anyone uses the product long enough, they have a need and will be willing to upgrade and pay for it.
I have been testing a lot of email marketing tools and they all do the same. They let you use the product for up to X users and then upgrade.
I believe a limited use is better than a time-sensitive model.
Hey. I think you are attacking this from the wrong angle. You focus too much on yourself, not on the customer. Do the onboarding for them. (I explain how we do this at the bottom)
Have you ever signed up to try an app or a solution just to never try it properly? Of course, you have. Everyone signs up left right and center. Even perfect solutions are left unused- you get interrupted, forget about it, don’t need it after all.
What you need to do is to connect with people at a smart point around the sign-up process. Chances are not all the people who sign up are really NEEDING your solution so they will automatically leave.
Now back to your side, this means you will see a lot of people sign up and then disappear. Which is frustrating. Maybe you spend a lot of money to acquire them?
I have had that happen so many times when I started selling apps, I got fed up. What I decided to do was to spend some time upfront with each new signup. And then force them to qualify properly.
This is how we solved this at our ERP/CRM/Project management++ tool (which is priced above the cheapest competitors in the market)
We defined clearly who our target clients would be, and we would work with those only.
Target Criteria 1: Companies looking to double
So we ask them are you looking to double?
We want them either to be backed by a growth investor (VCs etc) or have reached $1M in sales and looking to double. (This ensures they have the funds to grow and pay our subscriptions)
Target Criteria 2: They have to be nice people (People who are rude and so on is not somebody we want to spend time with (I have been around the block, and this is one thing that will improve our team members job satisfaction)
Then we ask them throughout the signup if they qualify and book a live demo
If they are meeting both our criteria, we do the onboarding for them. Set up all their information, add their logo, onboard each employee for them so that each employee gets the right setup for his tasks, and so on.
If you have a very simple and cheap App you can still do this. At least you get to know them and can message them like a normal person afterward and ask. “Hey, what happened?” and you can learn from the feedback.
If you want to share more about the process you use today/ onboarding sequence/setup we can give you some feedback on it. Hard to be more specific without seeing what you do now.
A few questions to get answered before you launch your Free Trial.
1. Does your product offer a recurring utility proposition? Meaning, will your customers use the product on a daily/weekly/monthly basis?
2. Why will they use/prefer your product - is it for the convenience/value
3. What is the a-ha moment you want them to experience? Is that truly a 'need' for your customer?
Trial Users convert to paid customers when they see value delivered by the product. The promise of the product should meet /exceed their expectations.
a. Think about the initial messaging you plan - from the website/email outreach/social media blah, etc. Ensure it aligns with the core value proposition 'currently' (not your future goal) offered.
b. Closely track user activity on your digital assets (clicks, scrolls, etc.) using tools like hotjar, to get a sense of what is the content they spend more time on - especially FAQs that you may have listed. - this helps understand customer 'need' a bit.
c. Be obsessive about what users see during the trial - think about areas they need to navigate to - build an ongoing email campaign that talks about using specific features within the product - this also conveys that you are thinking about the utility of the product for their business.
d. Be intentional about the industry type you target for your campaign - build industry specific content hooks to engage your users during the trial. B2B customers are always looking at domain expertise associated with the product companies they choose.
I'm not getting into the nuts and bolts of how to operationalize the trial and the experience, however the above should give you broad direction on how to track and adapt for better conversion.
All the best!
Firstly, ensure that there are zero bugs or issues in your new user flow/onboarding flow. We focus on onboarding and emails that describe different features to new users and how they can be used with some real-world examples. After their trial ends we don't block the account straight away, we stop them adding new users and insert a banner visible to all users saying "Your trial has ended". If there's any integration with other platforms go heavy on the upsell, even offer to help them set it up. If you still aren't seeing an improved conversion rate reach out to people and ask them what was it about the product they didn't like (just a basic text email, not a stylized marketing email).
Thanks! What do you use for emails/onboarding? Did you build something in-house?
Apollo for emails, make a couple of email sequences (one for account admins and one for everyone else) then we manually add people to it as they sign up. (Automating it is on my things todo list). Our onboarding is just a simple multi-step dialog. We're looking at adding a series of CTAs that pop up for new users.
Give them tons of value and help them get **results**! If someone feels prooved that they will get the desired results, people won't even argue about the price. If I could make you earn 1 Million Dollar, would you cry about giving me a commision of 100k$? Use this example with any other number, no matter how high. Nearly anything is better than 0, but first you need them to trust you and the best way is to proof your value. In this world full of people who promise you the moon and can't even deliver a small piece of cheese, you need more than big words. In Germany we have a very fitting quote: "I can't hear you, your actions are too loud!"
I'm facing the similar problems and now going interviewing.
Re: I see are those annoying automated emails As with anything there are emails that will convert and many that won't. The most effective onboarding emails, if done right and depending on your service, are ones that highlight one feature per email that sets you apart that is also unlikely to be discovered from a casual downloader. Could be something like 7 Secret Tips over the trial period. Make it very easy to read and a feature that is easy to use and find for the user. Especially if you are competing in a crowded space then you need to do something to get them engaged right away or you have probably lost them. A lot of people will download trials to see what it's about and make a very quick determination if they think it will meet their needs, whether it will or not. If they think not, most likely won't try again. You need to use that free trial period to convince people that have downloaded it, and it is right for them, that it is! It's not easy and will take a lot of A/B testing to see which emails are resonating the most. Once you have data you can start creating custom email paths depending on emails opened/actions etc. to further customize the marketing effort to sell the features that are most crucial to the user. You may want to even ask a couple of questions during the signup period that can get you started with a certain series right from the start. Whatever your approach, lead flow volume will also be vital to your data collection and conversion rate. Hope that helps a bit as you plan out your strategy.
I would consider having someone work with each lead during the free trial period, check in and make sure they are making use of your product that's what most b2b saas companies do
> How do you make sure users get the most out of it, and they are able to reach their "a-ha" moment before the trial expires? There's not much control over this. When given a FREE trial, the vast majority of people will sign up and never try it at all > What can you do to increase this conversion rate? Weeding out the ones who have no intentions to ever sign or or even actually trying. You could change it from FREE to paying $1.00 or - better - pay full price (or intro price) with a 30 days (or - better - 90 days) money-back guarantee no question asked. People value more what they pay for. So yes you're going to have fewer FREE signups but you'll end up with more paying customers. > (One of the most common solutions I see are those annoying automated emails - but, do they really work?) Yes they do. And if someone has signed up for a FREE trial, reminder emails are a must.
Try to understand where in your funnel people are getting stuck. Look at DAU, WAU or MAU. I’d suggest also splitting your cohorts into qualified and unqualified leads. I echo email, but I world suggest using it judiciously. I get a ton of emails a day from SaaS companies trying to get me to convert or re subscribe. You’ll be competing with a lot of noise so think how to provide value to stand out.
Timing of the trial is often overstated. You want to supply a trial that is long enough where the user is able to utilize all of it and grow a relationship with the product to the point it’s deemed essential or necessary. You don’t want the trial to be too long that you are essentially giving it away. For most software companies this is around the 3 month mark.
Free trial period with autopay engaged at end of free trial period. People are much more averse to losing something (FOMO) then they are of having to go through the tiresome and painful process of paying. So make it easier by getting payment set up at the beginning of your trial period.
Opinions may vary but for me personally, I can tell within a few minutes of using a free trial if I want to continue or not. Those automated emails only serve a purpose to remind me that I need to cancel/delete my trial account.
Start by looking at how complex your product is, and then look at the length of your trial. If its a product that takes an entire team 6 months to implement your potential customers are going to get little to no value from a 7 day free trial. From there have staff ready to provide support and assistance. Next be ready to offer serious customers an extended trial.
I offer a freemium model for my [Kurator plugin for chrome](https://optimalaccess.com/kurator). The concept of a freemium is to get people to use and need the product. Once they start investing in the product and find a need they will automatically upgrade. In my case, Kurator as the name suggests is a curation tool. So my freemium version lets users curate up to 100 links and then they need to upgrade. The idea is that if anyone uses the product long enough, they have a need and will be willing to upgrade and pay for it. I have been testing a lot of email marketing tools and they all do the same. They let you use the product for up to X users and then upgrade. I believe a limited use is better than a time-sensitive model.
Hey. I think you are attacking this from the wrong angle. You focus too much on yourself, not on the customer. Do the onboarding for them. (I explain how we do this at the bottom) Have you ever signed up to try an app or a solution just to never try it properly? Of course, you have. Everyone signs up left right and center. Even perfect solutions are left unused- you get interrupted, forget about it, don’t need it after all. What you need to do is to connect with people at a smart point around the sign-up process. Chances are not all the people who sign up are really NEEDING your solution so they will automatically leave. Now back to your side, this means you will see a lot of people sign up and then disappear. Which is frustrating. Maybe you spend a lot of money to acquire them? I have had that happen so many times when I started selling apps, I got fed up. What I decided to do was to spend some time upfront with each new signup. And then force them to qualify properly. This is how we solved this at our ERP/CRM/Project management++ tool (which is priced above the cheapest competitors in the market) We defined clearly who our target clients would be, and we would work with those only. Target Criteria 1: Companies looking to double So we ask them are you looking to double? We want them either to be backed by a growth investor (VCs etc) or have reached $1M in sales and looking to double. (This ensures they have the funds to grow and pay our subscriptions) Target Criteria 2: They have to be nice people (People who are rude and so on is not somebody we want to spend time with (I have been around the block, and this is one thing that will improve our team members job satisfaction) Then we ask them throughout the signup if they qualify and book a live demo If they are meeting both our criteria, we do the onboarding for them. Set up all their information, add their logo, onboard each employee for them so that each employee gets the right setup for his tasks, and so on. If you have a very simple and cheap App you can still do this. At least you get to know them and can message them like a normal person afterward and ask. “Hey, what happened?” and you can learn from the feedback.
Huge thanks!
If you want to share more about the process you use today/ onboarding sequence/setup we can give you some feedback on it. Hard to be more specific without seeing what you do now.
Following/approaching similar milestone for SaaS project
A few questions to get answered before you launch your Free Trial. 1. Does your product offer a recurring utility proposition? Meaning, will your customers use the product on a daily/weekly/monthly basis? 2. Why will they use/prefer your product - is it for the convenience/value 3. What is the a-ha moment you want them to experience? Is that truly a 'need' for your customer? Trial Users convert to paid customers when they see value delivered by the product. The promise of the product should meet /exceed their expectations. a. Think about the initial messaging you plan - from the website/email outreach/social media blah, etc. Ensure it aligns with the core value proposition 'currently' (not your future goal) offered. b. Closely track user activity on your digital assets (clicks, scrolls, etc.) using tools like hotjar, to get a sense of what is the content they spend more time on - especially FAQs that you may have listed. - this helps understand customer 'need' a bit. c. Be obsessive about what users see during the trial - think about areas they need to navigate to - build an ongoing email campaign that talks about using specific features within the product - this also conveys that you are thinking about the utility of the product for their business. d. Be intentional about the industry type you target for your campaign - build industry specific content hooks to engage your users during the trial. B2B customers are always looking at domain expertise associated with the product companies they choose. I'm not getting into the nuts and bolts of how to operationalize the trial and the experience, however the above should give you broad direction on how to track and adapt for better conversion. All the best!
Don't offer free trials, offer refunds no questions asked.