Can I offer a free trial for My Membership Site? | Member

Sep 16, 2022

Can I offer a Free Trial for My Membership Site?

The trial for membership websites is an approach to marketing employed by numerous other companies before your. And yes, you should be thinking about using trial offers as a part of your marketing campaign. This could make money for your business. Provided, of course you utilize it in a proper manner.

Trial offer has proven to be successful for countless subscription-based firms, both online and offline.

Amazon, Netflix, Spotify, Hulu, YouTube Premium, Audible, PlayStation, and LinkedIn Premium, are just a few of the most popular subscription-based companies that provide a no-cost trial to their service.

The catch is that Free trial deals aren't for everybody. Like any other strategy for marketing It's not foolproof and comes with certain pros and cons.

To help you decide whether offering trial periods is a good option for your website, here are some of the things we'll talk about in this post:

Do trials for membership Sites a Good Idea?

trial for membership site

Yes. In the case of many membership websites trials can be a great option to utilize. We have already established that.

It's an effective and highly profitable strategy for your subscription-based product or website to create new sales. In addition, it reduces customer acquisition costs.

However, is it a good idea for YOU?

The solution to this depends entirely on your preferences as well as your budget and strategies.

The trial period gives you to SHOW your potential clients what you can provide instead of telling them what you have to offer.

Instead of spending hundreds and thousands of dollars in advertising, you can just give them a live preview or demonstration of your product.

Place yourself in your customer put yourself in the shoes of your customers. Do you purchase something because the salesperson claims that it's fantastic? Do you want to see it yourself?

What would you do if you bought a car without a test drive? Or clothes without fitting them?

Similar to subscription-based companies. Your customers will treat your product or service like an investment.

That is why almost every single one of them will want to test this for themselves.

Most membership site owners would agree that offering the opportunity to try out a trial period can generate more leads, and also converts more sales more quickly and at a greater percentage. Plus, it improves the customer's satisfaction.

But not all trial offers are the identical. Take a look at the different types of trial and explain what they have in common with each other.

The Different Types of Trials for membership sites

Here are a few of the trial offers you can test:

  • Trial offer for a limited time
  • Limited-access trial deal
  • Free-trial offer
  • Discounted-rate trial offer
  • Trial offer based on service.

It's the best thing about it is that you don't necessarily have to pick just one from these. It is possible to try a mix of two or more.

           Limited-Time Trial Deal          

This type of trial offer it is possible to offer your potential customers free access to everything on your website during a time-limited period.

It is possible to offer a week, two-weeksor an opportunity to trial for 30 days so they can try your product or services for free.

Additionally it is also possible to create an offer for a limited time trial at a discounted rate. Also, you could give them free services during the trial period when they agree to buying the membership.

           Limited Access Trial Offer          

Similar to the limited-time trial, you can also make use of limited access with other promotions.

In the case of you're offering an online course it is possible to allow users to try out the lessons for a specific amount of time.

Or, if you're offering an opportunity for a test of your service or product You can grant the users access to only a handful of the most fundamental features.

Pro suggestion: you can use CourseCure to easily create a custom online course that is fully customizable.

           Free Trial Coupon          

free trial for membership sites

It is among the most frequent trials offer we encounter today. They often use it along with limited-access offers.

The name says, free trials are--well... free.

           Discounted Rate Trial Deal          

discounted rate trial for membership site

Your trial offer doesn't always require it to be free. It is also possible to offer it for a discount.

           Service-Based Trial Service-Based Trial of HTML0          

free service trial for membership site

Lastly, there are service-based trial offers where you allow your customers to access to your services either for no cost or at a discount for a short period of duration.

Of course, you want them to sign up to join your website at the end of the trial time, but make sure that the service you're offering is enticing enough to keep them engaged.

Also, make sure you overdeliver once they do join.

Advantages as well as Cons Trials on Membership Sites

Just like with any type of marketing, trials for membership websites have pros and cons. Let's look at some of these.

           Pros and Cons of Trials for Membership Sites          

           Save $$$ on customer Acquisition          

customer cost per acquisition

If someone decides to go to a trial they are halfway through the door. It's up to you how you will deliver on what you promised to get you all the way through.

Most of the time, you can let your product or service take off during the test period.

There's good news that once they're in the trial period this will help you save hundreds of dollars since it's not necessary to do any additional marketing. That is, of course, when your offer attracts enough people to allow your customers want to become full members.

           More Satisfaction of Customers          

customer satisfaction

Few people who take advantage of a trial offer are dissatisfied after making the switch since they are aware of what to expect based on the trial they had.

A level of honesty will give your customers greater transparency, and also prevents the customers from having unreasonable expectations. It also results in fewer claims and cancellations.

           Eliminates the Belief in Commitment          

letting go of fear of commitment

Memberships are a commitment. In the majority of cases clients have the fear of committing themselves to a monthly or yearly installment.

By providing a free or low-cost trial, you empower your market to understand the things they're not seeing and lessen the anxiety of committing to demonstrating what they're losing out on.

           Collect Feedback          

gathering reviews

Trials for membership sites can also be a great way to collect feedback on your services and products.

This is the ideal opportunity to gather market input and invaluable insights, so you can make better and more educated business choices.

           Better Leads to Your Mailing List          

building email lists

The other benefit is the fact that you will get more valuable leads. These people are already taking the time to view the product you offer and try it to see for themselves.

This means that they have already met you and will likely feel more inclined to become a member after the trial, or at some point nearer the time.

           Cons of Trials for Membership Sites          

While risks are inherently small when you offer trials, there are still ones you need to consider.

           The potential loss of time money, resources, and time          

Prior to launching a trial offer for your site's membership, make certain to determine whether your budget will allow the cost.

It is also worth considering those who are just trying to get in the free trial , but aren't planning on joining to become a member.

It is possible to minimize these dangers through implementing one or an array of these suggestions:

  • Give a discount on the trial - that means that you'll still earn a portion of sales to enable access.
  • Filter who gets during the trial time - it is possible to have customers take a survey or a quiz so you can filter who gets the chance to take part in the trial.
  • Set a time limit for trial It will take a lot of testing however, if you are able to discover the right duration to aid your customers in making an informed choice, it will help you tremendously.

Is It Better To Use A Paid or Free Trial?

free or paid trial for membership site

A majority of trial offer runs for free. That doesn't mean you shouldn't try it.

There is always the discounted rate or even give a free trial at the cost of a small amount.

Instead of just giving them a no-cost trial, you may consider offering a modest fee to increase their psychological "buy-in" to membership site.

A minimal cost is also a great strategy if you want to filter away those who are just trying to get something for no cost and also those actually interested in signing up to become members.

In the end, the decision will always be yours to decide.

What is the reason you should not Offer a Trial for Your Membership Site?

The answer will depend on the information you're providing.

If, for instance, you're running an online course the trial duration isn't the best choice. This is due to the fact that your students could complete the entire course before the trial is completed.

But, there's always an option to circumvent the issue. You could protect or drip-feed the latter or a certain portion of your classes to remove it from your test.

Another example will be if you're offering a service. For instance, you're offering the repair of your garage for free to members in their trial period.

Consider a different strategy than a trial. Or, you could set a minimum fee for the purpose of balancing the costs.

You could also offer an entry-level website where members who are trial users can get access to an encapsulated version of the entire offer.

At the very least this will bring people to your site's membership and communityto motivate them to purchase the full version after the trial.

Questions to ask yourself prior to offering a Trial

questions to ask yourself

Before you jump the gun for that trial, here are some questions you should ask yourself. The answers to these questions will assist you in making an informed choice.

  • How long should the period of trial be? Your audience needs enough time to really dip their toes in and determine if what you're offering them is something that they can't endure without. At the same time, you want to make sure that it's not "too too" long ."
  • Do you have the money to do this? Definitely consider if giving people free access to your product or service is something that you are able to afford and something that will benefit you over time.
  • What is the time frame for conversion? When it comes to running a business is money. Consider the length of time that it will take for your test members to convert into paying members.

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