Do I need to offer a trial for My Membership Site? | Member

Sep 16, 2022

Do I need to offer a trial for My Membership Site?

Trial for membership sites is a marketing tactic used by countless others before you. And yes, you should be thinking about using trial offers as a part of your marketing campaign. It could be profitable for your business. But, it is essential, obviously that you do it the right way.

Test offers have proved to be successful for countless subscription-based companies, both offline and online.

Amazon, Netflix, Spotify, Hulu, YouTube Premium, Audible, PlayStation, and LinkedIn Premium, are some of the most popular subscription-based firms that provide a free trial to their service.

This is the deal: Free trial offer are not suitable for all. Like all other strategies for marketing, it is not foolproof, and has the pros and cons of each.

For you to decide whether offering trial periods can be a beneficial option for your website Here are a few of the topics we'll discuss in this article:

Are Trials for Membership Websites a good idea?

trial for membership site

Yes. for many sites that offer membership trial offers are an excellent strategy to use. We have already established that.

It's an effective and highly profitable strategy to use your subscription-based services or site to generate new revenue. Not to mention how it can reduce your purchase costs.

It is, however, a good idea for YOU?

The answer to that depends completely on your personal preference the budget you have and your marketing strategies.

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

Instead of investing hundreds of thousands of dollars in marketing, you could instead provide them with a live demo or demonstration of your product.

Imagine yourself in the customers in their shoes. Do you purchase something because the salesperson claims it's great? Do you want to see it for yourself first?

Would you buy a car without having a trial drive? And what about clothes you don't fit?

It's the same thing with subscription-based companies. Your clients will see the product or service you offer like an investment.

That is why almost every single one of them would want to try this for themselves.

Most membership site owners will agree that offering a trial period gets more leads and convert more sales more quickly and at a higher rates. It also improves customer satisfaction.

But not all trial offers are the same. We'll look at every type of trial offer , and see what they have in common with one another.

The Different Types of Trials for Membership Sites

Here are some of the trials that you could test:

  • Trial offer for a limited time
  • Limited access trial Offer
  • Trial-free deal
  • Discounted-rate trial offer
  • Service-based trial offer.

The best part is, there is no need to pick just one from the options. It is possible to try a mix of two or more.

           Limited-Time Trial Special Offer          

This type of offer for trial, you can give prospective customers access to everything on your site that is a member for a limited time.

Offer a one-week, two-weeks, or even 30 days of a free trial, for customers to try out your products or services no cost.

Furthermore, you can also make a limited-time trial offer at the discounted price. Also, you could provide free services throughout their trial period if they commit to buying the membership.

           Access Trial Offer Limited Access Trial Special Offer          

Like the time-limited trial, you are able to avail limited access with other offers.

For instance, if you're offering a course online it is possible to allow participants to test access to only a certain number of lessons.

Or, if you're offering an opportunity for a test of your product or service or product, you may give them access to only some of the basic functions.

Pro tip: you can use CourseCure to create an easy-to-create completely customizable online course.

           Free Trial Coupon          

free trial for membership sites

This is one of the most popular trials that we see today. This is usually used in conjunction with limited-time or limited-access offerings.

The name says that free trials are... cost-free.

           A Discounted Rate Test Discount Offer          

discounted rate trial for membership site

Your trial offer doesn't always need to be free. You could also make it available for a discount.

           Service-Based Trial Offer          

free service trial for membership site

Additionally, there are trials that are based on services where you allow your customers to access to your product on a free basis or at a discount during a specific duration.

Naturally, you'd prefer them to sign-up to your site's membership at the end of the trial period, so ensure that the offer you're offering is enticing enough that they stay interested.

Also, make sure you don't overdeliver when they join.

Advantages as well as Cons Tests for Membership Sites

As with all types of marketing, trials of membership sites come with pros and cons. We'll look at a few of them.

           Pros of Tests for membership sites          

           Reduce the cost of customer Acquisition          

customer cost per acquisition

If someone chooses to sign up to a trial they are halfway through the door. It's the responsibility of you to make sure you will deliver on what you pledged to do to bring them all the way in.

Most often it is possible to allow your service or product to sell itself during the trial period.

The good news is that once they're in the trial phase this will help you save hundreds of dollars since it's not necessary to do any additional marketing. But, this is only when your offer will convince them enough to let the person want to join as a full-time member.

           More Satisfaction of Customers          

customer satisfaction

Many who make use of a no-cost trial will be devastated after the conversion since they are aware of the kind of experience they should expect based on their trial experience.

This level of transparency will give your customers greater transparency, and also prevents the customers from having unrealistic expectations. It also results in fewer complaints and cancellations.

           Reducing the Belief in Commitment          

letting go of fear of commitment

A membership agreement is a binding. And most of the time, customers can feel an anxiety about committing to a yearly or monthly payment.

With a no-cost or no-cost trial that allows your audience to see the things they're not seeing and lessen their fear of making a decision by showing what they're not missing out on.

           Collect Feedback          

gathering reviews

Tests of membership websites can also be a great way to collect opinions about your services as well as your products.

It's the perfect chance to get market input and invaluable insights, so you can make better and more informed business decisions.

           More Valuable Leads for Your Mailing List          

building email lists

Another advantage is that you'll gain more leads. They have already taken the time to look at the product you offer and try the product on their own.

This means that they are already familiar with you and will likely consider becoming an active member following the trial or sometime in the near future.

           Cons of Trials for Membership Sites          

Although the risks are small when you offer trials but there are ones you need to consider.

           Risk of losing Time Resource, Money and Time          

Before offering a trial for your site's membership, make sure to consider if your budget can afford it.

Also, you should consider the people who just want to get in the free trial period however they are not planning on joining to become members.

Try to minimize these dangers with some combination of these suggestions:

  • Offer a discounted fee trial This means that you'll still earn some of the sales to enable access.
  • Sort out who participates in the trial period - you can have your customers take a survey or even a questionnaire so it is possible to filter out who will be able to be a part of the trial.
  • Set a time limit for trial - it will take a lot of tests, but if you can discover the right duration to assist your clients to make an informed decision, that'll help you tremendously.

Do You Need To Run A Free Or Paid Trial?

free or paid trial for membership site

The majority of trial offers run for free. However, that doesn't mean you can't do the same.

There is always the discounted rate or even provide a trial with an affordable cost.

Instead of simply giving them a no-cost trial, you may consider charging them a fee in order to boost their mental "buy-in" to membership site.

A minimal cost is also a great strategy in order to screen away those who are just trying to receive something free and those who are actually interested in signing up to become members.

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

Why Should You Never Provide a Test for Your Member Site?

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

If, for instance, you're running an online course the trial duration might not be your best option. This is due to the fact that your students may complete the course before the trial is finished.

There is however an alternative to this. You could protect or drip-feed the latter or a certain section of your course to remove it from your test.

Another example will be if you're offering a service. You could, for instance, offer the repair of your garage for free to members within their trial.

Consider an alternative strategy to the trial. You could also set a minimum fee to balance out the costs.

It is also possible to offer a basic level for your membership site where trial members are able to access an encapsulated version of your whole offer.

In the simplest sense this will bring people to your site's membership and group, and could motivate them to purchase the full version following the trial.

Questions to Ask Yourself Before Offering a Trial

questions to ask yourself

Before you jump the gun with that trial deal There are a few questions you can ask yourself. The answers to these questions can help you make an informed choice.

  • How long should your trial time be? Your target audience needs enough time to truly test the waters and decide if what you're offering is something they won't be able to survive without. But, at the same time, you want to be sure it's not "too lengthy." ."
  • Can you afford the cost? Consider if providing people with an opportunity to use your product or service is something that you are able to afford as well as something that can benefit your business in the future.
  • What is the time frame for conversion What is the time frame for conversion? In managing a business, time is money. Take into consideration the period it'll take for your trial members to be converted into paid members.

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