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There is a lot of discussion about acquisition as an essential element of every business plan. But Michael Gillespie, who leads Customer Success here at , is aware of an overlooked part of the membership process that occurs shortly after the acquisition and onboarding.

"A majority of members concentrate on selling of membership. But after a sale has been made it's the time when the tough part commences!" says Michael. First interactions with a prospective member are essential in joining due to the element of interaction with humans that isn't seen in other fields.

What is it that you need to do to get someone aboard effectively? "Onboarding could be different to your current membership. There could be an element that triggers an event, like a welcome email, while others could stop their journey at this moment," Michael explains. Michael thinks that the welcome email is intended to set expectations: it let the new member know the advantages that come from joining the group Not immediately, but over the following months.

"Onboarding is typically delivered as an inactive experience, which doesn't create a roadmap for members," Michael adds. You should be able to guess that when they first connect to your online community, the member knows nothing about how to proceed. Lack of knowledge creates obstacles that prevent new members from connecting to your community in the manner you want for them to.

Common Onboarding Sequences

"In the case of a typical membership I will sign up someone and then send them an email congratulating them. They receive three to five hyperlinks to the content I would like them to interact with then I'm done" Michael says. "Members find themselves feeling overwhelmed or uninspired."

The members who do not get an onboarding program will seldom engage and often make a churn. However, members who know the actions to be taken remain dedicated. "It's crucial to establish an image of a committedness by newly-joined new members" Michael says. "Tell the new members the direction you're going to lead them along your membership journey."

"If you're a creator, do you want anyone to be a part of one particular show? Do you want viewers to engage with a different kind of content? If you're not able to clearly explain to your members what you're doing, and more importantly why you're taking them as a participant, they'll just navigate through your membership without explanation," he explains.

     When you're an editor, your Onboarding can inspire viewers to watch the specific episode    

This is the only event that causes the most change in the beginning period of membership. "You've been offered a chance for a day or more. Are you able to identify a particular action that you want your member to perform? Find out what you would like to achieve beginning the process, and after that determine the way you can plan your onboarding process so that you provide a positive experience to every participant," he adds.

Removing barriers for the ideal trip

When building your onboarding process initially, you should think about the outcome you are hoping to produce. "Do you wish for the new customer to be upgraded to a tier with additional advantages? Perhaps you've joined the club as a month-long customer but you'd like to convert them into a year-round membership?" Michael asks.

The output can also be achieved by taking the course or by reading an article. "Most individuals who are onboarding, have not laid the outputs they want to see," he adds. "Make your list of between 3 and 1 intended outputs. Take into consideration, "What are the barriers that may exist to realizing the outputs you want to achieve? - there are always barriers for those attracted by your group."

Barriers could include cost, time, or a combination of each of the three. "Folks don't have an unlimited quantity of time. They're very busy; they are constantly distracted," Michael explains. "Is there a limit on price in the case of upgrading options? If there's a comparable product offered on the market What is it that makes this customer prefer you to the other?"

Even knowledge could be a issue. "Members don't often get informed about where they are supposed to be' within the company. Why is this? What do they hope to be by the end of this interval or time?" Michael asks. "The more quickly members understand what benefits they can reap, the more quickly they'll be able to invest into the program and create the results that you'd like to see." Early engagement can help. Another option to help onboarding members is to have members respond to a welcome email that includes details of any issues they're experiencing.

Transparency: explain to the members of what you'd like to get out of the process of onboarding, and also what benefits they will get when they start the process. "Don't be hesitant to inform your staff members that they are conscious of the goals you're striving to accomplish. Members who have a full awareness of what you are trying to accomplish are likely to take action at the time you're asking them to. Members who are aware of your motives will stay for the longest period of duration." Michael smiles.

Welcome videos

Welcome emails are simple and efficient onboarding tools. Most new users will want an email immediately following their registration. However, we believe it's possible to go further: "You have a small possibility of impressing your client," says Michael. "Memberships with a welcome video at the beginning of their journey have a 50% reduction in rate of churn in the initial two months of membership."

The welcome video is sure to make you feel more human as you join. "One major advantage of joining today is the human element," says Michael. "Automation and AI-generated content are great, but membership has the benefit of having a personal element to it. If there's a thing that members feel they're lacking in today's members' services, it's the human element who are able to interact."

Jay Klaus from Creator Science offers a great intro video "In the welcome email he sends to new employees, he puts a video in the email and greets you. He describes the reasons behind how is he's doing things and also describes the expectations you should expect over the next six months." Michael explains.

     Jay Klaus from Creator Science is a fantastic intro video    

It is an excellent opportunity to spark engagement in the early stages of beginning the process of the onboarding process. For video, the engagement rate in an email on video content is 17 times greater than hyperlink text. "Put front and center what you're trying to convey and be more relatable with regards to what you're doing to your target audience. Make it one time, and then present it over and over again," he adds.

Roadmaps

The onboarding emails must include a roadmap. Set expectations: when will members get access to the benefits? Are there any specific times to access those benefits, for instance each week? How do they access those benefits? Do they have to login to their email account? Is it required that they log in to the account?

"This is an often overlooked aspect of membership but informing your members exactly what you're providing is vital to reduce churn rates in the initial two months," Michael explains. "Members are not left to figure anything out for themselves."

We've seen plenty of examples lately. "The welcome email contains hyperlinks to a wealth of material, but the members are lost. If this happens, it's either a member who's not interested and left with a lost person who does not want to invest effort to check out your website to learn more," the writer continues.

There's no way to overload content to members in the form of the concept of a road map. There is a common belief that the people you have in your organization know how to use the content However, it's more sensible to believe that a person knows the basics of the subject. "Explicitly give everything to your members since you'll observe a reduction in churn" Michael adds.

Upsells

Most people don't think of selling right away after signing up as a new customer. If it's done correctly it can be a very significant aspect of the onboarding process, and it can result in greater revenue.

Michael has noted that the new members are likely to take advantage of sales in the first 24 hours or one week following having bought an account. "It's simpler to change an existing member during the initial couple of days, since they've got all necessary information regarding the membership. In the beginning, they're "one step in'" He says.

Upsell offers within onboarding have distinct positioning from those on your website. Most of the times, these deals don't show on your site - they're only offered when you are onboarding. "Once you've got a member who is an active participant, they feel a part of an organization. It's beneficial of offering upsells so that you can provide them with a better experience through additional benefits," the author says.

"Let's suppose you own an electronic newsletter that is priced at six dollars per month. The user is offered the option upgrade to a annual option which offers of worth at the same cost however on a monthly basis. Members who are educated at the time of onboarding are more likely to make an upgrade on their annual subscription. The conversion rate is typically between 30 and 40 percent in these sales," Michael reports.

In addition, they receive the entire year to enjoy your material. If members take advantage of such offers The lifetime worth of these members is about four or five times greater than those who didn't respond to the upsell.

"Think about enhancing your experience as a member. It is possible to do this with additional benefits could be included in an exclusive subscription plan." Michael adds. "Every membership includes a section with members who are very active, and these members tend to be those who will be the most likely to purchase an additional item in early times. But you have to make sure that you are in front of them."

The text in the welcome email you get could read"This week only is the last week to offer an opportunity for new members to buy a VIP membership. The membership will include three personal coaching calls per month all throughout the year. Two things to note about the deal It's a limited offer, and comes with an exact date when it expires; It also comes with a huge discount.

Upsells reduce the probability of temporary loss of members. "Members who enroll for such a 60% off the cost of an annual membership in the first week of joining are eighty percent more likely customers two years later," Michael reports. "The upgrade must increase incrementally in price. However, statistically speaking, those who opt to upgrade their systems are usually long-term members, and that means more revenue for your business."

The rates of conversion for the upsell in the onboarding sequence can range from 7 to 10 times more than for first-time purchases. "If you have a 3 percentage conversion rate on the regular membership, once you've joined these people into the membership, you may anticipate a 30% percent conversion," Michael explains. If you are able to offer upsells in the onboarding process the members will get five times the money for your membership on average over those who don't get the benefits from an upsell.

Pricing

Regarding pricing, we would suggest that you do not exceed 50% in relation to increments.

"For instance, I'm an year-round membership. I'm a member for just 50 dollars per year. The company offers me an offer to upsell that gives me access to five or four various things at $75 per year. The increase is 50%, but also 50% more money that you've already earned from the client in the first year." Michael explains. Within the next couple of years, the customer can earn anywhere between five and seven times more income.

"Think about how you could include existing advantages to create a better customer experience. Effective upsells can bring in massive amounts of cash that are otherwise money left on the table. There are always members in your group who have an urge to buy more." Michael concludes.

The great part about upsells is that it allows users to quickly identify those who are interested when they are in need and then extract the value. You can maintain those gains in the next few years, should this person decides to switch.

This should help you in your strategies for onboarding. Contact us on social media for any questions. Enjoy!

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