Tips for Creating a High-Conversion Free Trial

Free trials make sense as a marketing strategy for software as a service (SAAS). Instead of asking prospective consumers to blindly accept the utility of a product, the software company offers a personal experience with the product. While there are clearly some good reasons for this approach, not all free trials are worth the investment. Here are some informative tips for establishing high-conversion free trials.

Share the Free Trial Option

Brand identity can be enhanced by encouraging customers to share their free trial experience through social media. Sharing can be paired with a referral bonus for bringing in another customer. Furthermore, a business can publicize its free trial policy on its social media profiles. Eventually, the public will associate the trial offer with the brand.

Offer a Full-Featured Trial

Customers can’t be won over if the free trial doesn’t give them full access to all product features. Full access to features gives potential consumers the information they need to make a decision. The customer’s decision is based on the product’s true effectiveness, instead of solely on its price.

Test the Free Trial’s Effectiveness

Free trials aren’t free for businesses. Like any investment, free trials should be analyzed and tested periodically to check their ROI. One quick way to see whether a free trial offer is resulting in more conversions is temporarily replacing the “Try Now” button with a “Buy Now” or “Begin Subscription” button. If the free trial offer is effective, terminating it should result in a recognizable drop in the number of conversions. Hard numbers that document the effectiveness of a campaign can be very persuasive to managers.

Segment the Target Market

A great way of hitting the middle ground in managing free trials is to offer them to a select subset of a company’s audience. Kabbage recommends that small businesses specifically target users who do a lot of online sharing, offering free trials selectively to these active influencers. This “strategic sampling” procedure puts products into the hands of thought leaders and trendsetters, strengthening the company’s relationships while allowing influencers to spread the news about the product.

Free trials are an integral part of selling software, and their popularity among both businesses and consumers will likely continue to rise. Small and medium-sized businesses can ensure they get the most out of these programs by following a few of these straightforward practices.

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