5 Effective Ways to Turn Free Users Into Paying Customers
Even if you have a great product with some killer benefits, it might not be a success. That’s the cold hard truth: if you don’t put the effort in then all your product development will have been for nothing.
But how do you convince people to become paying customers after they had a free trial? How do you even get them to download your app in the first place? You don’t want to waste your time so to make it much easier for you, here’s our list of five effective ways to turn free users into paying customers.
1. Email Marketing
As Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr all gain in numbers, many people believe that social media is the only way forward for marketers. They also say that email marketing is dead, but that’s not true.
According to statistics posted by Forbes, email marketing is the most effective method of getting people to do something. It also requires less effort than social media.
With an attractive email newsletter that is personable and informative, you can let your free users know exactly why they should pay for your services. An email marketing campaign can let them know when their free trial is up and encourage them to pay for more. You could even remind them of all of the achievements they’ve done with your software, such as milestones passed or usage statistics.
2. Clear Calls to Action
One fundamental mistake that people make when they’re trying to sell something, is that they don’t ask the user to buy it. As obvious as it sounds, you need to make sure that you nudge your users towards purchasing and you make it clear that you want them to be your paying customers.
One way to do this is by using push notifications. You don’t want to overwhelm your users but a push notification can let them know that their free trial is up, or it can remind them of the various benefits that your app or software offers them.
No matter how you decide to deliver your calls to action, they need to be clear and immediate. Your free users should know instantly what you want them to do and that you want them to do it right now and not in a few days or weeks.
3. Bonuses for Engaged Customers
This next method can help you turn free users into paying customers by rewarding them for using your software a lot.
Your engaged customers are incredibly useful as they can identify what needs to be improved and they can enthuse about the product with other people. That’s why it makes so much sense to keep them on board for as long as possible.
For example, you could give them a discount if they become paying customers before their free trial is up. You could provide them with money off other extras, or you could provide them with vouchers that they can give to their friends, getting them to pay for your software too.
4. Testimonials from other paying customers
Another way that you can get your free users to upgrade is by showing them testimonials. A testimonial is some sort of quote or statement from a customer that explains why they are happy with your service.
According to Copyblogger, the best testimonials are ones that are specific, haven’t been over edited and most importantly, are not faked. It’s crucial that you get testimonials right as they can be an effective tool in getting sales.
Once a potential customer sees what existing paying customers are saying they will be inclined to pay for the same benefits, so boast your best testimonials whenever you can.
5. Interact With Them
It can be quite difficult to interact with your users. Generally this is because you don’t have the time, but you should go out of your way to talk to those interested in your product.
One of the best ways to do this is via social media (or with email campaigns mentioned above). When these people have questions for you, you should answer them honestly and help dissolve their doubts and fears. If people have issues with your app or software, you should also explain exactly what you are doing to fix them.
Not only can this lead to sales, but it can also create a sense of loyalty amongst your userbase, which can lead to encouraging others to be your next paying customers too.
