Onboarding Fixes:How to Improve Welcome Tactics to Extend Subscriber Lifetime
Presented by:Bill BairdOwnerBaird Direct Marketing
Presented by:Sean DonahueEditorSubscription Site Insider
Part I: Why Onboarding – Quick Overview
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Critical First 30 Days
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
Highest email open rates
+Highest interest in your site______________________
Best time to engage new users and turn them into long-term subscribers
…Or Even Fewer
Typically, new users who do not return within 3-5 days will never return again
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
Impact of Good Onboarding?
10%-20% increase in retention
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
Onboarding’s Lifetime Value Impact
Year 1
Year 2Year 3
Part II: Understanding the Psychology of New Subscribers
Why Do New Members Drop Off?
• Forgetfulness• Don’t understand full benefits• Can’t find what they want• Don’t know how to use the site• Competition
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
EXIT
Actions of Long-Term SubsWhat tends to keep subscribers around?• Write a review• Create member profile• Participate in message
boards• Engage with high-value
content© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
The SecretOften NOT the same reason they joined initially!
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
Part III: 10 Tactics to Improve Onboarding Campaigns
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
#1. Thank-you Pages
The Welcome Page is Your Top Priority
Viewers / New Starts100%
50%30%
20%
WelcomePage
Email 1 Email 2 Email 3
Okay “OKAY”
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
• Speeds User to Value?
• Easy to Understand?
• Simple and Short?
• Restates Benefits?
Better
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
“BETTER”
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
Best!
“BEST”© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
#2. Transactional Emails
Email Receipts
• Your second best contact point
• Top open rate of lifetime (50%-100% higher)
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
Typical Autoresponder
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
• Sent by a separate system• Check the default:
– Can you modify?– What benefits can you
add?
#3. Email Welcome Series
Broad Approach: Education
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
Broad Approach: EngagementHighly relevant data triggered by activity to tease subscribers to return ….
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
Day 1: Confirmation + Video
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
1 Confirmation + Training Video
Day 3: Live Training Session
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
1 Confirmation + Training Video
3 Live Training Session
Day 4: Calls to Action
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
1 Confirmation + Training Video
3 Live Training Session
4 Action + Email Us
Day 5: Deadline and Wizard1 Confirmation + Training Video
3 Live Training Session
4 Action + Email Us
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
5 Deadline + Help Wizard
Day 27: “Call Us”1 Confirmation + Training Video
3 Live Training Session
4 Action + Email Us
5 Deadline + Help Wizard
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
27 Call Us
#4. Mobile
Email = Majority of Mobile Time
May need to optimize email for mobile viewing
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
% of Mobile Users?• Check with your ESP
• Email Analytics -- Litmus, MailboxIQ, CampaignCog
• Web analytics for mobile device usage
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
Design for Mobile Viewing
• 480-500 pixels wide• One column, not several• Fewer links – one article or
action vs. five• Even shorter subject lines –
15-20 characters
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
#5. Telemarketing
Adding a human touchMore often used by B2B
Typical Strategies:– Site tour– Immediate help– User Survey– Personal connection
NOT a typical sales rep
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
Phone Center or call rep picture here
Timely calls
Tactic #1. Call Immediately
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
Tactic #2. Use tracking software to call when members are on the site
B2C Example: Angie’s List
• In-house call center
• New subs receive calls to encourage reviews
• Email follow-up
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
#6. Direct Mail
Welcome Packages
• Something tangible makes an impression
• Deliver long content not suited for website
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
Costs and Options
• Postcards ~$0.25
• 6 x 9 or 9 x 12 envelopes ~$1.00
• Offset costs via cross-sell/upsell or advertising inserts
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
#7. On-Site Tools/Activities
Video Tours & How-to• Explain features/benefits
for people who prefer to watch vs. read
• Complex sites – complete a specific task
• Welcome from a famous contributor/founder/guru
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
New Member Welcome Screen
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
#8. Private Social Media
Discussion Boards
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
Key activity that gets members to stick:
• Predominantly female user-base
• Love to interact and communicate
• Artistic Thread Works = 30 month avg. member lifetime
Encouraging Participation
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
SM Must be Promoted to Engage1. On-Site and eNewsletter Promotion2. Email Confirmation3. Event-Driven Emails4. Login Messaging5. Member ratings
Private LinkedIn Group
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
Twitter Shout-outsHighlight/thank new members:
• “Ego” appeal
• Show who’s joining
• Need a Twitter-friendly niche – e.g., marketers, journalists, consultants, younger subs, etc.
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
#9. Onboarding Segmentation
Source of New SubsReflect the messaging or channel that attracted the new subscriber:
• Major affiliates
• Partner sites
• Telemarketing
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
Nature of Acquisition OfferWhat made them sign up?
• Discount
• Bonus free content resource
• Gift subscription
50% off!
#10. Referral Campaigns
Referral-at-Birth
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
Ask for referrals as part of the new sub signup process
Automatic email address uploaders increase names 8x
Referral requests during email series
Additional Resources
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
On Demand Training: Referral and Word-of-Mouth Marketing for Subscription Sites
Part IV. Measuring the Impact
Quick Analysis• A/B split: Members who’ve
seen the campaign vs. those who have not
• New retention rate vs. retention a few months ago.
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
Look for Changes in Key Metrics• Fewer cancels?• Fewer customer service
calls/emails? • Better email metrics – open
rates, CTR• Upgrades from free-to-paid,
monthly to annual• Increased avg. subscriber
lifetime
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
Live Q&A
Thank You!
Bill [email protected](203) 838-5444http://bairddirect.com/
© 2011 Subscription Site Insider, published by Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
Sean [email protected](401) 354-7555Twitter: @SubSiteInsider
Additional Resources
Marketing Samples Library
Membership/Subscription Site Business Model & Workbook
On-Demand Training: How to Raise Renewal Rates