Free trials can help establish the value of subscriber [6/8/2007]

What makes some paid content sites better than others at turning free trial users into subscribers?

In an initial step to find out, MaketingSherpa signed up for free trials with 50 content providers, and interviewed many of their marketers.

The firm found that offering free content immediately can help. eMusic makes such an offer before visitors even reach its home page. The company said it has converted about half of its free members into paid subscribers.

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A third of the sites surveyed offer trials after users click on content that's available only to paid subscribers.

Just over half of sites that offer a free trial after users click on a premium section put up a complete barrier, not showing any of the content. Instead, members have to sign in or non-members have to join the site.

Just over a quarter of sites offer a partial view of content above a barrier asking users to sign in or register. Salon.com uses this method.

Free trials can also get around objections based on payment method, as long as registration doesn't require entering a credit card number.

A Javelin Strategy study commissioned by PaymentOne focused on payment methods, and revealed that security and convenience concerns outnumbered concerns about content. Such concerns make secure registration pages a good idea even for free trial subscriptions.

Free trials can also help establish the value of subscriber-only content for those who might not otherwise get to see it.

As Allen Klepfisz of free-to-consumer music firm Qtrax said, "Free is important. In an Internet context, people expect things to be free. News is free, video is free, search is free, so why should music have to be paid for?"

source: www.emarketer.com
June 8,2007

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