The free trial is the first step of the conversion process. You get people to your landing page, you get people to download your free trial, and then you get them to become paid users. Your free trial is the best chance to seal the deal. They were interested enough to try it out, and they need to get impressed enough to buy it. Don’t get too excited too early, because the download is only half the battle. You need to turn them into believers.
1. They Thought It Was Something Else
If you used a lot of bold claims and some slightly unrealistic examples to get people interested in the free trial, they’re going to realize that you oversold yourself the moment they begin to use it. The first thing you’ve done with your potential customer is break their trust, and that’s a terrible way to begin a relationship. Avoid overt exaggeration – the amount of free trial downloads you get doesn’t mean anything if people drop you like a handful of hot coals the moment they realize you’ve let them down.
2. You Kept the Most Useful Features Locked
A lot of free trials limit the number of features they use. For example, a lot of anti-malware or anti-virus software will block real-time monitoring or automatic updates with their trials, essentially offering a freemium product. That’s alright, because people will immediately see the value and want to achieve the trial’s full potential.
If your free trial barely does anything at all, it won’t become apparent why people would want to pay for better features. Offer as much as you possibly can – perhaps even fully unlock all features for a brief window.
3. They Forgot to Use It
They downloaded it, they got busy, and 30 days later, their free trial was gone. They were interested enough to download it, but they were probably too busy to give it a fair shot. They can’t get it back, and they still don’t know whether or not they like it. Make sure you’re sending them reminders or notifications so they don’t forget to try your trial. If the reminders don’t work, offer a slight extension of your free trial. Even if it’s only another week, you’re giving them enough time to get around to it.
4. They Didn’t Know How to Use It
Did you leave your free trial users in the middle of the wilderness without a compass? They might want to use it, and they might love it if they knew how to use it, but they’re too confused to navigate the process. Make sure your free trial comes with access to tutorials and an FAQ to help people make the most of your software. Make sure your customer support staff is always available in case people have questions they need immediate answers to.
5. They Didn’t Think It Was Worth The Money
If everything is working out great except for the price, you have a few things to re-evaluate. You could be overpricing a great piece of software, or you might need to spend more time on research and development. If you don’t want to lose conversions in the meantime, consider sending out discounts to people who don’t seem to be biting. If you send them a 15% off coupon at the end of their trial, they may feel that your offering is more worth it.
If you’re still not sure, offer an exit survey and an opportunity to leave a review. People will feel inclined to tell you about the things they didn’t like, and you can use their feedback to turn new users into longtime customers. Never stop improving.
Author bio: Cassie Wilson is an experienced Project Manager and Content Coordinator, currently supporting Bountye – a search engine and aggregator that provides users with the ability to search multiple third-party sites for secondhand goods and online classifieds, all in one place. Cassie has been working on numerous projects and often shares her marketing and selling tips with other experts online.