I recently launched a product and have been advertising free samples in my target market. It’s a disposable product and my users would use 5, 10, or 15 widgets month if they liked it and it worked for their situation. I have been offering sample packages that include 2 widgets to let them try it out and get a feel for the product.
I created my web store with 2 listings. One for the free sample package and one for a package of 5 widgets (users can buy multiples to get their desired amount).
I intend to make a few more listings including a monthly subscription option.
So far we have had a lot of orders for samples and only a few orders for paid product. I don’t want to ramp down the advertising of free samples but I would like to push users to buy the product instead, if I can.
I thought about making it slightly harder to order free samples. Potentially pushing them through a few clicks to get to the sample order or asking them to fill out a survey first. It wouldn’t be out of character in my market to ask for information about their predicament before sending samples.
I can automate a email journey to send them a link to free samples…but that felt like too much friction.
What else can I do to make it more appealing to buy vs get the free samples?
Reading all that GPT, I came here to say:
You’re building Trust with your Alpha right now. If free gets them in the door, then devise a way so that those who have signed up and use X amount of free-tokens, don’t get to keep using them.
BUT ((and as you scale up (Free > Discount > Paid > Longterm)))
They do continue to get a DISCOUNT to keep using the service, for now.
Then you want to entice them to KEEP getting that Discount by doing Monthly/Yearly Packages.
Most of it is in how you leverage the Trust/Goodwill you’ve built while gathering your Social Proof, to cement the Value of this service in their heart/mind, and THEN how you play with the numbers to help them get the “best deal”.
What are the qualities of the Avatars that are going to want your Premium Package? Market to those. The rest can come and play; and you can help them grow to the point where they need more of what you have.
The one thing I don’t plan on doing is continuing to send free samples. So far, no one has come back and requested a second free sample. We have seen that once they try the sample they come back and purchase a product. So it seems to be working. I just want to try and convert those first time visitors to opt straight for the paid product.
I think you’re 100% right that we can offer discounts to those who have tried the product samples. We can send them coupon codes (at least the ones who have opted in for marketing).
What’s your conversion rate from free sample to paid? How sure r u that people don’t create a new account to get another sample?
And what are you doing with your email marketing?