BY Jessica Helinski
Are you struggling to convert free trials? It may be the lackluster (or lack of) emails you are sending. While free trials have the potential to drive sales, how sellers engage with buyers during and after the trial matters.
34% of B2B buyers say they will share their contact info with a vendor to get a trial, according to the latest B2B BuyerSCAN survey. Nearly 25% say a generous free trial increased their consideration of a product or service.
Clearly, buyers want free trials, and trials can influence a purchase. But what can sellers do to make sure these purchases happen? One of the most successful ways to encourage post-trial sales is email.
How can emails help convert free trials?
“…offering a free trial shouldn’t be your first and last step,” according to the professionals at NeverBounce.
“Email can help you guide a customer through a journey, boosting their odds of making a purchase or subscribing to your service in the long run.”
Emails keep users engaged throughout the trial, offering value and support while they trial your offering.
What emails should you send?
Not just any email will help you convert free trials. Instead, you must be strategic with what you send.
Writing for Cobloom, Ryan Law shares examples of emails that sellers should be sharing throughout a trial.
Educational email
Even with the best onboarding efforts, there’s a chance that every buyer will still have questions or issues with their experience. Or they can’t quite understand how your offering meets their needs.
This is where a helpful email can help, especially one that is behavior-based.
As Saloni Ordia explains, “These emails trigger based on specific user behaviors like signing up, completing tasks, or reaching milestones, avoiding a one-size-fits-all approach.”
Rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach, tailor educational emails to where each prospect is in their journey.
Gary Hoffman, customer success manager at DonationMatch, has another suggestion: consider emailing a customer success plan.
The best education email outlines “specific steps, features, or actions users can take to maximize the product's benefits.”
This outreach is also personal, and it lets the prospect know exactly how to navigate their trial to uncover the value you can provide.
Trial extension email
Another way to convert free trials with emails is to send a message offering an extension. Law points out that every trial user is different. Some may only need a short amount of time to determine if your offering is worth purchasing.
Others may need longer than what you initially offer. This may be due to in-depth exploration, having to discuss with other stakeholders in the decision-making process or simply not having enough time during their trial.
Law believes that it’s perfectly acceptable to offer an extension.
“As long as these users are active and engaged, offering to extend their free trial by a few days (or weeks) can often be enough to nudge them towards a paid plan.”
Once you’ve confirmed they’re actually engaged, send an email offering to extend their free trial. Personalize the message by acknowledging their engagement and explain that the extra time is intended to help them fully evaluate the product.
Be sure to include a clear call to action explaining how they can activate the extension. This reduces purchase pressure while giving the time needed to experience your offering’s value before making a decision.
Don’t forget feedback
Once the trial does end, make sure to ask for feedback regardless of whether they purchased or not. In fact, feedback from those who don’t buy can help adjust your strategy to boost conversions in the future.
Don’t let trials go to waste. Make the most of these opportunities by using emails to help convert free trials to sales. By staying engaged throughout the trial, and following up thoughtfully with value, you can turn more interested prospects into paying customers.
Photo by Mariia Shalabaieva on Unsplash
