According to a popular Forbes article, titled “Should You Offer a Free Trial,” consumers are conditioned to expect free trials for services. Conversely, these same consumers do not expect free trials on products. They expect sales and discounts on products, but in the world of services, a free trial is expected. This is why major brands, such as The New York Times and Netflix, offer free trials for their services.
Free trials drive sales conversions, which is why leading software companies and service providers use them to net new customers. Take a look at how the following companies are using free trials to increase their customer base, as well as using trial periods as a way to earn more feedback and improve their product.
NETFLIX:
Netflix uses a very clever, albeit simple, free trial offer to convert first time visitors into long term customers. There’s no doubt Netflix offers a reliable service, with thousands of streaming titles and many customers still opting to have new releases delivered to their door.
In order to introduce customers to their service, Netflix offers a 14-day free trial to new customers. That’s a fairly standard practice, but Netflix expands on the model by issuing special limited edition 30-day free trial codes at seemingly random times. These codes expire, but are available and extremely enticing for new customers considering signing up. You will still be able to grab the Netflix free month offer on popular coupon websites, even if you missed the last round of promos.
Netflix further improves on the free trial model by sometimes offering customers a second 30-day free trial, but only if you signed up with one of the special 30-day promo codes.
AOL:
AOL is the pioneer of Internet free trial offers. The company would mail floppy discs to homes across the United States. Each floppy disc contained a one-month free trial for dial-up Internet service.
If you were born before 1995, you may have memories of dial-up service, the world’s first chat rooms, and painstakingly slow loading times. It was the Internet’s Dark Age, but through strategic free trial offers, AOL remains a household name until this day. Long-term name recognition is a definite benefit. Considering AOL is no longer a leading internet service provider, yet remains a name stay, this is a testament to a free trial offer’s ability to put your business on the map and keep it there.
THE NEW YORK TIMES:
As print media continues to die out, the New York Times remains at the helm of printed journalism by enticing people to subscribe to the online version of their newspaper. The transition from print media to a successful online subscription site begins with the 14-day free trial the New York Times offers.
There’s nothing really novel about the trial they’re offering, except that it has helped the newspaper to remain in business and still a reputable source for printed news. Even a free trial with zero frills and no special novelties can convert thousands of customers.
NORTON and OTHER SOFTWARE PROVIDERS:
Software providers know the value of a free trial. Anti-virus companies, such as Norton, MacAfee and AVG, have been using free trials to entice customers into subscribing to their software for years. Download.com has thousands of free trial offers for software solutions for everything from operating systems to music editors. Often times, software providers don’t require a credit card for users to sign up for a free trial, but rather hope using the product will prompt customers to purchase at the end of the trial.
