“Free” is a word no one can run away from, but it’s getting people to stick around that can be the real setback. Your business can either benefit from free trials or become hindered by them, and it’s up to you which one is the outcome. Fortunately, there are various ways to convert prospects into devoted customers after the free trial is up.

Consider your audience.
If you don’t know your audience, how can you expect to capture leads after the free trial runs out? To continually get feedback from potential clients, consider sending an e-mail survey to gain the opinions of these prospects. Once you know them better, you can assess the reasons that may cause them to stick around after offering the free trial incentive.

Move quickly.
How soon after the free trial ends are you getting in touch with these potential clients? Make haste, and be sure to connect with these prospects almost immediately after the free trial ends. Leaving too much time allows them to eventually forget about your service or product, ultimately driving them to go elsewhere. Try to create the sense of importance that they should pay for what you’re offering. Our Director of Sales at ReminderMedia, Nick Bianco, further reiterates this point by adding, “it’s important to bring in as many users as possible, but people are rarely blown out of the water by the free trial. Move quickly in order to increase conversion rates and turn these prospects into paying customers.”

Don’t give them too much.
An important part of the free trial process is giving away just enough, but not too much. If people see all that your business is offering upfront, it gives them no reason to not jump ship when the trial is over. You want to keep some perks up your sleeve. Sefton Eisenhart, a content writer, adds to this by saying, “You should be withholding the one thing that makes your product great.”

Re-evaluate the longevity of the trial.  
Ask yourself how long it takes users to know what your business is all about, then look at how long you’re offering the free trial for. If you feel like the trial is too long and letting customers take advantage of your service without enough benefit to you, then it may be time to re-evaluate the program.

The free trial doesn’t have to be a dead end, but rather an incentive to add prospects to your list of growing clients. Make the most out of this business model by following the above suggestions on keeping these prospects around for the long run.