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Acquisition is often discussed as an essential aspect of any company's strategy. However, Michael Gillespie, who is the head of Customer Success here at , has discovered a vital yet under-appreciated part of membership, which happens right after the acquisition process and Onboarding.

"A lot of folks focus on selling of memberships, however after the sale is complete this is when the tough process begins!" says Michael. Michael says that the first time you interact with new customers is more crucial in membership as there is a component of interaction between humans that you might not see in other industries.

What exactly does it mean to be able to successfully board someone? "Onboarding can be different to your membership. It could be something which creates an moment, like sending an email welcoming new members. Other emails could end at this point," Michael explains. However, he feels it's created to create expectation. it helps the new member know the advantages they can enjoy by joining the community, not necessarily immediately, but over the coming months.

"Onboarding generally is an uninvolved event that does not give clear directions to members," Michael adds. When you make your first contact members of your community, the new user is unsure of what they should do. A lack of knowledge can lead to barriers that hinder the new participant from engaging with your community with the way you'd like.

The typical onboarding process

"In the typical member I sign up someone, and mail them an invitation, they receive up to five or three links to content I want them to engage with. Then I'm finished" Michael says. "Members find themselves overwhelmed or unserved."

The members who do not receive an onboarding guidance will not engage and often churn. However, those who know the steps to take stay dedicated. "It's crucial to establish a sense of trust among new members," Michael says. "Tell your prospective members about how you're guiding members on their journey to membership."

"If you're a podcaster Do you hope that people enjoy the podcast you've created? Do you wish that users be able to interact with other kinds of content? If you're not able to describe to them the direction you're going to take them in and, perhaps, why you're taking them and why, they'll find themselves navigating throughout the member experience in a vacuum," he explains.

     If you are a producers, your onboarding could inspire people to listen to the episode they are interested in.    

It is the sole reason for the high percentage of the turnover during the first phases of the process of joining. "You've got a window that's only 24 hours. Do you have any specific steps you'd like your customer perform? Consider what you'd like to gain from the process, and the steps you'll do to create a system in order to provide satisfaction to each customer," He states.

Eliminate barriers for a perfect onboarding experience

In establishing your onboarding procedure The most important thing to consider is the intended output. "Do you want a person to be upgraded to a better tier which provides more benefits? Perhaps you're a monthly member, and you're considering changing the member to a annually-based one?" Michael asks.

It could also be taking a class, or go through an article. "Most individuals in the process of starting their journey, do not lay the intended outputs out," he adds. "Make an outline of anywhere between 3 and 1 desired outputs. Think about, "What might be the obstacles that hinder the realization of those outputs?' The reality is that there are always barriers that prevent people from engaging in your group."

They could come from cost, time as well as a mix of the three. "Folks do not have an unlimited amount of time. We're busy people; we are constantly distracted," Michael explains. "Is there a cost barrier with regards to upgrading choices? If you're using a comparable product available, what's making this member decide to go with you instead of another?"

The lack of knowledge can be a barrier. "Members are often not well-informed regarding 'where they need to become' within an organization. What's the objective? What do they hope to be after a one calendar year?" Michael asks. "The more quickly members grasp the benefits for them and the quicker they'll be able to take on and be able to drive the results you'd prefer to see." Engagement early can help in onboarding: One option is for members to send a response to an welcome email including specific details of any issues they're having.

Transparency: inform members what you want in the onboarding process as well as the advantages they can get if they decide to start a new initiative. "Don't feel bad about letting your employees know what you are trying to achieve. Members who are understanding of your intentions are those who act when you need them to. The members who are aware of your motives will stick in the long run," Michael smiles.

Welcome videos

Welcome emails are simple and efficient to help new members get started. The majority of new subscribers expect an email immediately when they sign up. But at we think it's possible to go further: "You have a small window of opportunity to really impress your potential customer," says Michael. "Memberships with an introduction video at the beginning of their onboarding process have a 50% reduced turnover rate in the first two months of joining."

Welcome videos are a great way to enhance your membership. "One of the greatest possibilities in the field of membership is the interaction with human beings," says Michael. "Automation and AI-generated content is great, however members have the benefit of having a personal component. It's a gap in the way that people perceive they're not getting when it comes to membership, it's human interaction."

Jay Klaus from Creator Science has a fantastic video to show the steps to take to start "In his email to welcome you, he uploads a video and he greets you. He tells you why this is the way he's doing it and then goes over what you can expect over the next six months." Michael explains.

     Jay Klaus from Creator Science has an excellent onboarding video    

This can be a fantastic approach to keep people interested during the initial stages of initial onboarding. Video content is, however is engaging. The engagement rate for emails that contains video content which is 17 times greater than text hyperlinks. "Put your message in the forefront, whatever you're trying to achieve and make it more human with what you're offering your customers. Make it one time, and then present it multiple times," he adds.

Roadmaps

The welcome email must include an outline of. Establish expectations: how do participants gain access to their benefits? Does the member have a set schedule to access these benefits, maybe each week? How do they access those benefits? Are they required to check their email inbox? Are they required to sign into their account?

"This is an easily overlooked part of membership, however making sure that members are aware of what's offered will reduce churn during the initial 2 month," Michael explains. "Members aren't supposed to take decisions by themselves."

There's been a lot of instances lately. "The initial email that you receive includes link to an abundance of great information, however the participants are overwhelmed. When this happens it's either members who aren't involved or a user who's lost and doesn't want to make an effort to go to your site for more information on the subject," the author continues.

There's no way to overload the members with information regarding a road map. It's simple to think that users know how they can consume your content however it's better to believe that they are ignorant. "Explicitly offer all the information your customers need and you'll see a reduction in customer churn" Michael adds.

Upsells

A lot of people don't think of selling right away after the signing of a new customer. When done correctly it can be a very effective aspect of onboarding and can result in significantly more profits.

Michael is aware that new members are more likely to respond to sales from the very first 24 hours and up to a week following the purchase of the membership. "It's simpler to turn a member who is already enrolled during the initial few days since they've already got information about their membership. It's now "one step in'," He says.

Upsell offers within onboarding have distinct positions from the offers are available on your website. Most of the time they don't show on your site - they are reserved exclusively for the time of onboarding. "Once someone is registered within your organization you feel like they're part of an organisation. The use of upsells is an excellent way to provide them with more pleasure by giving them additional benefits" The expert suggests.

"Let's imagine you've got an e-newsletter for just $6 per month. The user is offered the option of upgrading to a full year of membership that gets them lots of benefits at a less price per month. Members who are educated during onboarding are more likely to buy an upgrade for their annual membership. There are typically conversion rates that range from 30-40 percent on these offers," Michael reports.

In addition, members are able to access all year to enjoy the content you provide. Members who avail of these types of offers their lifetime value for those members will be approximately five to four times greater than members who didn't accept the offer.

"Think about deepening the experiences of your members. It could be with extra benefits that you could create a membership program that is exclusive," Michael adds. "Every membership has a segment of members that are extremely engaged, and they will be more likely to make an offer during the morning hours. But, it is important to put the promotion before these people."

The welcome mail could say"This week, only this week, we're offering the chance for all new members to purchase an exclusive membership pass. This will provide three member coaching sessions per month throughout the year.' Two aspects are included in this deal. It's not able to be extended, but it includes specific dates for when it's due to expire Also, it includes a massive discount.

Increased sales reduce the chance of churn in the near future. "Members who enroll to receive a discount of discount of 60% of an annual membership in the first week after signing up are eighty percent more likely active within two years in the future," Michael reports. "The upgrade should be gradually more expensive. But statistically those members who choose to sign up for an upgrade will be long-term clients. This means that they will pay more for your company."

The upsell conversion rates in the onboarding sequence are typically 7-10 times more than those for purchases made on the first occasion. "If you're able to get a three percent conversion rate on your normal membership, when you've added these individuals to your membership, you may be expecting a 30% conversion rate," Michael explains. If you've got an upsell during the beginning of the onboarding process, you will earn five times more money per month than a member who does not convert on the offer.

Pricing

In terms of pricing from a pricing perspective, we recommend not to go over 50% for the increment.

"For example, I have a year-round membership. I've joined for the price of $50 per year. I'm presented with an upsell offer that provides access to five or four different items for only $75 a year. It's an increase of 50% however that's a 50% increase in money you've already earned from the customer in the beginning," Michael explains. Over the course of membership, this customer is expected to earn between five and seven times more income.

"Think about ways that you can incorporate into your existing strengths to give customers a deeper experience. The best upsells will bring massive amounts of cash which would otherwise be left to be spent. There will always be members of your business who yearn to have more." Michael concludes.

The most appealing aspect of selling upsells is the fact that it permits you to quickly locate individuals in the best time, and extract that value. Then you can keep the growth over the next few years should the person choose to switch.

We hope that this will help you to make better decisions about getting onboarded. Feel free to reach us on social media if you have any concerns. Good luck!

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