As soon as I see the envelope in the mailbox a feeling of dread comes over me. Ugh, the credit card bill. A month’s worth of dining out, gas purchases and a “little” splurges summarized in one package. I open it up with trepidation and look for the balance. Ahk! It’s A LOT more than I expected. What happened? That’s … Continued
Creating a Subscription Business for Long-Term Growth is Worth the Investment
Sitting in a cab, stopped in traffic, in the dark, at 5:53 am, 17 degrees outside. There’s a long line of cars sitting on the highway, each waiting to enter the Laguardia Airport. Ramit, my cab driver, tells me Laguardia has been under construction for the last two years. And, it’ll take another two years to finish the new terminal. … Continued
Your Biggest Membership Retention Breakthroughs Always Come from a Better Understanding of Your Members
There are more than 18 million high school students in the United States. What if you had the secret for making a student completely successful? What if you could enable them to quickly learn their lessons, perform well on tests and handle social situations with ease? Even if you sold this secret for $10.00, that’s more than $180 million. And, … Continued
Illustrated: How to Make Your Member the Hero of His Own Story
Have you ever been disappointed when the secret behind a magic trick was revealed to you? At first you were amazed when the trick was performed. It’s amazing to see a skilled magician executing a trick so perfectly you can’t imagine how he did it, except by some form of magic. For instance, I always thought the David Blaine levitation … Continued
Most Subscription Marketers Should Ignore My Advice: How to Decide if I Can Help You
Why are you offering subscriptions to your customers? What is your subscription program for? Did you start a subscription program because it was the best way to serve your members? Or did you hear that a subscription is a great way to make money, and you want to pursue 2019’s version of the Gold Rush of 1849? When James W. … Continued
Your Membership Renewal Results Depend on a Lot More Than Your Renewal Notice
When you are ready for a good cry, do a YouTube search for “marriage proposal.” There are thousands of amazing videos with gentlemen (and ladies) making marriage proposals. If it doesn’t make you emotional, nothing will. It’s impressive how many different ways there are to propose. Skywriting is so passe. There’s the surprise proposal at a sporting event, the boyfriend … Continued
It’s 2018. Are You Choosing High Membership Churn or Fast Membership Growth?
Thousands of people died from infections in 1846, while doctors refused to admit they could be spreading disease from one patient to another. Yet when Hungarian doctor, Ignaz Semmelweis, promoted the idea that doctors wash their hands and medical instruments with soap and chlorine between patients he was ridiculed, even after he was proven to be correct. The way we … Continued
5 Secrets for Breaking Through Your Growth Barriers to Maximize Membership and Subscription Growth
Too many subscription programs get stuck. At launch, they grow quickly until reaching a plateau. Before long, cancellations begin to drag down growth. The key symptom is when you see a spike in cancellations within a month or two after adding a bunch of new members. This is when you know it’s time for a change. 1. Use emotional drivers … Continued
Before and After: Copywriting for Member Retention Example
Your members and prospective members receive thousands of messages a week. Your member reads emails with one finger on the delete key, trying to scroll through the deluge as quickly as possible. How do you stand out, get read, and inspire your member to action? Not by talking about yourself. To everyone in my office, I must sound like a … Continued
Creating a Member Persona That Makes It Easier to Attract and Retain Members
I ran into a roadblock with a client this month. How I broke through may help you attract and retain more members. His assignment: Research his target customer for our next conversation. And he did it; he brought three pages of information on the size of the market, age, gender, and reachability. But something was still missing. The information was … Continued