Getting visitors to sign up for a free trial is critical for SaaS businesses because such sign-ups are a big source of eventual paying clients. Numbers back this up: free trials account for more than half of all new business for 16% of businesses.
However, the harsh reality is that most SaaS firms suffer in this area. Simply put, giving people a free trial is only half the battle, and everyone is doing it. The true issue for SaaS businesses and marketers is convincing those visitors to sign up.
Are you in the same situation?
Here are five tried-and-true methods to drive more sign-ups to your SaaS website to make your lead generation life easier.
1. Offer incentives
Let's start with a traditional growth hack: offer a compelling incentive to join up for your free trial.
This could be as simple as providing a free resource, such as an eBook, whitepaper, or template package. It may also be something more elaborate, like access to a private email course or a brief one-on-one session through Skype.
If the gated information on offer is highly relevant and appealing, it can go a long way toward increasing your sign-ups. So, if you haven't already, make an amazing gated resource that demands to access.
2. Reduce friction by not requesting payment details.
Unfortunately, the Internet is a rather shady area. And we are all aware that nothing in life is free. There are no such things as free lunches.
As a result, even if you guarantee that the sign-up is absolutely free and without obligation, consumers will be skeptical of your offer.
However, there are situations when something is completely free, such as a free trial of software. It is up to you to persuade your prospects of this.
While crafting simple language such as "Sign up for a free trial. Although "no commitment, cancel at any moment" can work effectively, individuals are still cautious when they are required to reveal their payment information.
So, how can you make it clear that they will not be charged? Here's an idea: why not allow users to sign up without having to enter their credit card information?
According to research, when SaaS organizations do not request credit card information, sign-up conversion increases 400%, from 2% to 10%. As a result, this is a surefire technique to increase sign-ups.
3. Display solid social proof
If you can demonstrate the number of people or businesses who are using your product and are pleased with it, sign-ups are likely to be plentiful.
However, this is most certainly not the case for your company, at least not yet. As a startup (whether SaaS or eCommerce), demonstrating amazing social proof that is strong in numbers can be difficult because you don't yet have many clients.
Rather than boasting about numbers, attempt to obtain authentic, well-worded testimonials and product reviews from your top customers. You don't know how? Simply ask them; they will not bite.
Additionally, attempt to get included in respectable publications and relevant online magazines that your target audience respects, then display their logos on your landing page (and throughout the website) for all to see.
Knowing they're in good company may be enough to persuade your visitors to join up for your free trial.
4. Simplify your registration form.
It's all about removing as much friction as possible. Your free trial sign-up form most likely has much too many fields, which may prevent visitors from completing it. Even if you only ask your visitors to fill out four fields to complete their sign-up, they may perceive it as a time-consuming activity.
However, Neil Patel, a very well online marketer, used to have four fields in his opt-in form: name, email address, website URL, and revenue. He decided to test whether removing the "revenue" field would boost the form's conversion rate. What's more, guess what? It worked, and the conversion rate jumped by a remarkable 26%.
The essential message here is that you should make it as easy for people to sign up for your free trial as feasible. Reduce your sign-up form to just the necessities.
5. Show what follows when they sign up.
Visitors will want to know what your product can accomplish for them, even if they are only signing up for a free trial with no strings attached. They want to know why completing out those sign-up forms is worth their time rather than going to a competitor's website.
So, give your visitors a thorough preview of what they'll receive if they sign up for the free trial. Instead of simply stating its characteristics, reveal the benefits and unique value proposition of your product.
If at all possible, make a short product explainer movie or animated screenshots in the form of auto-playing GIFs to highlight the strength of your product while clearly demonstrating its many use cases. If that isn't possible, standard high-quality screenshots and photographs can suffice.
The goal is to assist your visitors to determine whether your product is a good fit for their needs. Also, if they realize how simple and user-friendly your program is, they may be greatly compelled to sign up so they can try it out for themselves.
Now it's your turn.
Now that you're aware of these five tried-and-true strategies, it's time to put them into action. Begin by giving your visitors additional sign-up incentives, streamlining your sign-up form, and removing the payment gateway.
As you progress, you will be able to contribute more and more social evidence in the form of client testimonials and press mentions.
That is how your SaaS company will progress from startup to enterprise.