Offering free trials at your children’s activity business is a great way to acquire new customers and help new clients fall in love with your activities. In 2020, it took roughly 30-40 days for free class and free trial customers on the Sawyer to convert to paid customers. You can reduce this time frame by utilizing strategies that will turn free customers into lifelong fans. 

If you already offer free trials, you may have found yourself wondering how to turn someone who takes a free class into a paying customer. We’re here to help! These strategies will help you drive conversions and build lifelong relationships with customers. 

1. Follow up

When a customer takes a free trial, often they need to be nurtured to purchase again. This applies to nearly every industry, but especially so with children’s activities. 

When a client books a free trial with your business, you can follow the process below to make them feel welcome in future classes and encourage them to join your community by booking classes.

• Make students feel welcome: When you’re teaching kids, making them feel like a part of your community is pivotal. Make sure to welcome new students by name and help them adjust to a new environment. Connect with parents and caregivers to let them know you appreciate their business and trust. Remember, good communication goes a long way in building relationships with new customers. 
• Follow up with a personalized message: After a class ends, follow up with parents or clients with a personalized email or phone call. Thank customers for their business and ask for feedback. In your follow up message, make sure to welcome students back to future classes. You can even curate or suggest classes that you think a student would like as an added personal touch. 
• Incorporate and act on feedback: If a free trial customer gives you feedback, make sure to respond thoughtfully. By communicating with parents early, you show them that your business is invested in their customers. 
  

2. Make finding and purchasing your activities easy

After someone enrolls in a free trial, you should make it as easy as possible for them to purchase a follow-up activity — whether that be a private lesson, camp, or recurring class.

Pay attention to these touchpoints

• Website: Your website should put your paid activities front and center. Make sure that new customers know where to find your classes digitally — that means adding banners, pop-ups, and calls to action on every page of your site. ‍
• Social media: Encourage parents that take free trials with your business to follow your social media. You can post upcoming classes, links to your schedule, snapshots from activities, and exclusive offers on social media to drive conversions. By displaying how rich and delightful your classes are, you build trust with potential customers and encourage them to book again and again. ‍
• Email marketing: When a customer takes a free trial with your business, one of the most valuable pieces of information you can collect is an email address. Make sure to nurture relationships with free trial customers by sending emails that advertise your business, your mission, what activities you offer, special discounts, and why customers should book with you. 

3. Consider paid introductory offers

If a client enrolls in a free trial but doesn’t book your classes within a week or month of that class, you can reengage with them by offering a one-time introductory offer. Consider making exclusive coupons that give parents a discounted class pack, an exclusive membership price, or a one-time discount on a purchase. 

4. Create a sense of urgency 

When all else fails, creating a sense of urgency can persuade parents to convert to paid customers. Market limited-time offers and popular classes with phrases that show that your activities are in demand. For example, if a popular class only has a few open spots, you can market these to free trial customers by framing classes with language like “this class will sell out soon” or “3 spots left.” 

5. Engage with customers long term 

At the end of the day, converting free trial customers to lifelong paying customers requires nurturing relationships and consistent marketing. Not every customer who takes a free trial at your business will become a lifelong fan and that’s okay. Make sure to engage with new and existing customers long-term to maximize conversion opportunities.

Have tips on converting free trial customers to lifelong fans? Let us know by sending an email to marketing@hisawyer.com. Curious to see how free trials can grow your business? Connect with a member of our team by submitting the demo form below.