Depending on the service or product you are offering, this may vary in terms of duration. Have a look at your business intelligence and analytics to measure when your users are engaged and active, and at what point during the trial they are less active and eventually drop off. This idea is to convert your trial users when they are still actively engaged with you products and services.

Here are three reasons for keeping your trial period short.

Have you signed up for something that you’ve used consistently for a month? Probably not. A majority of trial users seldom make full use of the trial period. There’s no point in worrying about users who may not be actively interested in your product. It is better to focus on the small but important group that recognizes the value of your offer, uses your product and subscribes.
A short trial can motivate users to ‘get with it’. You can put this down to human psyche, like planning in advance or working quickly to meet a deadline. In contrast, a long trial makes it easier for users to put it off, and there’s a real risk that they may forget about it altogether.
A short trial means a shorter sales cycle, which in turn will lower your customer acquisition costsTweet

Engage Your Users

Once users signup for a trial, send them an email (marketing automation software and autoresponders will come in handy) reiterating how the software will benefit them by making their lives easier or solving their problem. Always be promoting your unique value proposition and include statistics and/or testimonials supporting your product or service. It’s a good idea to gently remind them how many days they have before the trial ends.

Tell users how they can get started immediately: In a free CRM trial, if no customer data is imported, it will be difficult to see the benefits of using the system. An easy step-by-step plan on how to get started with your software will help users experience benefits immediately.

Add a prominent call to action: The objective behind adding a clear call to action with every email is to encourage users to log in and trial your product as often as possible.

Send one or more emails every week during the trial period: Motivate users to make best use of their trial period by sending emails with value-filled educational or useful content. You can simultaneously remind them that their trial period is ending.

Extend the trial to engaged users: A look at your users login history will reveal who is engaged with you product or service. Offer your engaged users to inquire if they would like to extend the trial. This is a way to renew their interest, and also a good engagement strategy to understand a bit more about their needs and lead them on the path to conversion.
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Post-Trial feedback: It’s always a good idea to ask your users for feedback. This is your chance to understand the reasons why some of them chose not to become paid subscribers, and take appropriate action next time to engage customers like them more effectively.

Earn Your Users Trust Before You Ask Them To Pay

A free trial is just that – free! If your goal is to get more users trying your products or services and into your conversion funnel then why would you require a form of payment up front? Asking for a credit card when they simply want to try your product or service is a barrier you don’t want to put in place. SaaS is an extremely competitive market and you will need to earn your users trust by providing the best possible experience, not only with your products or services but with your brand and company. Tweet

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