Imagine putting in the time and effort to convert a site visitor to a subscribed member on your website only to find out they cancel their subscription the next month. This not only wastes precious time and resources but also negatively impacts the revenue generated.
Ideally, you want to make sure new members that join your program and existing members stay tied to your brand and don’t end up leaving soon after joining.
In this article, we’ll walk you through 21 quick tips that can help improve member retention on your site and generate more revenue for your business.
#1. Improve the onboarding process
If you get off on the right foot with new members, there’s a high chance they’ll stick around longer and keep resubscribing to your membership program.
#2. Use a custom sign-up form for your membership site registration
While a custom sign-up form is great for gathering additional information from new members when they register with you, it can also help you improve member retention. This is because you can offer a more unique or custom-tailored onboarding experience depending on the information members provide to you at the time of registration. In return, this can encourage members to stay loyal to your brand and resubscribe the next month.
#3. Offer exclusive content to new members
If you offer exclusivity and an engaging experience from the time new members register for your membership, you’ll have an easier time keeping new members attracted to your brand.
For instance, you can offer exclusive content such as custom-tailored “welcome” messages when new members first log in to their accounts.
#4. Create an exclusive “welcome video” for new members
Similar to offering exclusive content, you can also create a high-quality welcome video to show new members when they join. It’s a great way to keep them engaged with your content and offers a sense of exclusivity when they subscribe to your membership program.
As a result, it helps you offer a unique experience on your membership site while increasing member retention.
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#5. Offer free gifts to new user registrations
Another great way to encourage new members to stick around for longer and make them brand-loyal members is by rewarding them with free gifts when they join your membership website.
This is an effective way to increase member retention on your site as more people will feel special and encouraged to stay loyal to your brand.
#6. Display a site road map on your membership website
If you want more members to stick around for longer, it’s essential you put out a good first impression when they first visit your membership website.
Displaying a site road map on your membership site will help new members easily navigate and find the content they need. This puts a good first impression and makes your brand look professional. It also lets them know what they need to do to get started with the membership program.
#7. Offer different membership levels and reward longer subscriptions
If you’re only offering a single membership program, it might not be enough to cater to all types of users, especially the ones who cannot afford the subscription price. Instead, you can offer multiple membership levels that cater to more people and reward longer registrations.
For instance, you can offer a 10% discount if members decide to subscribe to the yearly plan instead of the monthly plan. This encourages more users to subscribe to the longer plan which translates to more users sticking longer term with your brand.
#8. Let members “freeze” or pause their membership subscription
You also want to let members pause their membership subscriptions so that they can subscribe back or continue their subscription at a later date.
#9. Offer membership upgrade plans
Once a member is fully onboarded to your membership site and finds value in your content, you can offer them membership upgrades as a way to reward them and make them stick around longer.
For instance, you can let existing members upgrade their subscription plans at a discounted rate. This way, you not only increase the average order value but also improve member retention.
#10. Offer a “down-sell” version of your membership subscription
Similar to offering a membership upgrade, you can also offer a “down-sell” version of your membership subscription.
This can be useful to catch the attention of users who are interested in your content but cannot continue to pay the subscription price.
#11. Create and showcase a content calendar to spark engagement amongst members
Displaying a content calendar lets your members stay informed about the upcoming content that’s soon to be released.
This essentially encourages them to stick around longer, continue their subscription, and wait for the new content to be released.
#12. Offer more value by providing premium tools and templates with your membership subscription
Other than premium content, consider offering premium tools and templates with your membership website. This way, there’s much more the member will “lose” if they decide to un-subscribe and it makes them value your membership plan more.
#13. Customize the design of your membership website to make it easily navigable
Other than showcasing a site map for new members on your site, you should also consider customizing the design of your membership site so that it offers an intuitive navigation experience for everyone, even non-tech-savvy users.
#14. Let customers publish their own stories
To make your members feel like they’re a part of your brand’s family, you can let them publish their own success stories. This way, they feel more special and connected with your brand.
This is also a great way to get started with user-generated content on your membership site.
#15. Showcase other members’ testimonials and case studies on your membership website
While letting members publish their own stories is a great way to make them feel more connected with your brand, you can also showcase testimonials and case studies to convince more people to join your membership program.
With an influx in new member registrations, there’s a higher chance some of them will stick around longer with your brand.
#16. Hire a dedicated customer support expert
It’s not only important to perfect your member onboarding process but it’s also crucial to offer the best possible after-sales service.
This is why it’s best to hire a dedicated customer support expert that will help registered members solve their queries and help them set up. As a result, you enhance the user experience on your membership website and increase member retention.
#17. Drip-feed your content
Drip-feeding your content is great for making sure your members are fully engaged with your content. By letting users access content in multiple sections or pieces, you motivate them to keep coming back for more.
As a result, it reduces the need to cancel their subscription and keeps them engaged with your content.
#18. Survey users who decide to cancel their subscription
Are you still confused about why members decide to cancel their membership subscription on your site? Survey them.
Surveying members who cancel their subscriptions will help you understand what needs to be improved and how you can prevent such events from occurring again. You can include a “reason for canceling” submission form on the cancellation page so users can explain in their own words why they decided to leave your membership program.
#19. Include a FAQ section on your membership website
Showcasing a FAQ section on your membership site not only helps encourage new member registrations but also is helpful for retaining existing members.
This is mainly because existing members can find solutions to their problems using the FAQ section which helps them understand your brand better. As a result, it can prevent members from getting demotivated and canceling their membership subscription plan.
#20. Send automated emails upon cancellation or for expiring cards
If members automatically receive an email upon cancellation or for expiring cards, it can help them quickly take action instead of not knowing what’s going on. As a result, it can help improve member retention and help your brand look more professional.
#21. Send re-engagement emails
If members have canceled their subscription, that doesn’t mean they are a lost cause and you should forget about them. Instead, you should consider sending them re-engagement emails to better understand what went wrong and how you can help them come back.
For instance, you can send a discount code to members who cancel as a way to encourage them to give your membership program one more try.
Conclusion
If you’re putting in the effort to attract members and keep them engaged with high-quality content, you want to make sure they don’t back out or cancel their subscription.
You can improve the onboarding process on your website, create an easy-to-navigate website, offer free and premium content to attract and impress more members and make your members feel special by letting them publish their own stories as a way to improve member retention on your membership website. In addition to this, it’s also important to survey members who cancel their subscription so that it doesn’t happen again and see if you can take steps to re-engage them with your membership program.
Do you know of any other tips that are useful for improving member retention? Let us know in the comments box below.
