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Acquisition is often discussed as a crucial part of any business strategy. However, Michael Gillespie, who leads Customer Success here at , has observed an important but neglected aspect of the membership business, which happens right after the acquisition process and Onboarding.

"A lot of folks are focused on the selling of the membership, but when the sale is completed, that's when the hard phase starts!" says Michael. Those first interactions with new customers is more important in the membership since it involves an component of human interaction that might not see in other industries.

What exactly does it mean to be able to successfully board someone? "Onboarding could be different to the membership you have. It could be something which triggers a specific event, for example an email to welcome members - or others may simply stop at that point," Michael explains. But he believes it is designed to establish expectation: it lets the new member understand the benefits they will gain by joining the community, not immediately, but over the coming months.

"Onboarding generally is an uninvolved experience that doesn't manage to provide a clear path to members," Michael adds. We should assume that when you first contact with your community the member is clueless regarding what they should do. Insufficient information can create barriers that prevent the new member from engaging your community in the manner you want.

The typical onboarding process

"In the average member, I enroll someone and then send them an invitation email, they receive up to five or three links to content I want them to engage with, and then I'm done" Michael says. "Members find themselves overwhelmed or unserved."

Members who don't receive an onboarding guideline will not engage and often churn. But members who understand the steps to take stay committed. "It's essential to build an atmosphere of commitment among new members," Michael says. "Tell your new members about the direction you're leading them through the membership journey."

"If you're a podcaster Do you wish for people to listen to the particular podcast? Would you like users to interact with another kind of content? If you're not able to explain to members where you're taking them and, more importantly, why you're taking them, they'll be navigating their way through the membership in a vacuum," he explains.

For those who are producer, your onboarding might inspire people to listen to an episode in particular

This is the only event which causes the bulk of turnover in the initial phases of joining. "You've got a window of time of just 24 hours. Are there any actions you'd like to see your client perform? Determine what you want to get out of the process and what you will do to create a system so that you provide an enjoyable experience to every customer," he adds.

Remove barriers to ensure the perfect onboarding experience

When building your onboarding process The most important thing to consider is the intended output. "Do you want a member to move up to a higher tier that offers more benefits? Perhaps you've joined a monthly member, and you're looking to change the member to a annual one?" Michael asks.

This output could also include completing a class or to read an article. "Most individuals, when it comes to onboarding, have not laid out intended outputs," he adds. "Make a list of between 3 and 1 intended outputs. Consider, "What might be the obstacles that hinder the realization of those outputs?' - There are always obstacles to people engaging with your membership."

Barriers could include cost, time as well as a mix of the three. "Folks only have a limited quantity of time. We're busy people; we are constantly distracted," Michael explains. "Is there a price barrier when it comes to upgrade options? If you have a comparable product on the market, what's making this member choose you over other?"

The lack of knowledge can be a barrier. "Members are often not well-informed about 'where they have to be' in the organization. What's the objective? Where do they want to be after a calendar year?" Michael asks. "The faster members can grasp what's in it for them, the more quickly they'll be able to buy in and drive the output that you'd like to see." Early engagement will help: one option for onboarding is asking members to reply to an welcome email including information about any challenges they're facing.

Be transparent: tell members what you want during the process of onboarding - and the benefits they can get if they decide to take the initiative. "Don't feel bad about letting your members be aware of what you are trying to accomplish. People who are in good understanding of your intentions are the ones who will act when you need them to. The members who are aware of your intentions will stay around for the longest time," Michael smiles.

Welcome videos

Welcome emails are simple and efficient onboarding tools. the majority of new members expect an email immediately when they sign up. But at we think you can go one better: "You have a small window of opportunity to really wow that customer," says Michael. "Memberships with an introduction video during their initial onboarding experience have a 50% reduced churn rate during the first two months of membership."

Welcome videos can enhance your membership. "One of the biggest opportunities right now in the world of membership is interaction with humans," says Michael. "Automation as well as AI-generated content are great but membership has the added benefit of having a personal aspect of it. There is a gap in what consumers believe they're lacking today in the membership industry, it's human interaction."

Jay Klaus from Creator Science provides a wonderful video on how to get started "In his email to welcome you, he puts a video and he greets you. He tells you why the way he's working and then lays out what you can expect over the next six months," Michael explains.

Jay Klaus from Creator Science has a great onboarding video

This can be a fantastic method to get people engaged in the first stages of initial onboarding. Video content, on the other hand, has a engagement rate in an email with video content is seventeen times greater than text hyperlinks. "Put your message in the forefront, whatever you're trying to accomplish and make it more human to what it is you're doing for your audience. Create it once, then deliver it many times over," he adds.

Roadmaps

A welcome email should include a plan. Set expectation: where do the members gain access to benefits? Do they have a timetable for those benefits, perhaps each week? How do they access those benefits? Do they have to open their email inbox? Do they need to log into their account?

"This is an easily overlooked part of membership, however, letting members know exactly what's being offered will help you limit churn rates during the initial 2 month," Michael explains. "Members shouldn't be left to make decisions on their own."

There have been plenty of instances lately. "The onboarding email includes the links to tons of wonderful material, but the members become confused. In the event of this it's either members who aren't engaged or with a person who's lost and doesn't want to make an effort to visit your website to learn more about the subject," he continues.

There's no way to overload information in front of members with regards to a roadmap. It's easy to assume users are aware of how they can consume your content but it's safer to assume that they know nothing. "Explicitly provide everything to your customers as you'll notice a decrease in churn," Michael adds.

Upsells

Many people do not think of upselling immediately after signing up an new client. If done properly, it is a highly impactful aspect of onboarding, and are able to secure significantly more profits.

Michael has noted that newly-enrolled members are the most likely to be receptive to sales within the first 24 hours to one week after they've purchased a membership. "It's easier to convert an existing member in the first few days because they've got all the context around the membership. The member is already "one foot in'," he states.

Upsell offers within onboarding have distinct positioning from those that you have on your site. Most of the time, these deals don't appear on your site - they are reserved exclusively for during onboarding. "Once an individual is enrolled in your membership, they feel a part of an organization. Upsells are a great way to give them an enhanced enjoyment by providing additional benefits" the expert says.

"Let's imagine you've got an e-newsletter that costs $6 per month. You provide a user with the option to upgrade to a year-long option that gets them lots of value at an progressively lower cost per month. The members who are well-informed during onboarding are more likely to purchase an upgrade on their annual membership. There are typically conversion rates that range from 30-40 percent for these deals," Michael reports.

Furthermore, these members get all year to enjoy the content you provide. For members who take advantage of these types of offers their lifetime value for those members is approximately four to five times higher than those who did not respond to the upsell.

"Think about deepening the experience of your members. It could be with extra benefits, which you can make an exclusive membership plan," Michael adds. "Every membership has a segment of members who are highly involved, and these members will be more likely to buy an upsell in the early morning hours. However, you must put the offer in front of these members."

The text in your welcome email could say"This week only, we're making the opportunity to all new members to buy an exclusive pass. It will include three individual membership coaching calls per month for an entire year.' There are two elements to this offer It's limited in duration, and comes with specific dates for the day it will expire; It also comes with a huge discount.

Increased sales reduce the chance of near-term churn. "Members who sign up for such a 60% off the cost of an annual membership in the first week after joining are eighty percent more likely to remain an active member in two years' time from now," Michael reports. "The upgrade must be incrementally higher in price. But statistically those members who sign up for the upgrade are long-term customers, which is more money for your company."

The upsell conversion rates within the onboarding series can be 7 to 10 times more than those for purchases made on the first occasion. "If you have a 3 percent conversion rate for your regular membership, once you have these people in your membership, you could expect a 30% conversion rate," Michael explains. If you have an upsell during the onboarding process, your members can earn five times more money for the membership than someone who does not convert on the upsell.

Pricing

From a pricing standpoint, we would recommend not to exceed 50% with regard to the increment.

"For instance, I'm a year-round membership. I've joined for $50 per year. I'm greeted with an upsell offering that offers access to five or four different items for just $75 per year. That's a 50% jump but that's 50% more revenue you've already gained from this customer within the beginning," Michael explains. In the coming years of membership, this member is going to generate between five and seven times more income.

"Think about the ways you can incorporate into existing advantages to create a deeper experience. The best upsells will bring in huge amounts of money that are otherwise money left on the table. There will always be members within your organization who longing for more," Michael concludes.

The best part about selling upsells is that it allows you to quickly locate individuals at the appropriate time and extract that value. You'll get to maintain those gains over the coming years, if this person decides to switch.

We hope this helps you to improve your approach to onboarding. Please feel free to contact us on social media if you have any concerns. Good luck!