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Implement a campaign using Segment to convert trial users to paid subscribers by creating personalized marketing based on their behaviors and preferences, highlighting appealing features and benefits.

 

Target KPI: Increase Subscription Revenue

Desired Outcome: Increase subscription revenue by personalizing content that highlights the value and benefits of the paid service during the trial period, addressing potential conversion barriers such as pricing concerns or feature limitations, and offering timely, compelling incentives. This approach will help convert trial users into paying customers and ensure a seamless transition from trial to paid experience, fostering long-term loyalty.

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Step 1: Add the required Sources


In your workspace, add a new prod or dev source for your website and (optional) another for your order processing system. This should be your website where checkout events will be tracked and the system that captures completed orders. These sources will be responsible for collecting the required Track Events and sending them to Segment.

 

Sign Up or Log In to Segment

First, access the Segment platform by signing up or logging into your existing account.


Create a Source for Your Website

A source in Segment acts as the origin of data you collect, such as user interactions on your website.

  1. In your Segment workspace, navigate to the Sources section.
  2. Click the Add Source button.
  3. From the catalog of sources, select JavaScript (for websites)
  4. Provide a name for your source, e.g., "i.e. Company Website - Dev or Prod".
  5. Optionally, add labels for organization
  6. Enter your website URL
  7. Click Create Source button

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Install the Segment Snippet

After creating your source, Segment will provide you with a JavaScript snippet.

  1. Copy the JavaScript snippet provided by Segment.
  2. Paste the snippet into the <head> tag of your site to install Segment.

If you need to add a source for your server, mobile app, or any other touchpoint please refer to the documentation for easy setup

 

Step 2: Track your events


In order to build the funnels needed to increase trial-to-paid conversions, you'll need to track two key events: 'Trial Started' and 'Subscription Started'.

  • Trial Started: Manually add this event to your site (See Spec: Track documentation).
  • Subscription Started: Manually add this event to your site (See Spec: Track documentation).

 

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In this example, we're not only tracking the event 'Trial_Started' but also sending the 'category' property, which provides important context about the event and can be extremely valuable in your analysis. Learn more about properties.

 

Step 3: Add Destinations


Choose where you want to send the collected data—for this use case we recommend using email, SMS, push notifications, or an email platform like SendGrid to send personalized emails with compelling incentives to encourage paid subscriptions.

  1. In your Segment workspace, add a new destination.
  2. Select your preferred tool from the catalog. This destination will receive the data collected by your source and use it according to your needs.


Step 4: Test your setup

Ensure your data collection is configured correctly:

  1. Perform the actions you’re tracking on your development website.
  2. Check if the events are correctly recorded in your Segment debugger and analytics tool.

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The Source Debugger is a tool that helps you confirm that API calls made from your website, mobile app, or servers arrive to your Segment Source, so you can troubleshoot your Segment setup even quicker. 

Your data may not show up instantaneously and there may be a delay, but once the data is flowing you are ready to move to the next step.

 

Step 5: Analyze and activate


With accurate setup and data flow:

  1. Analyze the data to understand user behavior throughout the subscription process.
  2. Identify trial users who haven’t converted to a paid subscription in the past 30 days.
  3. Address potential conversion barriers such as pricing concerns or feature limitations.

To activate your email campaign, you can use a platform like SendGrid to send personalized emails with compelling incentives to encourage paid subscriptions.

Below is an ​​example of a conversion campaign that showcases an exclusive feature of the premium subscription model, incentivizing users to upgrade. By leveraging the events and properties you’re tracking, you can adopt a similar approach to deliver targeted messages to trial members, increasing conversions to paid subscriptions.

 

Example of conversion campaign

 

Final thoughts

 

A successful trial experience builds trust and loyalty, as users who perceive value during the trial are more likely to continue using and advocating for the subscription. Offering a compelling trial can differentiate a business from competitors, attracting users who want to test solutions before committing financially. Additionally, trial users who convert to paid plans are typically more engaged and invested, resulting in higher usage rates and greater customer satisfaction.
 

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