https://www.sitepoint.com/case-study-of-startup-online-subscription-based-programs/
There were some good comments and questions to above post, about update on my startup Experience Publishing, and especially the www.attractnewclients.com site.
Here are responses:
1. Have we tried using sales letters as landing pages?
– We are testing sales letters soon. Right now we follow up with informational and marketing sales letters for those who provide email address. Sales letters are good, but those one-pagers you see all over the Internet are getting a bit stale. They all look and sound the same, as if one copywriter wrote one, and everyone copied it. But worth a test.
2. What are top 3 matrices we are tracking?
Right now we are testing big picture offers: which category (e.g. parenting, sales) does best, which design does best, and which offer within a design does best. We have enough to do to test the first and second. We are looking for dramatic increases in response, the kinds of things that you don’t have to have a huge sample to know work.
Similarly, we don’t need to split test yet. Right now, we are looking for best offers to get clients profitably. Then we can split test. That is contrary to what you read, but makes sense. Why spend money and time on split testing when right now, if we get 5 customers to one site for $10 per customer and 5 customers to another for $100 per customer, we get excellent data right there.
3. Which is better — low price and lots of subscribers or high price for a few?
The answer is that both can work. However, if you go for the higher price, you need much more personalized service and sales. For instance, I know a consultant who gets $10,000 per year per client from a Leadership Circle. He has 200 members. But he provides online and offline service. In our case, we are going for lots of subscribers at low price and using personalized service (e.g. my one-on-one support) where we know the number can work and scale.
4. Any data on conversion to share?
Not quite yet. But I will say that both www.organizeyourselfonline.com and www.attractnewclients.com look to be hits. The former (organize) is working due to great design and product offer. The latter (attract new clients) is working because I have a huge list and loyal subscribers/clients, and because I know this market and how to reach it.
The other sites mentioned are also promising, but it is too early to give a definitive thumbs up or down.
5. Are we worried about pirating?
A little, but no one can match a free book and personal coaching, and if we find a pirated site, we will pursue it vigorously with legal action. There are cases of free dieting sites that effectively “pirate” the paid sites, but the paid sites are still doing fine.
Andrew Neitlich
