For subscription box businesses, retaining the loyalty of existing customers is essential. But, what do you do when you want to acquire new subscribers?
While every eCommerce business needs to find new customers to achieve profitable growth, subscription boxes are faced with a few extra challenges.
You aren’t offering a one time purchase. What you are looking for is a long term commitment. You are looking for potential subscribers who are so engaged with your brand that they are willing to pay a monthly fee to keep hearing from you.
Do it right and you can turn that first time subscriber into a lifetime fan.
So, how do you go about successfully marketing your subscription box?
How Do I Promote My Subscription Box?
1. Use social media to your advantage
Social media is highly fertile ground for subscription box businesses. With millennials leading the way with subscription sign-ups, this is likely to be a huge well of potential for you.
First of all, building a good quality, engaged social media following is essential. Having an online community not only helps with retaining customers, but entices new ones in, too. A visit to your Facebook or Instagram page should straight away prove to a potential new subscriber that your box is worth signing up too.
Develop a thorough social media strategy and stick to it. Create your own and curate existing content that is relevant to both your brand and your audience. Encourage your followers to comment on and share your posts. It takes time and a lot of work, but it will pay off.
2. Find the right influencers
You’ve probably heard about the power of influencers for marketing these days.
But, for those new to it, it may seem a little risky. How much should you be paying for them? Should you go for big followings? Will you end up wasting money on a few posts that bring few visitors to your site?
When marketing your subscription box, always keep your key audience in mind. Stick to your niche, and find influencers that are engaged and have some authority in your area.
It’s not just about paying for posts, either. You can get creative and find ways to work with influencers that gives you good content to use yourself, too.
If you have a beauty subscription box business, for example, you could work with influencers for a specially curated box. You could also partner up for giveaways or charitable causes. Not only does it help get word out there for acquiring new customers, but helps you generate new content for your existing subscribers to view.
3. Entice new sign-ups with freebies
It’s true, everybody loves a freebie!
“Get your first box free!”
“Free box when you refer a friend!”
“Free gift when you sign up today!”
How many times have you seen these promotional messages?
And yes, they do work. But, the problem you face is keeping this type of subscriber loyal. This may be a tried and tested way of acquiring new customers, but as a subscription business, keeping churn rate low is vital.
So, once you have hooked someone in with your offer, it’s essential to do everything you can to ‘wow’ them. Even if they are a ‘serial subscriber’ (who is in it for the freebies before they cancel their account), they still have the potential to become a fan of your brand.
Be sure to track sign-ups that come through to your site via a promotional offer. Send them an email and show off exactly what your subscription box can offer them!
Ensure their first box is seamless, too. Subscription box fulfilment can be tricky, so make sure you have all the cogs in place to impress every single customer.
4. Add extra value with content
The subscription box experience goes beyond just what your customer finds in their box.
By providing free content, you can provide additional value to your subscribers and keep them interested. It also helps give potential new subscribers a taste of what they could have if they were to take out their own subscription.
One example of this is Mindful Chef. To help customers on their journey to signing up for a subscription box, they offer a number of free recipes on their website. They’ve even turned their box into a whole brand, with a recipe book also available to buy.
Remember, content can help you acquire new leads across every channel, too. Social media posts, emails and paid campaigns can all benefit from content that is highly relevant to your target audience to grab their attention.
5. Think about your online experience
While subscription boxes have their own unique marketing needs, remember that you are still an eCommerce business.
This means that your website needs to be spot-on to convert as many new customers as possible.
Make your sign-up process as seamless as possible. Technical snags can cause drop offs – and with attention spans already low online, don’t let yourself miss any opportunity!
Be sure to provide visitors with all the information they need about your box. Highlight your USPs, offer an FAQ page, show off user-generated content – this is your shop window, so make the most of it!
Once you have the basics in place, you could also consider some more personalised website features. For example, the Dollar Shave Club lets new customers build their own customised box by filling out an interactive quiz on their shaving habits.
6. Get real life reviews
Despite all the technology and tactics at our fingertips, one of the most powerful marketing tools we have is word of mouth.
Potential new subscribers want to know that real people have used your company before and can vouch for it. If your existing subscribers love being a part of your brand, they will probably be more than happy to share their love – they just need a little prompt.
Using your own hashtag is an easy way to get free shoutouts from existing customers. Include a prompt in every box asking them to share their experience on social media – you could even tempt them further with a giveaway if they get involved.
Reviews on Trustpilot, Feefo or even Facebook also help build up trust with your brand. While you don’t want to annoy subscribers by asking for reviews too often, make it easy for them with a link at the bottom of your emails or on your website.
Impress Every Subscriber with Subscription Box Fulfilment at 3PL
Are you ready to take your subscription box business to the next level?
With increased marketing comes more customers, so you need to make sure you can cater to them all without letting your standards slip.
We know that subscription box fulfilment comes with its own special requirements. With regularly changing products and the need for tailored packaging, you need expert knowledge to keep orders moving and subscribers happy.
Our dedicated subscription box fulfilment services are here to help your business grow. We can kit and assemble your boxes with all the care and attention you would take yourself. You can also make use of our inventory management software to get valuable insights into how efficiently your business is running.
PS, If you want to find out more, contact us at 3PL for a chat about how we can help you grow your subscription box business
More from the 3PL blog…
What Makes The Most Successful Subscription Box Business | 5 Ways to Improve Your Order Fulfilment Process | What is the Best Way to Manage and Keep Control of My Inventory?
Speak to 3PL about your eCommerce order fulfiment
It’s time to supercharge your ecommerce brand business and overtake your competitors. Speak to 3PL today and find out how we can take your ecommerce fulfilment to the next level.
