If you think subscriptions aren’t a good fit for your WordPress website, you might want to take a minute to consider all the possible uses for the subscription model. It’s easy to hear the word “subscription” and dismiss the topic because you associate it with traditional subscriptions to things like magazines, newspapers, etc. But the subscription model is far broader and much more versatile than that.
Finding ways to utilize subscriptions on your website can be a win for everyone: your business, your site managers, your customers, your site visitors … everyone.
Let’s take a minute to think about some of the things in your life that employ a subscription model:
- magazines, newspapers, newsletters, etc.
- Netflix, Hulu, etc.
- Amazon Prime
- automatic bill payments
- notifications from your kid’s school
- the News app on your mobile device
- prescription refills
- operating system updates
- direct-deposit income
- domain registration, site hosting, etc.
- Blue Apron, Dollar Shave Club, etc.
- Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
- retail rewards programs
Obviously this list could just keep going. That’s because, at its most basic, a subscription is simply an ongoing connection. And most of us would agree that the items in that list make our lives better or at least easier, even when they involve paying our bills.
A business or website that acquires subscribers has a whole range of extra options for encouraging return visits, communicating with customers, and selling products and services.
Even a free subscription that offers some simple perks like an extra discount on purchases or access to a basic subscribers-only service, can make a big difference. And it gives subscribers a chance to become familiar with your offerings and makes them that much more likely to upgrade to a paid subscription tier, if you offer one.
A paid subscription can provide the subscriber with an autorenewal option that will increase conversions, and provide your business with an ongoing revenue stream that requires very little maintenance as long as you continue to provide enough value through the subscription as a whole.
Sometimes people are concerned that setting up subscriptions on their website would be too complicated. Or they might worry that autorenewals would require storing credit card information and be a security risk. Those were both valid concerns in the past, but the good news is that we’ve come a long way since then. Tools like WooCommerce Subscriptions (one of our favorite plugins) can keep things simple and secure (you’ll never be storing credit card information on your site).
If you’re interested in setting up some kind of subscription plan on your WordPress site and you have questions or concerns, please contact us. We have experience implementing subscriptions in many different ways for many different purposes and we’d be happy to help you figure out how you might be able to use them for maximum benefit on your site.