One of the most commonly cited reasons that people use the Magic Members plugin is that it provides a maximum amount of flexibility in terms of how you create memberships. The key is not only having this ability, but knowing how to leverage it for the maximum benefit. Everyone knows how to create a membership with a single tier, but many either don’t know how or don’t know why creating additional tiers can provide unique benefits that aren’t otherwise possible. Here is a quick look at some of the flexible membership options that Magic Members allows you to utilize and how to implement them for maximum results.

1. The Free Trial
Even the newest membership site owner knows the theoretical benefit of giving their customers a free trial before they actually join the site. The problem is that the free trial isn’t always utilized in a way to maximize the number of people who convert from free member to paying member. The balancing act that many people have to decide between is whether or not a free trial should provide full access to all of the content, or just part of it. In general, there is a fairly simple way to make this decision. If the information is entirely educational, then it makes sense to still have content that cannot be accessed during the free trial. This will make the free trial a big teaser, which can boost conversions.

On the other hand, if you are providing something to your members that can get them invested in your offer, such as a piece of software or tool that they will use, then giving them access to everything during the trial will draw them in further, and boost conversions. For example, if you are running a health related membership site and premium members get to use some sort of diet tracker or workout tracker, then giving them access to it right away will get them personally invested in becoming a member. Remember, the key is not only offer a free trial, but offering the right kind of free trial.

2. The Extra Month
This is a strategy that is rarely used by membership sites, but can be the most effective way to lower your attrition rate. Essentially, when someone starts to cancel, you offer them an additional free month as a member. If you have multiple tiers, you should give them a free month at a membership level that is one tier above what they currently are. You then use this additional month to sell your premium tiers. In many cases, people cancel because they aren’t receiving enough value. By giving them access to more than they previously had, they can get the extra value that they are looking for. Then once this free month is over, you offer them the higher level membership at the same rate they paid for the lower tier (normally this special rate will go for 3 or 4 months). This will not only prevent people from leaving your membership site, but can actually increase the number of people who take part at your premium membership tiers.

There are a lot of different ways that you can utilize the flexible membership options that Magic Members provides. The key is implementing these feature effectively to improve conversions and lower your attrition rate.