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Is forcing subscription a brake ?

by edd1237
7 replies
Hi !

I would like to have your opinion about this :

Do you think forcing a suscription manually or via facebook or google+ etc... can be a brake and raise bounce rate for a mobile application for example ?

Are there existing studies on this subject ?

Thank you
#brake #forcing #subscription
  • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
    Since we're talking opinions here...

    It's been my observation that the more hurdles you put in front of someone, the more likely they are to pull up short and just say "the hell with it."

    Whether it's a forced subscription on an app, a content locker, or something else, there is a percentage of your possible audience that will just say "screw you" and leave. Most of the people who bow to your wishes would have subscribed anyway, so the portion that you gain purely due to the forced component is likely to be small.

    And even those you can coerce into doing your bidding (subscribe) are likely to more jaundiced toward whatever comes next.

    In my not-so-humble opinion, unless you're selling something like ad exposures, forcing subscriptions to use an app or view content is a less than optimum strategy.
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    • Profile picture of the author AntonioSeegars1
      [DELETED]
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      • Profile picture of the author Kay King
        I'll give you real life example.

        About a month ago I was looking at a particular product. There were two new brands on the market and I went to each of the two sites.

        BOTH offered a "free sample". On the first one I had to give name and address and had the option of signing up for a mailing. I gave name and address to mail sample product but said 'no' to the list.

        Second site is in direct competition with the above and doing a LOT of TV and print ads (costly). They wanted name and address, and email AND to get a free sample I had to "CREATE AN ACCOUNT" on their site with login name and password.

        No thanks. I left the second site without giving ANY info - I got the samples from the first site, liked them OK and have since spent over $100 on those products. I will continue to use them and will buy them several times a year.

        I might have liked the second product better...I'll never know because the demands ticked me off.

        Because this is a marketing forum it's become popular to post saying "if they don't like it, they aren't the people I want on my list". That's B.S. to me. I want decisive people on my lists. Those are people who make decisions - who buy what appeals to them without over thinking. If they feel manipulated or pushed, they're gone and their money with them.
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  • Profile picture of the author emmerson
    Kay King is right on the money, that is exactly how I feel and have had a similar experience myself. I think it paramount to remember that we need to consider what our prospective customer wants each time we want to present then with a decision so we don't get too caught up in what we want to present them with.
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  • Profile picture of the author edd1237
    Thank you for your answers !
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  • Profile picture of the author Jack Hunter
    I used to sell direct through PayPal. I had Paypal, and no test account ever made me go through lot of hoops. It appeared very simple.

    But certain demographics were not buying. Eventually I sent out request for quick survey and people said its because they do not have PayPal and PayPal was forcing them to make account just so they can pay with CC.

    That caused me to stop selling direct and to go through alternative options, where I pay bit more, but customers buy lot more as its less hassle.

    Like, most recently, I am using Gumroad which takes only 5%+0.25$ per sale, and lets me have as many accounts as I like. They have probably best designed, quickest checkout I've ever seen.
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  • Profile picture of the author ryanbiddulph
    Hi Edd,

    Use power, not force

    For example; use your power, your creativity, to create something SO good people will search for the opt in form to sign up.

    I publish one, 7,000 word post weekly.

    I use 2 opt in forms on my blog.

    No force, no pushing, no obstruction. Why block people from my helpful content?

    Nope, they seek me out because I don't corner them.

    Signing off from Bali

    Ryan
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    Ryan Biddulph helps you to be a successful blogger with his courses, manuals and blog at Blogging From Paradise
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  • Profile picture of the author Edwin Torres
    As long as you have some sort of X button on the form I don't see a problem with it. BUT if you force them to like your page or Google+ it before they can even use it, there better be something EXTREMELY valuable on the other end.

    You'll end up making a lot of people mad, and they won't even bother staying on your website.
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