Creating Subscription Services on the Web
A subscription-based communications tool, such as a regular e-mail announcement or a newsletter, enables your organization to communicate directly — and in a cost-effective way — with customers and other subscribers about the things they care about.
To avoid becoming seen as spam, however, ask people to sign up and make that process as easy as possible. The more information you require for registration, the fewer subscribers you will get.
First you need to establish that fact. If you find your e-newsletter has real material value, at some point you might consider charging for it. Many organizations find that the fee creates an insurmountable barrier for many people. It adds a layer of complexity and higher expectations that both the subscriber and the provider do not want to deal with. Another reason is that many newsletter subscribers don't consider the monetary value of the information; it is often a curiosity or requested in order to keep an eye on things. The irony is that even though you remain free, it must be seen as valuable by your subscribers. From your perspective you want the income derived from repeat sales and customer loyalty and the newsletter is a means to that end. Consider it paid for by higher sales.
A subscription process defines who has access to selected information. Whether you are developing a newsletter, deliver regular e-mail-based communications, or offer information products for download to internal or external subscribers, you will need a process to ensure that the right people are accessing only the information intended for them. A subscription process should define access rights.
Be clear about exactly what subscribers will get. There are two kinds of access. The first is when a subscriber must choose to log in to a specific web page for the information they want. The second is simply signing up to receive the e-mail or newsletter that will be sent to them on a schedule you determine. Tell subscribers when they can expect hearing from you. If you are offering paid subscriptions only, it is necessary to offer a sample of an issue, and/or a free period of access before charging the reader.
If you collect personal information tell the subscriber how that information will be used. Be sure to comply with the policy at all times. Privacy is an important issue for a great many people using the Internet. If they think you might sell or use the personal information they provide in ways they do not approve, they may not subscribe. If you track a subscriber's use of your site in order to personalize content make it clear to the subscriber that you do so.
To maximize your subscriber base, signing up must be easy. Just an e-mail address should do. However, if you need additional information, consider:
- asking for opinions first, personal questions second. People are more willing to respond to opinion questions and may continue answering the personal questions once they are in the process of filling out the registration form. However, they may resist the process if you ask too many questions.
- having mandatory and optional questions. Clearly indicate which questions are mandatory and which are optional.
- designing your form so it is appropriate to subscribers everywhere. For example, ZIP Codes are only used in the U.S.; elsewhere they may be called Postal Codes or not used.
People will make mistakes filling out the form. Design your process to help check for accuracy and missing data. Where data is missing or doesn't follow the correct format, your system should be responsive and alert the subscriber immediately. If required data is missing, before accepting the subscription, highlight the field that is incomplete and note, for example, "Please enter your telephone number." In addition, if someone mistakenly adds characters or spaces in their e-mail address indicate the error with a statement such as, "The e-mail address you entered seems to be incorrect. Please recheck."
The double opt-in helps prevent others subscribing the individual without his or her consent and ensures they are serious. First, the subscriber successfully fills out the registration request and the system replies with a verification message. Then, the subscriber is sent an e-mail to the address provided and is asked to confirm his or her intention by clicking on a link. Only then is the subscription activated.
Every new subscriber should be sent an acknowledgement that should contain the following:
- a welcome message;
- a description of what to expect;
- instructions for unsubscribing;
- a summary of the subscriber's e-mail address, username, and password, if any.
Remind the subscriber to store the confirmation message in order to access it in the future to either unsubscribe or locate a forgotten user name or password.
People will be annoyed if they find it difficult to end their subscription. Offer a variety of easy to use options when one wants to unsubscribe, such as:
- a visible location on the Web site to unsubscribe;
- an e-mail link to unsubscribe at the bottom of every newsletter; or,
- a support person who will execute the unsubscribe command and issue a refund if a payment was involved.
Everyone who unsubscribed, should be sent a confirmation message thanking him or her for having been a subscriber.
Over time, problems will arise. People move to new organizations and change e-mail addresses. Their subscriptions will bounce back. Once you confirm the problem isn't a full mailbox or a technical issue, say after you receive three of these messages, discontinue that subscription and delete the name from your database. Most subscription systems do this automatically.
Your list of subscribers is an extremely valuable asset. Careful steps should be taken to protect it. Be sure that the subscriber list, itself, is password-protected and limit access to it to as few people as possible. Stolen subscriber lists can become a PR disaster damaging your organization's credibility. Also, make sure you regularly backup the subscriber list, with other critical data, in a secure location.
If your site uses advanced features such as restricted content, personalization, or online ordering, users must have usernames and passwords. Many people find it difficult to remember their passwords or subscriber identification and don't store them on their computer for future reference. Password-protected areas should be clearly identified. If you require a login ask for it before the user navigates to the secure area, not after. It's frustrating to click on a link, only to discover that it requires a password for access. Either don't include the link or clearly indicate that it is a members' only area. Subscribers can be allowed access to the members-only Web site if cookies are used to remember their user ID and password, so that when they visit from the computer of record, their login will be automatic.
The best process for creating a user password is as follows:
- Ask the subscriber to create a username. A shortcut might allow subscribers to use their e-mail addresses as their usernames. This is easy for them to remember.
- Even if it is not possible to use the e-mail address as the username, you will need the e-mail address to fulfill the subscription.
- Ask subscribers to create passwords with a minimum of six characters. Suggest that subscribers not use common words for their passwords and mix characters and numbers. Your system should hide each password character and number entered by showing an asterisk in the box.
- There are several ways to help people who have forgotten their passwords. First, provide a security question that they filled out during registration. For example, "What is the name of your pet?" or "What is your mother's maiden name?" If they answer correctly they will be granted access and a new password will be sent to their e-mail address. They should also be given an easy link to create a new password. Second, and most commonly, send the forgotten password to the user's e-mail address after you verify the username and e-mail address submitted for replacement.
The more technically savvy site visitors may prefer to receive an RSS feed. This is now becoming a popular alternative to the scheduled newsletter. This service is designed to make it easy for the reader to organize his or her subscriptions. If subscribers have the appropriate software, they might prefer to use this delivery modality. This enables constant updating and replacement of outdated content with current content. Content management systems now provide inbuilt support for RSS.
If you have a lot of information to disseminate and it changes frequently, you should consider using RSS feeds now—especially if your subscribers demand it and site visitors return frequently.
People don't like going through a complicated application process. Only ask for the information you need on your application or registration form. A long process reduces the number of subscribers.
Unsubscribing should be a simple one-click process. Making this difficult will make users very angry and create ill will. There is no point holding on to subscribers who no longer want your newsletter and if they continue to receive it after they have unsubscribed, they are likely to consider you a spammer. This will have an adverse relationship on your reputation and also discourage them from re-subscribing in the future.
There is nothing worse than having hackers and spammers get a hold of your subscriber list. Not only does it open up your subscribers to never ending junk, it may also open them up to serious invasions of privacy and theft. Losing subscriber data is always a prelude to a PR disaster.
Eyman, Carol.