The Challenge
Pro-Mark Business Development are working in conjunction with a publication to convert their existing free non-requested and requested circulation to paid subscriptions. The publication also required a paid subscription base from new readership.
Key to the challenge was to ensure that the data collection activity for payment details was compliant with current regulation. Pro-Mark were also required to establish a safe and secure process for collecting confidential information, including payment terms.
It was vital for the publication to maintain its existing circulation figures by completing free requested circulation activity in conjunction with paid subscriptions.
The Solution
Pro-Mark worked in conjunction with the publication to profile their existing free requested copy readership in order to build a profile for possible paid subscriptions customers. All data obtained for the campaign, both new and existing, would have to meet the ideal paid subscriber profile. Contact and conversion percentage targets were established in order to calculate the volume of data required for the activity.
A small percentage of existing readership database, that most closely fit the paid subscriber profile, was removed for paid subscription activity. All contacts within the database were contacted on the proposal that the publication was now paid subscription only and a free copy was not available. In conjunction with this activity, a database of new readership were contacted with a similar paid subscription offer.
The subscription solution for existing readership was based on and initial full-price offer. This would fall to a 25% discount at first refusal. Falling to a 25% discount and free copy at second refusal.
The subscription solution for new readership was based on free introductory copy and temporary access to on-line content at full price. This would fall to 25% discount, free introductory copy and access to on-line content at first refusal. Pro-Mark would establish the magazine with a combination of email information and temporary on-line content access before sales pitch.
New readership that did not wish to receive the paid copy would be contacted on completion of the existing paid subscription activity and offered free requested copy. The volume of this activity would be dependent on the success of the paid subscriptions campaigns and is completed in order to retain the publication’s circulation figures.
The Outcome
The paid subscription’s activity from existing readership was below the estimated conversion targets by 3%. Paid subscription’s activity from new readership was above the estimated conversion target by 4%. This resulted in a 1% increase on estimated volume of paid subscriptions.
Existing paid subscription’s activity resulted in an 86% fallout of the existing readership circulation from the data batch used. Additional activity within the new subscriptions readership and back-up activity resulted in an overall circulation increase of 5%, in relation to the existing free circulation data volumes used for the activity.
In comparison to the existing free circulation data volumes used in the activity the total data volumes equalled 21% were paid subscription, 79% were free requested subscription and there was an increase of 5% free requested subscription.