{"id":27682,"date":"2017-04-21T20:02:57","date_gmt":"2017-04-22T01:02:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crazyeggblog.wpengine.com\/?p=27682"},"modified":"2017-09-27T21:59:50","modified_gmt":"2017-09-28T02:59:50","slug":"accelerate-product-adoption","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crazyegg.com\/blog\/accelerate-product-adoption\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Ways To Accelerate Product Adoption (Without Spamming Your User Base)"},"content":{"rendered":"

We tend to make a big deal about leads in the marketing space, and not without good reason. Everything starts with leads.<\/p>\n

However, for software companies, the real goal is product adoption<\/b>. We need people actively and consistently using our product. Regardless of our business model, success occurs when users experience that \u201caha\u201d moment that takes our product from an experiment to a core part of their day-to-day work.<\/p>\n

So how do we move people from lead to product adopter? How to we give them that \u201caha\u201d moment?<\/p>\n

Two words: Strategic Repetition<\/strong><\/p>\n

Repetition is a POWERFUL psychological force. Studies have shown<\/a> that simply repeating key points within a conversation is enough to significantly influence a person\u2019s decision-making.<\/p>\n

When strategic repetition is utilized across multiple digital channels, it can substantially accelerate the rate at which leads become product adopters.<\/p>\n

Today, we\u2019re going to look at seven ways you can accelerate product adoption WITHOUT spamming your user base. Following any one of these techniques will help, but combining them all together will give you the largest benefit.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s get started.<\/p>\n

1. Create In-Product Tips and Walkthroughs<\/h2>\n

While creating an intuitive interface is part of designing great software, it\u2019s important that you provide extra \u201chand holding\u201d for new users who want to learn your product and for existing users who want to get more value out of new features.<\/p>\n

New users typically sign up with the goal of accomplishing something specific, but they will likely be clueless about how to accomplish whatever that is<\/i> using your product. They also might be entirely unaware of other beneficial features that could easily become a part of their day-to-day work.<\/p>\n

Creating in-product tips and visual walkthroughs will help\u00a0users better understand your product and accelerate that \u201caha\u201d moment that turns them into product adopters.<\/p>\n

For example, Google utilizes this technique to announce a new feature, Sheets Explore:<\/p>\n

\"Smarketing<\/p>\n

Creating charts and sorting data is a common goal of Sheets users, yet many begin using the software without understanding how to accomplish these tasks. Google uses an in-app prompt for relevant users to begin a walk-through.<\/p>\n

\"Smarketing<\/p>\n

Google then takes the users through a brief walkthrough, demonstrating several features available to Sheets users.<\/p>\n

\"Smarketing<\/p>\n

While Google\u2019s in-app communications are coded into the software, likely by their robust team of engineers, you can use a tool like Appcues<\/a> to create similar functionality without needing to hard-code anything into your pages.<\/p>\n

2. Use Segmented Email Marketing To Re-Engage Users<\/h2>\n

We all know that emails are an incredibly effective marketing tool, but what takes them from good to great is segmentation. If you can send the right emails at right moments during lead nurturing, onboarding, and product discovery, you can greatly increase conversions at each stage and overall product adoption.<\/p>\n

Vero provides a great example<\/a> of this in action. A few months after launching a big new feature as part of a pricing upgrade, the email platform wanted to upsell the new features and higher priced plans to customers who hadn\u2019t yet jumped on the offer. They also wanted to encourage upgraded users to engage with the new features and adopt them into their weekly routines.<\/p>\n

Instead of simply sending out a mass email to all customers, the team identified two key user segments.<\/p>\n

The first segment was a large group of users who had joined via a discounted AppSumo promotion. These users\u2019 plans were about to expire soon, and Vero wanted to pitch the new features in hopes of keeping them as customers<\/p>\n

Vero sent a targeted email to these users with a custom offer designed to match the segment:<\/p>\n

\"Vero<\/p>\n

The second segment consisted of users who had access to the new features but weren\u2019t actively using them. Vero sent these users the following email:<\/p>\n

\"email<\/p>\n

These emails were part of a larger segmentation process<\/a> that resulted in a 450% increase in conversions for Vero\u2019s marketing campaigns.<\/p>\n

For your own campaigns, virtually any modern email service provider will allow you to send different emails and email autoresponders to a variety of segments. They key is tracking and understanding your audience enough to identify the important segments and then taking the time to engage with each segment in its own unique way.<\/p>\n

3. Make Subtle Mentions In Blog Posts<\/h2>\n

Content marketing is all about providing value to your audience and helping them achieve their goals around a topic area connected to your product.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s the PERFECT venue for repeatedly promoting your product in the most subtle way possible: education.<\/p>\n

When teaching a new concept, there is the \u201cwhat\u201d, the \u201cwhy\u201d, and the \u201chow\u201d. The best blog posts always touch on all three of these. They tell you what you should be doing, why you should be doing it, and how to practically execute it.<\/p>\n

That last part – the \u201chow\u201d – is where your product comes in.<\/p>\n

You should regularly be publishing blog posts that teach people how to accomplish certain goals using your product.<\/p>\n

For example, in this guide to launching a product<\/a>, Ty Magnin is teaching readers how to launch a product, using HubSpot as an example. When he gets to the 3rd strategy, he subtly mentions how his own company (Appcues) can be utilized to execute on the strategy he is teaching.<\/p>\n

\"in-app<\/p>\n

This is a really easy, subtle way to promote your product without promoting your product. And most powerfully, it\u2019s quite easy to do on big 3rd party publications, where more obvious promotion isn\u2019t allowed.<\/p>\n

All you have to do is teach people how to accomplish things that incorporate your product and provide an example that incorporates that product in action.<\/p>\n

4. Experiment With Website & In-App Placement<\/h2>\n

One of the challenges in marketing is getting content in front of people on platforms you don\u2019t control.<\/p>\n

When it comes to your own website and app, however, you have FULL control. It\u2019s really important that you utilize these properties, and yet too often, businesses just completely ignore their own platforms.<\/p>\n

Each section of your website should be designed to target a specific stage in the customer journey, and you should experiment with announcements, CTA\u2019s, prompts, and other elements that move readers to the next stage.<\/p>\n

For example, BuildFire<\/a> runs extensive content marketing campaigns, and when people arrive on their blog, they can\u2019t go two scrolls without being invited to try the platform\u2019s free app builder.<\/p>\n

\"blog<\/p>\n

Once users signup and enter the builder, however, the CTAs change, focusing on taking these users to that next stage, which in BuildFire\u2019s case, is either paid app building services or an upgraded DIY plan.<\/p>\n

Notice the more subtle yet still clearly visible CTA buttons in the top right:<\/p>\n

\"buildfire<\/p>\n

You can also utilize in-app and website placements for more time-sensitive announcements, product launches, and events. In the below example, Tim Soulo of Ahrefs<\/a> is using a chat popup in the bottom left to announce a new milestone for the company and its customers.<\/p>\n

\"ahrefs<\/p>\n

To use these strategies for your own business, simply identify who you are targeting at any given spot on your website or app, and then add prompts to take those users to the next level.<\/p>\n

5. Include Prompts In Team Email Signatures<\/h2>\n

This one is pretty simple, but it can be incredibly effective both as a marketing tool and as a product adoption tool.<\/p>\n

Having your team include prompts and even direct CTAs in their email signatures is a great way to drive new customers and encourage product adoption among your existing users and customers.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also subtle and unobtrusive. People expect that you will have some credentials or personalization in your email signature. It doesn\u2019t feel like spam, yet it allows you to place strategic prompts in every email you send.<\/p>\n

One of the best tools for rolling this out company wide is Sigstr<\/a>, and you can see their signatures in action here:<\/p>\n

\"Bailey<\/p>\n

The goal is to drive engagement with your brand, and this particular example suggests a few possible ways to do that:<\/p>\n