Subscription Renewal for Online-Course Businesses

Covid-19 has resulted in a sudden shift to virtual learning, so online-class businesses have experienced a surge in demand. However, as the world starts to open up and people return to in-person studies, companies should adopt a powerful subscription renewal strategy to remain on top of the game. 

While this can be challenging in the competitive market, email marketing can do wonders. In fact, a survey by Teachable revealed that 66% of top-earning online course sellers consider emailing their number one marketing and sales channel.

 So, let’s dig deeper into the importance of email marketing for e-learning platforms and how to launch a successful subscription renewal email campaign.  

Email marketing is one of the oldest yet most effective marketing strategies every business should have. Statista’s 2022 report revealed that 70% of consumers prefer to be contacted by brands via email. And this is just the tip of the iceberg; an infinite number of stats and surveys point out how email marketing is the most effective and inexpensive channel to reach potential or existing customers. 

And just like any other type of business, e-learning platforms leverage big time when employing email marketing in their subscription renewal strategy. Subscription renewal email campaigns are used to retain your current subscribers or bring your churned customers back. 

The main objective is to give them a solid reason to remain loyal to your business. This is essential because you don’t want to just advertise to generate one-time sales. You should create a loyal customer base who will continue purchasing your upcoming courses and spread great word-of-mouth. 

When launching your subscription renewal email campaign, here is what to have in mind:

• Highlight the benefits: Give strong reasons why your subscribers should keep buying your courses. Additionally, remind them why the subscription plan is vital to gain the skills and knowledge they signed up for. 
• Push them further into their learning journey: To keep their ambitions high, you can offer valuable add-ons. For example, show an available list of related courses that would help broaden their skills and knowledge in the subject. 
• Timing is everything: A well-thought-out renewal strategy should be timed before and after expiration. Start your campaign one or two weeks before and keep it going for a while, even if the subscription renewal attempt has failed. 
• Offer incentives: A valuable, ethical bribe to keep your subscribers engaged may do the trick. Entice subscribers and encourage subscription renewal by offering discounts or free bonus courses.

With these tips and practices in mind, you can craft a powerful subscription renewal email campaign. However, it looks like a lot of time-consuming work which drains your creative energy. For this, assign an all-in-one automation platform to launch your killing subscription renewal campaign. 

But enough of the theory. Let’s see the renewal campaign in action using an automation platform. On top of that, we’ll show steal-worthy subscription renewal email ideas. 

An automated email reminder doesn’t have to be dull and faceless. In fact, with an omnichannel marketing automation platform, you can: 

• Personalize your messages: Dynamic content and personalized subject lines make your customers feel attached to your brand. Research by Invesp reported that customized subject lines show a 22% more open rate. 
• Segment your audience: Behavioral segmentation is a game changer, allowing you to offer relevant content according to your subscriber’s needs and preferences. For example, if your subscriber started their learning journey in creative writing, it wouldn’t make sense to offer discount deals for graphic design courses. Yet, you can offer relevant courses or topic-related tips, blogs, events, etc.
• Send your messages via multiple channels. With Wooxy.com, in addition to emails, you send targeted messages via web push, SMS, and telegram. This greatly reduces churn since you minimize the chance of remaining unread. 

On top of these advanced functionalities, track the success of your campaign via in-detail reports. It can provide information such as CTR, OR, conversions, and other essential metrics. You can always A/B test your messages and discover the response of your customers. 

When you have all the necessary info and an automation platform at your disposal, it’s time to discuss which email ideas will work the best for your subscription renewal email campaign. So let’s dive into it! 

To entice your subscriber with your online learning platform, you can create one-on-one online meetings with them or send an offer via email to participate in one of your events. This could be a webinar, special event, online program, etc. This way, you ensure your brand’s name remains on top of their minds. 

Send weekly, monthly, and yearly digests about their journey with your online learning business. This can show the skills they have mastered so far and remind them about courses that are yet to be finished.  

Even if your renewal attempts were in vain, you shouldn’t give up that easily. There is a chance to shine in the sea of messages with your discount email offer. See how Busuu does that with a 50% discount offer on their premium plus plan. 

Above all, remember that your efforts are worth it. The Client Win Back Study revealed that 26% of lost customers return with twice more customer lifetime value. 

Subscription renewal email campaigns are a powerful tool for maintaining a successful online-course business. 

By providing personalized and segmented messages, offering incentives, and tailoring your messaging to your audience’s needs, you increase the likelihood of subscriber retention and continued success for your business.