The lowdown: Check out the subscription model that is changing the way we consume with this Subscribed summary.
Netflix, Spotify, Amazon… more than likely, you have paid for two out of these three services.
These popular services aren’t alone though… the subscription model is absolutely everywhere!
It is the way we consume in the modern age… why buy the cow when you can get the milk?
With the subscription model becoming stock-standard in particular industries, it is important to know the ins and outs.
- Audible Audiobook
- Tien Tzuo (Author) – Dan Woren, Tien Tzuo (Narrators)
- English (Publication Language)
- 06/05/2018 (Publication Date) – Penguin Audio (Publisher)
The three main lessons from Subscribed are:
- Subscription models have changed marketing
- Innovation is tailoring services to suit customers’ needs
- The PADRE system
Lesson One: Subscription models have changed marketing
When most think of marketing, they think of Don Draper and Mad Men, jingles, TV commercials, and billboards…. however, these days it is anything but.
When previously marketers looked at product, price, promotion and place, with a subscription model we look at things a bit differently.
As the ‘product’ is now a subscription model, other aspects change.
Now, there is no third-party retailer who is selling your service (place). So, your customer service needs to be A+. Furthermore, you need to focus less on ‘splashy’ ads, and sell your story!
And pricing…. well, pricing is a whole new ball game. Here you can offer tiered systems to match your customers’ needs. You can even start with free services and offer premiums for extra features.
As they say, sometimes it is cheaper to give someone the result for free than it is to convince someone to pay you to get them a result.
Lesson Two: Innovation is tailoring services to suit customers’ needs
Previously when a company innovated, they had a linear system.
Market research, hypothesis, research, design, marketing, release…. if it sold, it stuck around, and if it didn’t, it was on the scrapheap.
Now, with digital subscriptions, the linear system is now more of a cycle. There is constant tinkering to make sure your service properly suits the needs of the people buying it.
This constant tinkering and agile development is everywhere in the Software As A Service (SaaS) industry, and even in the music industry; Kanye West released his Life Of Pablo in February 2016, but constantly updated his songs after release.
Lesson Three: The PADRE system
Okay, so this whole subscription model is tickling your fancy… but how do I start?
Well, use this PADRE system to get you on the right track.
- Pipeline: Raise awareness to your company and start to create some demand
- Acquire: The customers’ journey to making a decision to use your subscription
- Deploy: It should be incredibly easy to set up your service… if it takes too long then you’ll lose most of your potential subscribers
- Run: The day-to-day operation of your business… make sure you react quickly to how subscribers are using your service and adjust when needed
- Expand: Retain subscribers by adding extra functions and growth… The addition of podcast networks to Spotify for example, is a great way to keep people engaged
My Personal Takeaway
I love the concept of a subscription-based service… it is somewhat of the holy grail when it comes to business models. However, I am still trying to find a way to make it work with what I do and my lifestyle.
Put it into action
This is a simple one, but one thing you’ll see time and time again in this book is putting the customers’ needs first. So, make sure all of your decisions are based around what the customers want and not what you want to make.
You should consider buying this book if…
Either a new business owner, or someone looking to turn their existing business into a subscription model needs to read this book.
Or, read our other business book summaries.
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a Swedish university student, marketing professional, and life-long learner. Here at BookSummaryClub I summarize my favorite non-fiction books into easily digested posts. Hope you like what you’re reading!
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