Case Study
Income Securities Advisors (ISI)
Income Securities Advisors (ISI) specializes in providing expert advice on bonds, preferred stocks, convertibles, and other income securities. Their flagship product, the Forbes/Fridson Income Securities Investor newsletter, is curated by Martin Fridson, a renowned expert in fixed income investing. The newsletter aims to help self-directed investors build robust income securities portfolios with high yields and principal protection.
The typical ISI subscriber often seeks safer investment options later in life. This demographic required an upgrade to make the website more user-friendly and bridge the technology gap. By improving the website, ISI also aims to attract a younger, tech-savvy market.
- Typical ISI subscriber
- Seeks safer investment options
- Demographic required upgrade
- User-friendly
- Bridge technology gap
- Tech-savvy market
- Attract younger
- Improving the website
Subscriber
Demographics
Initial Challenges
ISI faced several challenges, including the inability to initiate automatic renewals, high subscriber churn due to manual renewal processes, limited access for subscribers to manage their accounts, and a clunky paywall system.
Additionally, there was no streamlined integration with external
platforms like Forbes.
Project Goals
The goals of the project were to implement auto-renewal subscriptions, improve user experience for managing subscriptions and accounts, increase the subscriber base through effective marketing and SEO strategies, and seamlessly integrate subscriptions purchased via orbes with ISI’s system
Auto-Renewal Subscriptions
Improve User Experience
SEO Strategies
Effective Marketing
Technical Implementation
Website Platform: Migrated to WooCommerce
The website was migrated to WooCommerce, utilizing plugins like WooCommerce Subscriptions, WooCommerce Memberships, and the WooCommerce Stripe add-on for payments.
Forbes Integration
An integration was created to automate user registration and subscription creation for purchases made on Forbes. This also managed renewals to ensure continuous access to content for subscribers.
Backend Customizations
Various levels of membership were implemented, along with custom integrations and coded solutions for better management of subscriptions.
Active Campaign Integration
Automated data flow to Active Campaign for marketing automation and customer relationship management.
Strategic Improvements
Omni Channel Marketing Campaign
We implemented an omni-channel marketing strategy that successfully increased subscribers. This approach utilized email marketing, social media campaigns, and Google Ads to enhance visibility and attract new subscribers. Additionally, targeted SEO efforts improved rankings for keywords such as “fixed income investing” and “fixed income newsletter.”
Video Content Creation
We implemented a video content strategy for social media and developed an online course to increase engagement and attract more subscribers. A free online course on fixed income investing was created as a lead magnet to draw in potential subscribers and generate interest in the newsletter.
Results Achieved
The project resulted in a 30% increase in new subscribers, from 630 to 835. The user experience was enhanced with easy access to manage subscriptions behind a paywall. Higher SEO rankings for relevant keywords were achieved, and the integration of subscription data from Forbes was successful.
Future Prospects
ISI plans to continue leveraging its new platform to attract and retain subscribers. The upcoming lead magnet strategy using the free course aims to further boost subscriber growth. This case study exemplifies the collaborative effort across various teams, resulting in a robust and scalable solution for ISI’s growth.
The Results
Through a comprehensive website overhaul and strategic marketing efforts, ISI has significantly improved its subscription model and user engagement.
The technical enhancements, including the integration with Forbes and automated renewal processes, have streamlined operations and reduced churn. Marketing campaigns and SEO efforts have successfully increased the subscriber base by 30%.