First, let’s pinpoint exactly where the word “Freemium” came from. “Freemium” stems from the free + premium word sandwich. It embraces the idea that upon signing up for an account, you have access to basic services and products for free. What’s the catch, you ask? There is none. Basically, the notion is that you should be able to use a base set of services for free. These companies create revenue when you decide that the basic account is great, but opt to pay for the cherry on top services provided by the premium account.

A tricky part for these “freemium” companies  is to make sure that the enhanced, premium version is worth the upgrade fee. If you aren’t benefitting from what is offered, why would you be compelled to dole out any of your hard earned cash? That’s why companies like Evernote, CE Broker and others are doing all they can to make their services worthy of your spent money.

For example: Phil Libin, a pioneer of Freemium and CEO of Evernote, states in an interview with Techcrunch how important it is to “design for yourself and love what you do.” Libin goes on to explain that if you are not confident that the free services beneficial to users, there is no point in even offering a premium option. It wouldn’t be worth the upgrade.

So What? What’s it Matter to Me?

It’s possible that you are using these services already. For instance, maybe you jam out to your favorite tunes on Spotify in your free time. Perhaps you find the convenient cloud-based storage system of Dropbox to be your answer to on-the-go access. Maybe your small business finds the cloud-based accounting solutions of FreshBooks handy. Whatever online service you may use, you will find that they all have some common ground. You can opt to use the free, bare minimum service and still benefit with the basics. OR you can pay for the premium services, allowing  commercial-free radio play at Spotify, extra storage at Dropbox and more tools for personal organization with Evernote.

It’s a no brainer to sign up for these free services, but how do you justify paying for the premium accounts? The perceived benefits must outweigh the perceived barriers for that premium sign up to happen. That’s why these companies are going above and beyond to make their premium services worth your while.

No coffee drop left behind

Let’s say you are an avid coffee drinker and look forward to getting your morning fuel at a local coffee shop before work. In all honesty, who doesn’t need a little pick me up in the form of a warm, fresh mug of Joe before beginning a long and involved workday? On average, that small cup of coffee is going to cost you around $1.50. If you spend $1.50 per cup of coffee 5 days a week for an entire month, you are looking at burning a $30 hole in your pocket. That $30 that was spent on coffee is the same amount of money that our Professional Account at CE Broker would cost for a whole year.

Time to Benefit

If you are reading this blog, chances are you that you are already either a Basic or Professional Account user with CE Broker. The whole idea behind our business at CE Broker is to make sure that all of our users are satisfied. We do our best at CE Broker to offer you the most bang for your buck.  If you find that our Basic Account is just what you need, that’s terrific! If you are looking for something more, our Professional Account may be the next step.  Either way, we are constantly looking to add new features and expand our service level to provide everything you need to be compliant at renewal.   If we aren’t making your licensure renewal and continuing education process as streamlined and simple as possible, then we aren’t doing our job correctly. If there is anything CE Broker can do to make your licensure renewal easier, we are always open to suggestions for improvement!

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• Best Apps for Organization– Forbes