Introduction to Matthew Holman

Matthew Holman is the founder of Commerce Catalyst and Subscription Prescription. Commerce Catalyst focuses on building a community of marketers and e-commerce operators, while Subscription Prescription is an independent company that brings subscription knowledge to both startups and mature companies.

With a background in graphic design, Matt transitioned to marketing in 2019. Initially, he focused on B2B software companies, but over the last few years, he has been specifically working with subscription companies to help them grow their recurring revenue.

Matt is a true leader who seeks to empower and educate others through posting on LinkedIn, hosting events, and helping as many people as he can through his ever-growing Slack group.

Table of Contents

• Who is Matthew Holman?
• Current Projects that Excite Matthew
• Tactical and Strategic Subscription Model Advice from Matthew
• Where Does Matthew See the Future Going in Subscription Models?
• How to Get in Contact with Matthew
• Advice to His Younger Self
• Books, Podcasts, and People That Inspire Matthew

Who is Matthew Holman?

Early Life and Education

Matthew Holman was born and raised in Northern California, in the East Bay area of Walnut Creek. He lived there until he was about 19 or 20 years old. Matt didn’t have big plans for what he wanted to be when he grew up. In college he started out studying literature and was interested in French and Latin.

A Life-Changing Event

At 22 Matt’s life took a drastic turn when he was incarcerated. This changed everything he thought his future would be. During his 15 year incarceration Matt’s focus shifted from academics to business and marketing.

Finding Marketing in Prison

While incarcerated Matt got a job at a sign shop within the Utah State Prison. This is where he discovered marketing and design. He noticed that customers would have specific ideas for signs but those ideas wouldn’t always translate to effective signage. This is where Matt started thinking about outcomes and how to influence them through messaging – the very definition of marketing.

Post-Incarceration Journey

Upon release at 37 Matt had to start over. He transferred to the University of Utah to finish his undergraduate degree while working full-time. Despite the initial excitement of freedom he also felt discouraged comparing his life to peers who hadn’t been incarcerated.

But then Matt’s thinking changed when he realized happiness and success aren’t based on past events but current mindset and recent circumstances. This helped him approach his new life with a positive outlook and an open mind.

Current Projects that Excite Matthew

Commerce Catalyst and Subscription Prescription

Matt’s current focus is on his two companies: Commerce Catalyst and Subscription Prescription. Through these ventures, he helps e-commerce businesses, particularly those with subscription models, to grow and optimize their operations.

Building a Marketing Community

Matt has also been passionate about building a community of marketers. What started as small breakfast meetups has grown into larger events and a Slack group with over 800 members. This community allows Matt to connect with other professionals, share knowledge, and continue learning himself.

Tactical and Strategic Subscription Model Advice from Matthew

Understanding Your Subscribers

One of the key pieces of advice Matt offers is the importance of truly understanding your subscribers. This includes knowing why they subscribe, what they value most, and why they might cancel. This understanding forms the foundation for effective retention strategies and marketing efforts.

Simplifying Complex Offerings

Matt emphasizes the importance of simplifying complex offerings. He notes that many companies try to sell all their products equally, even when some perform better than others. Instead, he advises focusing on the best-performing products and building sales funnels around them.

Effective Onboarding

Proper onboarding is crucial for subscription success. Matt recommends creating a series of emails between order placement and delivery that explain:

• How to make changes to the subscription
• What makes the product special
• The brand’s story
• The value proposition of the subscription

Retention Strategies

For improving retention, Matt suggests several strategies:

1. Understand why people are canceling and address those issues.
2. Offer gifts or discounts strategically, especially in the crucial first few months of a subscription.
3. Focus on getting subscribers past the initial high-churn period (usually the first 3-4 months).
4. Continually demonstrate the value of the subscription to customers.

Leveraging Customer Data

Matt stresses the importance of using customer data to inform decisions. This includes:

• Analyzing repeat purchase rates
• Using post-purchase surveys to understand customer motivations
• Segmenting customers based on their behavior and preferences

Testing and Iteration

Matt advocates for continuous testing and iteration of subscription models. This might involve:

• Testing different offers on landing pages
• Trying different onboarding sequences
• Experimenting with various retention strategies

Where Does Matthew See the Future Going in Subscription Models?

Matt sees several trends shaping the future of subscription models:

1. Increased Automation: More companies are likely to incorporate automated features, such as smart reordering based on usage patterns.
2. Improved Customer Experience: Subscription portals and interfaces are becoming more user-friendly and intuitive.
3. Personalization: As AI and data analytics improve, subscriptions will become more tailored to individual customer preferences and behaviors.
4. Balance Between Automation and Control: While automation will increase, Matt believes there will always be a need for human control and decision-making in subscriptions.
5. Integration of Multiple Services: More subscription platforms are expanding to offer additional services like email marketing, SMS, and loyalty programs.

How to Get in Contact with Matthew

If you’re interested in connecting with Matthew Holman or learning more about his work in subscription models, you can reach him in the following ways:

1. LinkedIn: Look for Matthew Holman on LinkedIn for professional networking and updates.
2. Website: Visit TheSubscriptionDoc.com to access Matt’s newsletter and consulting services.

Matthew is always eager to connect with fellow marketers and e-commerce professionals, so don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions or want to discuss subscription strategies.

Advice to His Younger Self

When asked what advice he would give to his younger self Matt said:

“I don’t know that I would like myself as much as I do now if I hadn’t been through what I’ve been through,” he said, getting emotional. He said his experiences including being locked up have made him the man he is today.

But if he could give advice to his younger self Matt said:

1. Perspective: “Your life is not made up in any one moment.” Matt said life is a journey and no one moment or decision defines you.
2. Trust Yourself: Growing up with the pressure to be perfect Matt would tell his younger self to trust himself more. “I have my conscience and I have friends and family that influence those things. And I know what’s right and I should just do that.”

In the end Matt’s advice is to relax and know life is long. He believes the challenges he’s faced have made him more self aware and grown as a person.

Books, Podcasts, and People That Inspire Matthew

Matthew is inspired by various people in the marketing world. Here are some of them:

1. Dave Gerhardt: Matt is a big fan of Dave Gerhardt in the marketing world. He says Gerhardt has influenced his marketing approach for the last few years.
2. Exit Five Community: This is Dave Gerhardt’s content community and podcast. Matt likes that Gerhardt keeps things simple and practical in marketing.
3. Marketing Experimentation: Matt loves Gerhardt’s approach to marketing which is to try different tactics and test what works even if it goes against conventional wisdom. He shared an example of Gerhardt’s website design which some people criticized for bad CRO but Gerhardt defended it because “it converts.”

Matt likes this practical results driven approach to marketing. He believes in being foundationally smart in marketing but not afraid to try new things and test what works.

These have shaped Matt’s approach to marketing and business to balance best practices with new thinking and always prioritise real world results.