Everybody Loves A Freebie!
It's true! Who doesn't like to get free stuff, no matter how cheap, lame or otherwise undesirable? You know it, I know it and you can be darn sure the marketing departments at the big boys out there know it and thrive on it.
So why aren't YOU getting in on this?
Giving away promotional freebies is a great way to get people to buy from you, to sign up for newsletters, to get a heap of free advertising and to generally boost the profile of your business both in the online and offline world.
Thankfully, in the online world these kinds of promotions need not cost a fortune either which again begs the question:
Why aren't you doing this already!
Here's a few reasons why giving away free stuff is such a wonderful thing for your business.
Freebie & Coupon Sites
There are thousands of websites, forums, blogs, newsletters and other online communities who report on nothing but all the freebies currently out there on the internet. If you are giving away something free then these guys will find out about it and will more than likely list what you are giving away on their own sites. That's free advertising for your business and it'll be seen by THOUSANDS of potential new customers! It'll also do no harm to your link popularity and hence search engine rankings...
Turning The Maybe's Into The YES PLEASE's!
How many customers do you think hit your site each day, look at what you are selling, umm, ahh and then leave without buying? Why not give them a very good reason to buy from you, right there and then rather than chancing to fate they might find your competitor's site in the meantime or decide perhaps, they won't purchase what you are selling after all? A freebie promo can do this for you - just offer it as part of the purchasing deal.
Building Your Mailing List
Does no one subscribe to your newsletter? Give them a good reason by giving something away for free to newsletter readers. Easy. Make it something different each month and limit it to say, the first few readers to email you the hundredth word in the newsletter and you'll keep them reading too!
Increase Your Visitors - Virally
Tell-a-Friend scripts used to be a big deal but now they're not used all that much. However! Incentivize this form of viral marketing and it suddenly becomes much more effective. Give access to some kind of freebie if your customer tells a friend about your business and suddenly you've turned a somewhat mediocre form of marketing into a much more useful prospect. Make this freebie and small discount voucher for both the 'teller' and the friend and you've just got yourself two more customers for just a slight hit on your profit margin.
Need we go on? I expect not. If there is an area of your business you are looking to grow them I'm sure you can think of a way in which a promotional freebie, no matter how small, can help you achieve those goals.
But "is it worth it" I hear you say! Of course, but you've gotta be smart about it. DO NOT promise what you can't deliver and DO NOT promise what you can't afford. Fortunately, there are a number of things every online business can afford and here are a few ideas to get you started:
Ideas For Free Stuff Promotions
1) Vouchers, coupons, discounts codes. The simplest freebie you can ever give away. It costs you nothing as an online business (you email the coupon code to the customer rather than printing vouchers) and it can be used in many different ways. For example:
a) Encourage new customers to try out your services by offering new customers and ONLY new customers a $10 discount off their first order...when they spend $40 or more to cover your losses. So you might break even this time, or make a smaller profit, but you have probably got a new customer who'll be back next time for more.
b) Encourage people to sign up for your newsletter by offering a discount voucher for use against your products or services for all registrations. You get a newsletter registrant and a buyer all in one. Of course, you will make this pay back time and again with each newsletter you send out.
c) Ensure a customer bookmarks you site and comes back for more. Simply give away a coupon to use against their NEXT order from you. Make sure this is redeemable for orders over a 'definite profit' level (e.g. $10 of orders over $50) and you've got a winner.
See how easy this is?
2) Ebooks and Other Electronic Media
Depending on the kind of business or service you are offering online, a free ebook giveaway can be an excellent freebie. This is particularly useful for getting people to join mailing lists and you can also offer different ebooks as part of upcoming newsletters too, in order to keep them reading. Make sure you can use the ebook in this way however by checking with the author first. Many are more than happy for the exposure. Alternatively, write your own ebook and get double exposure!
3) Cheap Stuff With Your Logo All Over It...
Now this one will cost you money but if used correctly can become the gift that keeps on giving. Make it something useful, especially something people will put near their computer or office and you'll be giving them a constant reminder of your services. Mouse Mats work great for this.
It will depend on your business on what you give away. For example, a toy store might want to give away a cheapo soft toy, maybe one which didn't sell or can be bought in bulk for peanuts. Slap your branding on it (put a ribbon with you internet address around its neck for example) and voila! Now this freebie becomes a viral advertising machine because these things get left on buses, given away to charity shops, handed down to younger children and so on.
4) Free Services and Samples
Giving away samples of your services is a great way of showcasing your talents and encouraging people to buy. This works particularly well with intangible products, like graphic design services for example. I would advise caution giving samples of physical products however as many people will grab anything they can regardless of whether they are in the slightest bit interested in what you have to offer and this could give you a real headache in terms of costs and the time spent packaging and mailing.
...and of course your own ideas! You know your business better than anyone and there are bound to be ideas specifically suited to your own business area. Think about it!
Everybody loves a freebie and so will your bottom line.
Mark Falco is the owner of the just uk freebies website and free stuff mailing list. He likes to think he knows a thing or two about marketing a website too.
expert residential cleaners Park Ridge ..It's easy to forget the fundamental components of Web site... Read More
1. Directory Linking Create a directory of web sites on... Read More
Description: one way of jumpstarting you link campaign is to... Read More
A prospect's mind is an intimate place... Read More
Many online business owners and marketers use a variety of... Read More
When you design a website you should create it so... Read More
The best way to avoid being blacklisted by the search... Read More
Writing articles for your site and for the use of... Read More
You know the drill. Everybody claims that in order to... Read More
If you are a small business owner with a website,... Read More
Would you like to prevent Internet users from visiting your... Read More
Would you attempt to use a cell phone with a... Read More
Do what I did. Learn these 10 insiders' ad writing... Read More
Five Nifty Ways to Make Your Site Sticky!'Stickiness' is one... Read More
Giving away content is a powerful way to get free... Read More
Quickly making money with a website is the dream of... Read More
Accessibility: Is your website causing you to loose potential clients?With... Read More
Link Value is the perceived value another site will derive... Read More
Do you have a website or are you planning on... Read More
Many people, in a rush to spike sales through the... Read More
It is said that content is king, but today 'fresh,... Read More
You have invested your time and money into putting up... Read More
Recently one of my students asked a great question: We... Read More
How can one get a good ranking in the major... Read More
1. Ping weblogs.com and other search engines. When you ping... Read More
green cleaning service Park Ridge ..You have your site into the search engines, but where... Read More
Web site owners are realizing Jack Humphrey's Power Linking isn't... Read More
Over the past couple of months it has been quite... Read More
Would you like to prevent Internet users from visiting your... Read More
We have dealt with the tags so the search engines... Read More
Every day, on line marketers are dreaming up new ways... Read More
Do you want to reach millions of potential customers for... Read More
Giving away content is a powerful way to get free... Read More
After the incredible success of Hotmail.com, the use of signature... Read More
One of the great advantages of advertising and marketing on... Read More
There's such a thing as taking search engine optimization too... Read More
If you are like most webmasters, your goal is to... Read More
Got one? Two? Three?If you have competitors, then you should... Read More
Repetition is the key to getting your adverts and promotion... Read More
Behind every good web page are codes only the search... Read More
Professionals in tend to under-estimate the power of the web... Read More
If you want to make money on the web, you... Read More
Often, website owners would like to promote their new business... Read More
Once you have finshed designing your website, you want to... Read More
When you design a website you should create it so... Read More
It is estimated that it can take the average consumer... Read More
We all know the many "free" traffic producing avenues. We... Read More
With the increase competition on the Internet, it can be... Read More
You may already have thought about the following 3 ways... Read More
Yes indeed, that's all you've got, 30 seconds to make... Read More
Web Site Promotion |