Promo Freebies - Giving Away Free Stuff To Boost Your Business!
Everybody Loves A Freebie!
It's true! Who doesn't like to get free stuff, no matter how
cheap, lame or unwanted? 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 doing it too?
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 them. 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 and it'll be seen by THOUSANDS of potential new
customers! For example, take a look at Just UK Freebies or
TheFreeSite.com if you
need further convincing. It'll also do no harm to you link
popularity and hence search engine rankings...
Turning The Umm'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.