3 Ways to Give things Away for FREE!

February 12, 2009

Early in my career, someone taught me a principle about making your products/services free:

“If you give it away, it has no value.”

Well, if you’ve been around the block a while in Internet marketing, you know that this principle is being challenged intensely.

In fact, we are seeing the most successful online empires (Google, Yahoo, Craigslist, Wikipedia, etc.) thrive by providing FREE products, services, storage, and content.

Billion dollar companies, and we rarely pay them a dime.  Amazing!

Wired Magazine editor Chris Anderson wrote an intriguing article last year titled Free! Why $0.00 Is the Future of Business.

I’d encourage you to check it out- because it DOES apply to your business!

For us, the online entrepreneurs and small businesses, the question can then move to the practical- HOW do I give something away online?

There are three ways, and each has unique advantages.

1. No strings attached FREE
This is just a link on your site, directly linking to the product, whether an ebook, an audio, video, etc.  No hoops to go through, completely anonymous.  This is a great way to establish yourself as trustworthy- and credible.

Truth is, people are a lot more wary online than they were 10 years ago.

Either they think you have an angle, or they will be getting junk.  Surprise them- and GIVE AWAY SOMETHING GREAT.  You’ve got a much better chance to win their trust, and their business.

2. Double Opt In FREEBIE
Most of us are familiar with this- a box in the top right of websites saying “I’ll give you X in exchange for your name and email.”  When they click the confirmation link in the follow up email (automatic from 1SC, Aweber, etc) they get the free download, and they’re now in your “list”.

Most of us use this method, and sign up for other people’s list.. both to get the free product and to hear from someone we hope is interesting.

My signup on WebMarketingMagician.com uses this- and the free 30 minute interview with a recognized expert is something I think is enticing enough for people to chomp at.

However, there’s a third method that very few people are aware of, and it’s even EASIER and more EFFECTIVE than the Double Opt In method.  If you have WebMarketingMagic (1SC), you could have this set up in 10 minutes.

3. The 100% Discount Coupon
Imagine you’re giving a seminar, and are hoping everyone in the room joins your newsletter list.

You then hold up your book/CD/Report, and tell them “This product is currently selling on my website for $47.”  (They are mildly interested.)

You continue, “HOWEVER, for this special group only- I’d like to give it to you as a GIFT.”  (OK, now you have their attention.)

“And If you click on my site’s $47 Buy link, and enter the coupon code “MAGIC77″, I will deliver it to you, FREE of charge, no strings attached- but this expires midnight tonight.”  (You now have a room of people scrambling to write this precious code!)

Using coupon/promo codes accomplishes three important things:

  • The end user gets a product with real value for FREE- they walk away feeling they got a good deal.
  • You receive a new addition to your list.
  • There is no follow up email for them to click- they are instantly double opted in.

The power of this method is that a purchase itself counts as a double opt in… so there is no need to have them search for a link in an email.

However, since the product cost is $0, they never need to enter credit card payment information.

This is especially nice when you’re meeting someone in person, and they express interest in your products and services.

Rather than tell them to go to your website, fill out the form, look for the email and click the confirmation link- I like to pull out my business card, and on the back write “Free book, coupon code “MAGIC77″.

Trust me, their motivation sky-rockets, as does the conversion rate.

To set this up in your Web Marketing Magic (1SC) account, Go to:

Products > Manage Coupons > Add New Coupon

Here you’ll enter:

  1. Coupon Code (i.e. MAGIC77)
  2. Discount Amount (100%)
  3. End Date (if you want it to be time sensitive)
  4. The product it applies to (Find the product and move it to “Selected Products”.)

When you Save these changes, your coupon will be instantly available!  Go to your shopping cart and try it out.

Good luck, and remember, embrace this era of FREE!

Written by Dave · Filed Under Million Dollar Ideas 

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