I was recently working with a client who was having trouble selling their products.
Well, sort of. The products were actually free.
Together we looked at the packaging, the content and the approach he was taking to market his work.
There was some room for improvement but by and large he had something pretty useful and it cost people nothing to get their hands on it.
So what was the problem?
The Value.
People don’t understand free. And they don’t value it.
Case(s) in point:
1. Even with the world wide web (I’ve been waiting to use that c. 1990 term for a while now…) and our access to any information we desire, the idea of paying nothing and getting something of substance does not compute (oh I’m full-a-puns). The business ‘model’ of free content is still a business model. When companies dole out free stuff, it’s in exchange for something – an email address, a review, a tweet…and it’s usually part of a larger plan to get you and your network to buy from them.
Like it or not, this is how things work. And people get it.
It’s weird, but when something is truly free people are skeptical as all hell.
They expect that you’re going to cyber stalk them and fill their inbox with emails they never opted-in to (and sell your address to all their skeezy friends too). And while that seems a little paranoid, it’s a fear that has come about because of poor practices by your previous competitors…who are probably out of business now. That behavior doesn’t fly, and you aren’t like that. But flags and eyebrows will always be raised when something seems too good to be true – like giving away something for nothing.
2. And then there are the information hoarders. The people who desperately want as much information as they can get their little mouses on. They will gobble up your free stuff, downloading at the speed of their data plan. They’ll read two sentences and then (maybe) put it into a folder titled ‘stuff to read the next time I have a few hours to kill and I’m in the mood to read free crap’.
Then, a few weeks later, they’ll open it up again… wait, no they won’t. They’ll go on a search for more free crap to add to their folder.
Why?
Because it’s free crap. At least that’s what they expect. People assume that, at best, your free product will have marginally useful information. Maybe an extra tip they can pick up, or a link to a resource they haven’t heard of. But nothing game changing. Otherwise, why would it be free?
There it is again – skepticism. WHY would something great be free?
If I’m sounding like a big cynic, ask yourself if you’ve been in either situation: Have you ever not clicked a link or downloaded something free because it felt a little off? Or dove headfirst into a pool of ‘research’ that you never got around to reading…
Now think of the people you’re trying to reach. If they operate the same way, you might be missing big opportunities simply because they don’t understand what you’re up to.
Consider for a moment what you ARE up to. If you’re giving something away – a sample, a consultation, an ebook – what is your end game? What is the mutual benefit that you and the user receive from this freebie? Knowing that will help you better communicate your offer to them, and increase your chances of getting the right people to “buy in” to whatever you’re doing.
