Should I build more tools or focus on promotion now?

19 replies
I have a website where I build free tools to help people grow their online business. My business model is that they're all free and I'm going to hopefully build a good sized email list.

However I'm now at a point where I've got a solid set of tools and I'm not sure if I should just keep making tools in a "if you build it they will come" way or focus on promotion which I'm pretty rubbish at to be honest.

This is my website is anyone wants to offer feedback http://www.supagrowth.com

How would you guys promote this? Ideally free traffic initially.
#build #focus #promotion #tools
  • Profile picture of the author ryanbiddulph
    I'd promote through a WP blog, guest posting, blog commenting and relationship building. Building bonds with top bloggers inspired them to promote me, my eBooks and courses. Ditto for any influential friends you make in your niche, by helping them out.
    Signature
    Ryan Biddulph helps you to be a successful blogger with his courses, manuals and blog at Blogging From Paradise
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11129475].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author jamie3000
      Thanks for the feedback man. So basically networking and helping others, sounds good!
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11129511].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author depotgang
    Promote anyway you can afford. I mean what good are more tools until you have a list to promote too. I would buy traffic or do youtube marketing.

    Good luck
    Signature

    Learn how to start your own Solo Ad Business without an autoresponder or build a list. It's Fast Fun and Profitable. https://soloadmasterclass.com/

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11129524].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Rory Singh
    Tools don't sell by themselves. Especially ones that are geared towards Freebie Seekers (your target market).

    I would start promoting. That's the only way people will find your free products.

    Funny story...

    The other day I was at my doctors office waiting to see the Doc. So I decided to come to the Warrior Forum using my cell phone.

    Some nosy dude was trying to figure out what I was typing into my phone (since I was answering questions).

    He leaned over near me and saw you OP asking a question.

    Then after seeing your avatar, he asked me...

    "Is that a website for jokes?"

    Since I didn't want to tell him the truth (it wasn't his business), I just said yes...a website for jokes!

    Lol
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11129544].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author jamie3000
      Haha yeah my pic is a bit random :-)
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11129756].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Gambino
    I wonder why you don't have anything in place to convert free users to paid users. It's seems you have a pretty decent set of SaaS. Everyone I know that sells SaaS, myself included, does a free or low priced trial then converts to a paid subscription. I'd rather have 100 people paying me $37.00 per month than 10,000 paying me $0.00 per month.

    P.S. Your website is frustratingly annoying to view on mobile every time your testimonial banner changes the content on your homepage goes up or down and it's impossible to read anything.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11129558].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author jamie3000
      Thanks man I wasn't aware of that I'll fix it asap
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11129758].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Kevin Barnes
    Jamie,

    Each one of your tools solves a unique problem. A person with a problem values the cost of fixing it. You should too.

    Here's a new model:

    1. Give all your tools an individual price of $14.97. ( Any cheaper and the product will seem low quality. ) It doesn't really make since to offer a subscription since your tools are not evergreen.
    2. Offer everyone the ability to purchase all tools for $69. That's 79% OFF the full price of $329.
    3. Tools become products. This means they are no longer lead magnets. You have to make new lead magnets. Your new lead magnets should solve the mental part of their problem. Not the action of solving their problem. That is what the product will do after they pay for it. Good lead magnets would be Use Case PDF's or emails showing real world results using your tools. Your Lead Magnets need to sell the $14.97 offer at-least.
    4. Give your website more attention. It's too boiler plate looking. Add testimonials. Images. Benefits etc.
    5. Use your Email Scraper and send cold emails to digital marketing, social media, and mom and pop businesses. Emails need to sell the Lead magnets.
    6. Start brainstorming more evergreen products. This will help you move into subscription models.
    7. Focus on solving problems. Not traffic. You already know marketing is about sharing. So start sharing how your tools are solving problems and people will pay for the solution.

    All the best,

    Kevin
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11129662].message }}
  • This has been a question that is coming over to me as well! Should I keep on building new products or should I promote my existing products more? Well, I was addicted to create new products now and then. Now I've begun promoting them. I've started promoting them by reaching out to my prospective clients, individually, through contact us page of their website.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11129677].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author jamie3000
      What are your results like so far?
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11129760].message }}
      • The more I promote the more sales I get is what I'm experiencing! Although, now and then idea about creating a product comes around but I try to avoid or discourage it.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11129979].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author jamie3000
          Yep sounds right, I need to spend a few hours putting together an actionable promotion strategy I can actually stick to I think
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11130030].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author celente
    big mistake, like I tell my clients.

    in the first fold of your website you are not collecting leads.

    Do that and help them, and watch your sales quadruple.

    ANd in your niche, you can get lots of ways for them to give over their email address. That should be simple.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11129790].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author jamie3000
      My optin rate is about 35% are you sure I need to add more lead collection?
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11129865].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Tesslady
    Hi there, i think you should begin promotions to increase your traffic. Whether you choose to use free or paid methods, you should be consistent if you want to achieve any tangible results. You should also ensure that you deliver quality content to your subscribers if you want to eventually put a price tag on your tools.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11130071].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author jamie3000
      Ideally I'd like to keep them all free :-)
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11130294].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Steve B
    Originally Posted by jamie3000 View Post

    My business model is that they're all free and I'm going to hopefully build a good sized email list.

    Jamie,

    Are you doing this for fun? You're building free tools and giving them away to build an email list.

    Where is the business model?

    What are you selling? How do you plan to make money?

    To me, you don't have a business model just yet. All you have is a simple lead generation method.

    Steve
    Signature

    Steve Browne, online business strategies, tips, guidance, and resources
    SteveBrowneDirect

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11130124].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author jamie3000
      Well, it feels like I have two options at the moment. Promote to the email list, selling similar tools. Eg they download viral spy, I promote buzzsumo. Or go from free to a monthly membership.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11130293].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
    Originally Posted by jamie3000 View Post

    Well, it feels like I have two options at the moment. Promote to the email list, selling similar tools. Eg they download viral spy, I promote buzzsumo. Or go from free to a monthly membership.
    It's not an all-or-nothing decision. You could keep a few of your best opt-in generators free, and bundle related tools into a subscription package.

    Using your product, as per your example, to promote an affiliate product would have to be handled very carefully. If I downloaded viral spy, only to start getting pitches for buzzsumo, I'd wonder what the catch is. If the only purpose of the free tool is to get my email for an affiliate pitch, is the tool really that good in the first place?

    Originally Posted by jamie3000 View Post

    Ideally I'd like to keep them all free :-)
    Without a firm monetization strategy, why the urge to keep everything free?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11131152].message }}

Trending Topics