Does Giving Away Free Content really Get More Sales?

YES. When putting out free content, it attracts more people to see what you are about. If they learn from it and enjoy it they will keep coming back for more, even when you start selling courses and products etc. Build your personal brand by giving out free value. You have a personal website already correct?

I really think your post is a very simplistic way to cut it as there are so many variables involved and you could probably get just as many people agreeing with giving something free and the same number disagreeing. I believe the niche will be a major factor along with your funnel and what your end goal is, along with the quality of the traffic.

From my personal experience of selling online for over 10 years, I can hands down say that whenever I sold cheaper websites, products or services, those clients have always caused problems and expected a ton more than what they have paid for.

Not a personal branding website. More of like a typical sales funnel kinda site.

Exactly my point. I think the biggest factor is how you want to position yourself. Both are equally doable, the question I have to ask myself is which approach is easier to build a brand on.

Giving away free content is necessary in one way or another. Whether you make a YouTube video to attract traffic, give away content in the form of a blog post or actually give away a guide to get someone on your list, you're going to give something away to attract visitors.

Stop worrying about tire-kickers and start setting up a way to monetize everybody coming to your website. If you use a combination of strategies, you can better monetize your traffic and some of those tire-kickers will make you money in one way or another.

Benjamin Ehinger

Writing content is a good way to build trust ,establish relationships, and demonstrate that you can produce timely advice on a regular basis. What is happening now days is that more and more consumers are searching and reading blogs before making purchasing decisions .so yes "giving away content" i.e publishing content is vital .You have control of what you publish ,keyword search ,targeting your demographic audience ,on page optimization .other wise you aren't in control of who searches your site or buys from you .

Its important to deliver value throught your content and to help people .If your content its not good then you can give a ton of free content and people still not buy from you ,but if you deliver for example an awesome blog post who clarify a lot of people problems and deliver amazing value then people will buy from you

Hi F,

Here's how it works buddy:

- you create free, helpful content to both inspire people to trust you and to expand your presence online
- as more folks trust you - seeing all the helpful free content you create - people begin to buy what you have to offer.

Be generous. What you release freely returns to you multiplied.

Deliver value for free and good things will happen

Yes. These days this is the "norm" and people pretty much expect it.

Kinda depends on the format you're giving the content away. If you're giving away a free report, then yeah, you're going to get a lot of freebie seekers and tire kickers. But that's not to say you can't make money from them.

Give that same content away in a webinar (either live or recorded), and you'll get people that are more invested in what you have to say and products to sell since they're taking the time to attend the webinar.

But if you're just starting out in a niche and want to build your brand, giving away good content is an easy way to start doing that. But of course, safe your best content for paying customers.

Hmm how did you find out about the "paid guru's" point of view? Was it in paid content? Or free content?

Free content has worked for me for the past 7 years ;-)

Look--you need to put on your marketer hat and think about positioning.

Yeah, it's free content, but the topic and what you have to say about it are differentiators right off the bat.

I mean, talk about CRMs and accounting software and issues with implementation, and despite it being in a free report or blog post or whatever...you're tuning out all the newbies who don't have two nickels to rub together. They don't have a business so they don't have those problems.

That's how choosing your topic and your unique perspective on solving the problem can be used as a differentiator.

Another factor is your selection of target market.

We are not interested in putting every piece of your content in front of all and sundry. There are things I talk about on this forum I wouldn't dream of mentioning on Facebook. And on LinkedIn, I talk about things I wouldn't bother with on Facebook, because the people on FB think $2000 is a lot of money and don't have much more of a business than a couple VAs. If that.

So I talk about the problems people have in that market. A "real" manufacturer who's on LinkedIn is going to get a very different content piece than a wannabe SaaS dev with a team of three--themselves and two 'distributed' staff members in eastern Europe, and good for them. See what I'm saying?

This is why my articles on IT VAR distribution channels, when I attempt to transfer them from LI to FB, fall flat. My vanity ("Oh look how smart I am, fall on your butt with the amazeballs amount I know") occasionally gives me the opportunity to rediscover the makeup of the platform's marketplace. A channel marketing expert and a couple grizzled software guys will Like it...and the rest will scratch their skulls in confusion, looking for the mindset "No One Is Coming To Rescue You" post that goes through the roof over there--and would simultaneously land as a dud "Yeah, we know that, why are you chattering that here, you monkey?" on LI.

So not all content for all platforms. Not all content for all niches.

Another factor: what's the purpose of your free content? What's the call to action, as the cool kid marketers like to say?

Well I have spent the last 7 years marketing online re-learning this principle over and over again:

When do they find out how great you are? After they've worked with you.

IE. AFTER they've encountered and consumed some of your content.

Which means putting it behind a signup wall is dumb.

Free no opt-in reports.

Free YouTube videos.

Free LinkedIn articles.

Free long form Facebook posts (do people have time to read those? You bet they do--when the content is about THEM. Then they eat it up and ask for more, despite those full bellies. All the genuine money-making marketers I know operating on FB use long form content.)

Should you have additional, more focused and in-depth content behind a signup wall (ie. landing page to autoresponder)? You bet. But that's AFTER they have gotten the flavor of who you are and what you're like and the way you operate.

Now let's get to the tire-kickers.

Let 'em kick.

Who cares.

I don't.

I don't even see it or feel it.

See, I already picked my platform and my topics and the way I talk about the problem to differentiate and SCREEN OUT a whole bunch of people I don't want, and SCREEN IN a bunch of people I do want.

And then I used that opt-in part of my marketing process to SCREEN THEM even further. I tell them:

-who is an ideal client

-what problems I solve for ideal clients

-what the size of the problem is that I solve for ideal clients

-what they can expect to pay for that outcome

-what a Client From Hell looks, sounds, and behaves like to me, and that they're not welcome.

And then they can finish their call application and book a time for our conversation.

See, the way this has worked for me over the past bunch of years is someone has a problem. They find some content of mine out there responding to it: maybe it doesn't tell them how to solve that problem, but for sure it'll define it better than anyone else ever has.

Then they get excited and go find a ton of other content of mine. They consume 20 things in short order: videos, articles, forum posts, blogs...and within 24 hours sign up for a call.

I know because they blurt these things at me when we connect live.

They're not tire kickers. They're serious buyers, who understand the value they're getting and who I am in comparison to everybody else.

Are there liars who fill out the application with false answers? Very, very occasionally. Like once a year. I find out in four minutes or less and bounce them on their way.

In my time working in IM, I have found most people are incredibly lazy. They don't want to learn, they don't want to DO, and they don't want to be a business owner. They want to sit there and have money rolling in. Unfortunately for them, nothing in life works that way: you have to BE the person who gets these results. This is the first thing I'm doing this morning...writing this post to get my brain going before I go to money-making work. Being Me. In 20 minutes it'll be 7:30AM and I'm going to be on a Zoom call with a business associate as we're going through a podcast course and implementing it together. Podcast promotion is a skill I need (NEED) to learn more about. What is that? More free content--aimed straight at a target market and differentiating you in the minds of listeners.

Never forget that this content, however it may appear, is a direct one-way conversation straight into the mind of someone else. Whoever is reading, watching, listening to, consuming that content...you're getting right into their brain. "Mass" media? Eh. It's all going into people's heads one at a time. Remain conscious of the question: from there, what next?

The free reports I giveaway consists of content that gives value to the prospective customer, but does not give away the product, service or solution I call P.S.S.


The free reports I giveaway are actually PSS Bait. Similar to link bait. There are many ways to giveaway free reports, demos, etc. and convert the so called 'tire kickers' to paid customers. Just as Jason says..
"Another factor is your selection of target market."


Similar to what Jason does. Before I give anything away I consider the Target Market and tailor the content for that Target Market or as I look at it the 'Market (venue) Target' such as forums, FB, LinkedIn, etc.


Free Reports may attract Tire Kickers that want more free content without any intention of paying for anything and IMO it has a lot to do with 'entitlement' mindset. That is what a free report with value does, it makes people recognize the value and want more, so the free report has a simple funnel to pull-in the prospective client. The potential client has the option to buy or not buy. In that regard, a tire kicker that wants more free content without any intention of paying for anything is best left out of the loop.


Jeffery 100%

Start with free valuable content. Make them want more.

Sure, a large number are there just to grab free stuff, but for those seeking a solution to a problem they have, if you give them value, then they will pay for the rest of the solution. I have no imperical analysis behind this, but rather observations over the past 15 years.

Yes, freebie seekers may eventually turned to customers if your products are of good quality and can provide value to them.

Thanks people....It's a really good discussion and gave me some solid reason to provide free content....

The guru that emphaise free content said to provide "USEFUL BUT INCOMPLETE".

It seems I will be doing that then.

Free content will definitely help you build an audience and if the content is high quality, you will notice that your audience will like, know and trust you.

This is key to creating a successful brand.

That doesn't mean you always have to give away free content. I'd like to say that if you are just starting out building a (personal) brand, it is highly recommended to use freebies.

But once you have positioned yourself as an authority and your audience know you deliver high-value products or content you can charge for it.

People don't generally buy straight off the bat, you need to build trust and demonstrate your expertise.

Giving away high value content is a proven way to generate leads that you can then nurture into customers. Marketing automation is all about this conversion / nurture process.

Yes, giving away content will help you generate more sales. When you post an article on your website, you are already giving away free content.

You will be able to build up trust and provide value with the more relevant content you create.

There will always be tire kickers but some people who will have never bought before can turn into customers.

They both work. It depends on your niche, your content, and your method of marketing.

Giving away valuable content is a wonderful way to build trust and to build an email list.

Tire-kickers are fine, by the way. It's your job to help them and provide them with what they need and to solve their struggles. It's your job to convert them to buyers.

Also, you can make a lot of money by giving away free content. I do it and I love to help people. When you suggest things that they truly need, and help them to understand and use whatever that product or service is, they will buy through your affiliate links. They need it anyway, you helped them, they trust you, and you made money.

Isn't that wonderful!

Giving away content pro bono works in spectacular ways.

It's been done since the inception of the Internet. It works so to speak.

When people receive something, they feel like giving back in return.

A compromise strategy is giving something away for free, but charging a small fee for shipping. Eliminates most tire-kickers, but only makes a small dent in the wallet. Russel Brunson is probably the most well-known practitioner of this sales funnel lead magnet strategy.

Tell them what to do - for free.

Show them how to do it - for a fee.

Brent

Free content is free advertizin' for your paid expertise.

Drop quality stuff to show how you a smart cookie & rewards further down the line pay dividends.

Give 'em sumthin' hot they can go play with an' figure sum immediate result ... while also suggestin' how you got even better smarts jammied away in your SECRET VESTIBULE.

Gotta figure most places you see FREE ain't actschwlly free.

Seems like you can show ... an' benefit ... an' HA HA HA pay nuthin' ... but once you hooked, you feedin' the promo machine to snare your ass further.

Remembah when games said you wanna play us, you gotta go buy the CDs?

Turns out it is more profitable to offer huge chunksa the game for FREE.

For sure, the vamps vamp on out on free vascular squirty.

But plenty buyers get lured, soft an' sweet, also.

Free = the initially irresistible downpayment on the eventual fruits of your genius.

BOTH work.

It depends on what YOU want to do.

What's YOUR end goal and ideal way to get there.

If you want to go from Point A to Point B, it's a straight line.

You can take an Uber, a bus, a taxi, a bike, etc...

Multiple methods get you to the END goal.

Again, what's best for YOU.

For some, producing a shit ton of content
like Gary Vee is something they wake up and LOVE
doing.

Others, they prefer to use paid ads to send people to
an offer.

They skip producing all the content and instead, they
pay for attention.

That's what you're really buying, is attention.

Because with the attention, you can help solve something.

So, how you get that attention is what works best for you.

Pay for it and you don't have to produce a lot of content.

Or, if you LOVE making content and you have the time
and resources... you can do that.

Both work.

I grew a million dollar fitness business back in 2002 using
just Google Adwords and a sales letter.

That approach still works today, just modified a bit.

No one else can really answer what will work best for you,
because it's YOU who is ultimately going to decide.

But seriously, test both.

Put up an offer and use paid traffic to see results.

Then, create a bunch of content that helps first and
asks for the sale later.

Compare results and go with the one that works.

77% of Internet users regularly read blogs
77% of Internet users regularly read blogs
Source (djohncalsonesq.com)

The objective of producung and sharing content is to provide value i.e solve the issue of your target audience.Without a free flowing content strategy I do not know how you would expand the outreach to your target auduence.

More and more consumers are searching and reading blogs before making purchases.This is the way the game is played now. So yes optimizing and sharing content is a great way to build brand awareness get sales, build trust.Think of content marketing in terms of entertainment.
Entertainment takes on many forms. it is not limited to educational forms .As far as tire kickers are concerned i do not think that there is a way to eliminate that.There will be people that visit your blog stick around maybe make a purchase from you.There will be others just surfing around from time to time .

Intent. And purpose.

As a long time DEMO guy, the person you might see in a Supermarket passing out free samples, I learned long ago, that most demo people aren't very good at what they are supposed to do...

Which is, to get people to BUY the product.

Go to Costco on a Saturday, eat lunch via the demos, and most people stand there handing out toothpick samples and offering a coupon, maybe.

That isn't SELLING. Which is the purpose of giving out samples.

You need to have an intent, a purpose for your free sample. I use them as a qualifier, and fine if the tire kickers take it, they get put into the tire kicker segment of the list.

There is no right or wrong, your dilemma is self created. What have you tested?

Do you have a clearly identified group, niche or buyers to give your free sample too?

Let me illustrate this, at Costco, I may be handing out samples to the public, consumer items...and this will result in fewer sales, (mostly because the adults have surrendered the choice to the kids).

At a store like GFS Marketplace, which has a high percent of local restaurant owners coming in, they are looking for PROFITABLE items to add to their menus which they know their customers will order.

So, same product maybe, but two very different targets with different purposes.

YOUR job is to identify your would be customer, understand what they are looking for, and if you use a sample, make it tasty enough that they will gladly pay for more.

YOU know by testing. So, have you, will you test things out?

GordonJ

Many people worry about Giving away free Stuff. Free is the most powerful word in the world. when it comes to brining new customers to your blog, you have to entertain them and offer Free lead magnet. and to make them buy from you, you should give true value. Free content.

Its a way to Grow your Business and accomplish what you want to achieve.

I've used an honest review website to promote a product with a poor converting product sales page, nevertheless my sales conversion with my honest review for this product was 25% to 33.333%, it comes down to conversion, If you know how to convert people will save money to buy what you have if they don't have enough money...

Depends on the quality of the free content your giving away

The thing is that people loves free stuff and giveaways. The trick is to offer these free stuff in return for email addresses to which you can market over and over again. You can even use a funnel to make even more money.

Giving out free content in the Information-Based Businesses is like giving out free-food samples, it works and entices buyers who either already know or more powerfully, new prospective buyers who don't already know who you are, and needless to say it's much more effective and important to give to the latter

Basically not sales, but LEADS yes that could turn to sales.

Yes... Strategic free content. Most people do it wrong tho. It's not just "Content". The content should be a teaser/tie in to the paid product/services you are selling. So don't solve everything in the free content. It should be a lead in to make them purchase your product.

I'm using a free lead magnet to build and grow any of my lists and then trying to follow up with free content (blog posts, videos) and every third day I send out my pitch.

So I'm trying to engage with my list (help them and giving out value) in order to trust me and eventually buy my products or my recommendations.