I’m a marketer who loves to build in value for everyone, even if they haven't paid me a cent. At the same time, I'm still a marketer. That means you should always be building toward the sale. You need to give people, even those who have downloaded your products for free, ample opportunity to go on to make a purchase.
Now, you do want to give clear value in your free products without expectation of anything in return. At the same time, you don't want to lose your opportunity to upgrade them on something that they could really use. For example, if I give you a marketing course for free, but I have a specific tool that can help you earn money with that method 10 times faster, I would be doing you a disservice by not telling you about it.
Help people, but find ways to help them even more with paid upgrades. Some people will not take you up on it, but many will. You have to make it clear that these upgrades are available.
There are many additional ways to build in the sale. It's going to be up to you to test and track what works. You can include links in the free products you give away, simply share news of these upgraded products in your personal interactions with people, when they ask specifically, or when it seems natural, you can talk about your upcoming projects on social media, and more. The focus of this book is on free, but the traditional product funnel methods are very much in play here.
People Shouldn't Have To Work To Buy
This brings me to my next point. People shouldn't have to work to buy what you have to offer. It shouldn't be hard for them to figure out how to upgrade to that better software or that advanced technique. You have built a relationship with that person, and you’ve spelled out the value of the free product or content you've given them. But, you should also make it clear that there is an upgraded or easier method available as well. Make it easy for them to upgrade. Make the buyer links clear and enticing.
Some marketers tend to shove "buy links" down people's throats. They are listed everywhere, in a somewhat spammy method. Other marketers are too scared to put any buy links anywhere... do that and you’ll never make money!
It's fine if you want to test providing value with a viral, free offer without any links to buy. In some cases, this is something that can work really well as a brand building exercise. But more often than not, you will want to include buy links, cross sells, and upsells so people can easily upgrade.
You're also going to be making it really easy for people to upgrade and buy products that will really help them by including marketing messages in your list follow-up series. Segment your list and present offers to those who are most likely to buy whatever it is you have to offer.
If someone loves a free product of yours, then it only makes sense to promote (possibly with a special deal for something that is closely related. Make it clear that they can upgrade to your personal help, coaching, or membership site as well. Just because someone is not in the mood to upgrade right now doesn't mean they won't be in the future. Make it easy to buy whenever people are ready to do so – and don't make them hunt for products or links.
Cross Promote Everywhere
This is something else many marketers forget to do – they forget to cross promote their products. This can be a huge mistake because, again, people have to know what you have out there. Remember, you create products because they help people. You're doing them a disservice if they never hear about what you have.
You could've saved them a lot of time and money over buying it from someone else. That's right – don't be afraid to market to your list or your other prospects. They have a need and they are willing to spend money on that need (if you've chosen the right niche). If you don't provide them the chance to buy, they will go to a competitor.
That's why it's important to cross promote in every logical place. You can promote products within your free products, membership sites, lower end products, and higher end products-- everywhere. Let people know about anything that's related to something you are sure they will be interested in.
For instance, I've talked some about viral marketing, word-of-mouth marketing, and getting traffic. I highly recommend you pick up my very extensive product on how to get more traffic. If you combine that with this free method of marketing, you'll be unstoppable. Your list will grow like crazy and you’ll go on to provide a lot of value to your marketplace and make an untold number of sales.
Cross-promote via your social media accounts, within your products, within your groups, on your sites, through your lists and everywhere. You don't want to do this in an annoying and spam-filled way. Instead, you want to do it in a way that makes sense and that really will provide value to your audience.
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