Direct Marketing:
Free Reports:
A free report, white paper or eBook can be a great way to build your list of customers. Offering something that is full of useful information or tips has worked for years to build your customer lists in every type of business.
A free report or book is hard to resist
When you are offered something for free that can help solve your problem or issue what do you do? Most will easily provide their basic contact information or email address in order to get a copy of the report.
If you use good sales copy to sell the free report or book the better chance your customer will give you their contact information. Sales copy will excite your customer to want your solution to their problem. Giving them this solution free is a great way to build your customer list.
Build up the value of your report or book
The key is to build up the value of your FREE report or book. Make them want or need your information. Highlight the key benefits they will get from the report. How will this change their life? Paint a word picture or include actual pictures to help sell the result of having your free information.
If you can’t write good copy, hire a freelance copywriter. You can find them easily on Fiverr.com or Elance.com. GO to google and type “copywriter for hire” and you will have 100’s of options.
Once you build the desire, get their contact information.
Now they want your free report or book. It is time to trade them for it. They give you their name and contact information and you deliver the free report as a PDF or word document. Consider offering a free hard copy that you mail to them and have a shipping fee to get it. Charge what ever you need to for the postage and for the actual printing and packaging costs. You can even build in a little profit.
By doing this you get two results from your first interaction with your new customer. You get their contact information plus you get proof they are willing to spend money to deal with you. These are your first real buyers and you must treat them well. Offer great value and even extra bonuses to add to the original value. These extra bonuses help build trust and desire for your product or service. You can even use them to entice them to do the free hard copy with shipping.
Use your follow up program to make them more offers.
You have provided them with useful information and advice. You have proven your worth and how you can help them. Now is the time to sell them your main product or service. Your core product has a better margin and you will make some real money. You just want to try to make them buy something from you at this stage so you can call them a customer or client and they have proven to be a paying client or customer.
You have their undivided attention don’t waste it
They are reading your report or book, don’t forget to use this space to sell your service or product. Provide samples of how it has help your past clients. Use testimonials from past clients to help create confidence in your new clients mind. Answer question that they may have. Lead them to the next step in buying from you. Point them to your website or your store or business.
Use the final chapter in your free report to up-sell them to your core product or service. Offer a one time discount with a limited time limit. You can test these offers with your customer lists. Find the one that produces the best sales and profits and you have a new control ad.
You can have live links in eBooks that point to your website. You can add inserts to hard copy books and mailings. Take this opportunity to promote your business.
In fact write down the 10 most common questions you get asked.
Right now write down the 10 most common questions you are asked by your prospects or clients. Write out the answers to each of these questions or concerns. Have this typed into a short report and title it ”The 10 most important questions about…” “ Ten things you need to know about…”
The 10 questions become your Free Report
It doesn’t have to be ten, it can be 3 or 5 or 7. It doesn’t matter how many,what does matter is that it is very useful information and something that each of your clients or customers will want to know before buying your product or service.
This becomes the basis of your free report or book. You can even call it a White paper, no matter what you call it just make sure it is useful and informative.
Build the value up then deliver the goods
If you can, make the questions follow a certain format that eventually leads them to want to buy your product or service. Build the last one or two questions as qualifying questions that lead right into buying your offer or service.
Make a special offer for a fast response
Give them an additional reason to buy NOW! A larger discount for a fast response or give them a secret report or add on bonus. Anything that can be seen as a bonus or extra benefit can help to make your prospect want to buy your service. Now is a great time to make that special offer.
You have their attention don’t waste it
You have them reading your sales letter make sure you give them something extra to make them want to buy from you. Give them extra service or an extra product or discount. Make them want and need you. Give them that extra special treatment
Your free report builds your value, now make sure you offer even more!