How to Get the Marketing Gold
Anyone who wants to harvest details (names and email addresses) from potential customers who visit their website knows it’s not as easy as it sounds. But, if you’re creative it can be easier than you think. All you need to do is offer them something in return for the gold.
Getting people to part with their email address doesn’t have to be all that difficult if you offer them something of real value. A free giveaway will also add interest to your website and make your visitors think twice about leaving it without giving you some contact details, especially if you make it super easy to signup.
Also keep in mind is the free gift or offer should align to that of the service or product your business offers. This is to make sure your website visitors will be actually interested in signing up. So what can you offer? It really depends on the kind of business you have, but here are a few suggestions:
A White Paper
This will usually be on a topic of interest to your visitors and is more in the academic line. It is usually around 7 pages, but can be more or less, so long as it contains important information that they are unlikely to find elsewhere. It may also contain validation links to certain points that are made as well as links back to whatever you are selling or whatever else it is you would love to encourage them to do. Ours is a 2 page jargon free guide to website design that you can download from this page here.
Free Designs
Free designs can be as elaborate or simple as you like. They can be in template form or in the form of an offer, depending on how much time and effort you are prepared to give. Templates are the easiest and quickest to do as they can be made in advance.
An Informative eBook
This can be on a topic that your visitors are sure to be interested in. For instance, if you are selling cat food, an appropriate eBook could be on cat health, different types of cats or even cat training. You can put links in the eBook back to your website products, or to other websites that sell cat items, so long as they are not in direct competition to your own products.
A Fiction eBook
If you are selling fiction eBooks, offering a short fiction book is sure to be a winner with visitors to your website. It should be one that is not available anywhere else. If your books are for adults, offering a free one for their kids might work. Or you could offer another eBook that they would be interested in – this is usually a short story or novella.
A Short Email Course
If you are offering training of some kind, a short course will be the ideal free giveaway. It should contain valuable information while offering hints about how much more your training can offer them. It is easy to automate sending this course using an email responder such as Active Campaign or MailChimp (we have put more information together about these email services in a previous blog). You can offer something like one email containing tips and hints a week for 4-6 weeks. Links should go to your main course at the end of each email.
A Special Offer
Again, it totally depends on what your business is, but offering a special promotion in exchange for signing is a good idea especially if you are trying to increase sales. Whether it’s a free valuation or a 10% off coupon, you can get really creative and your potential customers will appreciate the thought.
Be Daring
Remember, the best giveaway will solve a problem for your visitors, be easy for them to follow and also remind them of your brand in the future. Doing something a little different will also get their attention, so try and be creative when brainstorming a way to get their details. Don’t forget, once you’ve got their details that’s when the real marketing fun can begin.
Its also important that your website has the latest tools to help you market your giveaway and connect your new client details directly to your email marketing program – give us a call if you would like to discuss a more connected online marketing strategy than you have today – 1300 796 771.
