So you want to capture people’s details when they land on your website. Should you give them a free offer in return? And how can you best position it to entice people to subscribe?
Why you need a free offer
We’ve all heard about the importance of building a database, but simply putting up an opt-in form for a newsletter these days is just not going to cut it. Email addresses have the same value as your personal home address, which is not something people are willing to give out to just anybody.
To have the honour of someone giving you their email address, you want to make sure you give something of value in return. There are many ways in which you can offer this value: a special report, an audio CD, an introductory teleclass, a workbook, an e-course, a downloadable audio, a video or a checklist. The possibilities are endless.
If you don’t already have an offer of value on your website waiting for your clients to download it, then over the next week, I’d like to encourage you to spend time developing your free offer. And yes, I did say a FREE offer!
Deciding what to offer
If you’re not sure how to begin, then think about your ideal clients, and identify some of the challenges they’re currently facing. Make your offer something that will solve one of those challenges.
From there, consider which delivery mechanism would work best for those potential clients. Would they prefer to receive an audio download or a white paper? Perhaps they might prefer a workbook or simple checklist. Because you know your ideal clients so well, you’ll easily know which method is more likely to incentivise them to opt in quickly.
Boost your credibility
There is now so much information out there on the web that it would be easy for your prospective client to do a search and find the information they are after. But who knows whether the information they stumble across will be the right information? They don’t.
You do. You know that when they land on your website, your offer is not only of high value and content, but it will give them the results they need. Your past clients have proven that your information works. Part of the role of your offer is to demonstrate your credibility.
Be generous
There may be no charge for your offer, but that doesn’t mean it’s not of high value. Don’t be scared to give something away that is of extremely high value and quality. You want your potential clients to remember you, and not your competitor up the road!
Now I’m not saying that you give away the whole box and dice. That just wouldn’t be a good financial move. What I am saying is that you give away the ‘what’ of what they want to know, but not the complete ‘how’. You want to engage them so that they come to you for assistance in the execution.
Make your free offer easy to access
Your offer is created to bring prospects into your community so that you can stay in touch with them, continue to add value to their day through your services and products, and build a strong, trustful business relationship with them. In addition to creating the offer itself, you may like to tweak your website to boost subscription rates.
Don’t forget that your offer can be promoted in more places than just on your website. For example, you could add it to your Facebook reveal or like page, as well as anywhere else you encourage people to opt in to your newsletter.
Do you offer freebies on your website? What advice can you give those considering a free offer for the first time?
