Home >
Business >
E-business
How to Build an Asset Out of Giving Stuff Away for Free
by Jim Green
We all do it I guess: give something away for free to stimulate interest in our online promotions, an e-book here; a report there, whatever elsewhere.
But can you really build an asset out of giving stuff away?
I believe you can and I'll tell you why.
I have dozens of small web businesses in diverse fields and one site in particular drives traffic in droves to most of the others.
That's its job. It's a portal; a catalyst and it's good at what it does.
You know what though?
I have been consistently and unwittingly underestimating the power of its innate potential to build an asset, a priceless asset.
Until recently this valuable catalyst had no opt-in facility, no newsletter.
Crazy - and it took my ten year-old granddaughter to point out the error of my ways.
Here is the 4-point action plan I implemented to persuade her I wasn't a terminally doddering old duffer.
1. I set up a dedicated subscription web page offering targeted visitors a bumper bundle of goodies to opt-in and sign up for a free newsletter I have yet to launch.
2. I emailed my existing lists directing members to the bumper bundle page.
3. I installed the script for an opt-in responder form on the home page of the portal.
4. I inserted a link in most of my other websites.
That was several weeks ago and already it's showing signs of paying off.
I am averaging around 30 sign-ups per day and my new list currently stands at 1300+
The subscription site is an ugly duckling - but so what - the technique is working.
If you would like a sneak peek at how I'm building an asset out of giving stuff away for free, you might like to visit the site featured in the resource box below.
http://free-stuff-xl.com
More articles by Jim Green:

