The Value of Giving "Freebies"

By Diana Hernandez

When it comes to promoting your brand and products, there are many ways to do so, of course! However, one thing stands out for being highly effective in getting people to notice you: Giving freebies.

I know, what you’re thinking: I’m a small business, and I can’t be giving stuff for free!

Don’t worry, it’s not about losing. Actually, a freebie well done is profitable for you.

Freebies don’t necessarily have to be physical products but also can great downloadables on your website! Think about the time you were looking for a specific spreadsheet template and you found it on a website for free. That’s valuable content and it keeps you coming back for more free tools. The same happens to your customers.

So, here are some of the reasons you should give your customers freebies!

 

Freebies create positive engagement around your brand

Who doesn’t love free? Freebies add valuable interaction between you and your customers and it’s a way to let them know that you’re not only interested in selling, but you’re also interested in helping them. These positive feelings are likelier to make your customers keep coming back for more and sharing about your brand. 

You can use freebies to give your customers a sneak peek into your other products/services

When you offer a short eBook or maybe a spreadsheet template for your clients, you can use the opportunity to promote other products you may have available! If you notice a particular freebie getting a lot of attention, you can offer your customers some other products that align with it. It’s a great way to not only showcase your services and products but to gain an insight into what the customer wants. 

They are a way of showing that you’re confident in what you sell

If you know your product is the best, giving people a try for free is a good way to show that. It shows them that you’re so sure what you’re doing that you know you’ll get them hooked with a sample. Just like a small sample at a supermarket. It can be a 30 free consultation call or a booklet, anything that showcases what you can do, is sure to make the clients happy and secure in their purchase. 

They can improve the customer experience

Maybe the customer had a bad time with your product or service somehow, and while you’re trying to work through that issue one thing you can offer your customer is a freebie. This is a way to let them know that you’re not just words when it comes to negative feedback, giving them a small freebie is a way to show that you care and that you want to keep them as a customer. People will be more likely to buy again even after a less-than-pleasant first experience if they realize that their opinion matters.

In the, just like with any other gift, is the thought that counts! As long as you find creative ways to show your customers through freebies that you care about them, it doesn’t matter that you’re not giving away cars like Oprah did (Queen of Freebies if you ask me!). It matters that you took the time to create something useful and valuable for them, and gave them a chance to try for it free.