What are you willing to give away for free? It's an important question to ask. Writing is a commodity that can be undervalued very easily; but sometimes a sample might just be your best way to earning returns for years to come.
It's an old axiom. Gillette, now a part of Procter & Gamble, would give away it's razors or sell them at cost, because the real money was in disposable razor blades. Once they've got you as a customer, you're a consistent revenue source because you're always going to need new blades. The same principle applies to ink cartridges and P&G's Swiffer sweepers.
You might want to think about giving away your writing at below-market rates or for free in order to raise your profile and attract new clients. That's the idea behind a recent contest sponsored at Inkthinker, where freelance writers are going to attempt to knock out 30 articles over the next 60 days.
So, it's time you started thinking of your writing in terms of bite-sized portions that can entice people to buy a whole meal. In other words, you could be a guy holding a plate filled with toothpick-riddled General Tso's Chicken at the Food Court in the mall.
2 comments:
When I was growing up, my mom always told me that boys wouldn't buy the cow if they could get the milk for free. Quaint, but true. The same is true in business. The Article Challenge isn't about giving away the milk--it's about getting your name out there as an expert in your chosen field and educating people on what you can do for them, but not necessarily just doing it for free for the heck of it. Article marketing is just that: free marketing that other folks will do for you because you've given them promotional materials that are useful as well as informative. By giving away razors, Gilette let people see how continuing to purchase refills for that product would improve their life. By writing articles about how your services can benefit people, you're doing the same thing. But it's decidedly NOT working for free.
Kristen
Great points. I understand that you are marketing your services and that is the ultimate point of the promotion.
However, you are still giving away the 'milk' for free; but it's with the understanding that you will be able to entice paying customers to utilize your resources. It's the idea that once they've tasted your writing or seen your expertise, they'll need to use your services.
But it is working for free. You're contributing your time and ideas to a service that is realizing you no direct monetary gain. You can chalk it up to marketing or advertising costs, but there are also opportunity costs. The time you spend writing those articles is time you could spend pitching, working on paying pieces, or milking a cow.
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