How to give it away
Tuesday, September 9th, 2008Giving away information — case studies, white papers, and the like — is a tried-and-true way to drive visitors to your web site and convert them into customers.
However, the question is how should you give the material away. If you simply post it on your site, you might never know who took it — giving you no way to follow-up. The more information you require visitors to provide about themselves to download your freebie, though, the more likely they are to bypass your offer. Is this what people mean when they say, “I can’t give it away!?”
I’ve found it’s best to require the minimum amount of information. The purpose of the download, in most cases, is to start a dialogue.
David Meerman Scott, author of “The New Rules of Marketing and PR,” points out that 50 times more people will download your information if you don’t require visitors to complete a form and submit their email address. Instead, he suggests putting the material in an “ungated” area and then — here’s the key — include a “bounce-back offer” for another report that does require an email address. The theory is your potential client will be eager to get the bounce-back offer after reading the initial material and seeing its value.
What do you think?
By the way, I have completed a report on 19 ways to drive people to your web site. I am asking for an email address to get it (but allowing visitors to see a few tips from the report — which is another way to increase downloads). Take a look yourself at http://joecopywriter.com/freereport.htm