You will probably notice as you browse the internet these days that most sites want to offer you some sort of freebie. It could be a downloadable e-book or maybe even a ‘seat’ to attend a webinar. Some even offer business tools or training that can assist you with ongoing development, now there is something not to be sniffed at.

The reason behind these wonderful offers is to assist in the growth of list building.

List building is a marketing strategy that helps you to grow your email subscribers. It’s a way of giving something of use to those people who take the time to show an interest in what you do. It’s a way to connect and most importantly, it’s a method of legally gaining email addresses as individuals opt-in to receive your freebie and ultimately to e-mail communications from you (of course with the option to ‘opt out’ at any time).

Creating a freebie may seem a little daunting and can often lead to over analysis, procrastination and over complicating the issue. The truth is that it doesn’t have to be that difficult! Take what you know well (your product or service) and put your own unique spin and personality into some tried and tested methods. How about these for some ideas to get your freebie-creativity flowing and start creating freebies:-

Training series – As mentioned above training is a great way to attract an audience. Share your knowledge by setting up an email sequence over a number of days that provides useful information on a topic or product you know well. Just ask your subscribers to opt in to your free training series and you’ll be providing them instantly with something that benefits them. Most people will value your content and remain subscribers even after the end of the series.

Resources – Have you created your own tools to assist you with your business? Would they be of benefit to others? By offering resources as your free offer, you can incorporate your branding and be a daily reminder to others of your products and service. Did you create a great checklist that helped you to keep on top of your daily tasks? Why not share it for others to download and print? A great little marketing tip to help raise brand awareness; share and promote yourself at the same time.

Video – These days it’s all about video. I know it may seem difficult to turn on a webcam and talk to it but it’s not live (although there now is that option on platforms such as Periscope and now Facebook), you can talk about your niche, offer tips and tricks of the trade as much as you like and make as many mistakes as you like. With the power of editing you can make a 3 to 5-minute video super powerful, informative and of value.

E-books – Writing an e-book is a favourite when it comes to freebies. You could even offer the first few chapters as a freebie, or, as per the training series you could set up an email sequence that provides a slice of your book at a time. If you don’t want to offer the whole thing because there would just be too many emails to send, then allowing subscribers to download a sample, with perhaps a follow up email and a discount to the book they can actually purchase on line would be a great way to grow your list and raise awareness of your writing talents. If you want to check out my very own e-book How to Hire a Virtual Assistant: Using a Virtual Assistant to Leverage Time and Freedom in Your Business, I cover a chapter on how to communicate with your list and also creating freebies for your email marketing.

There are many ways in which you can get creative, but as I said before don’t overthink it. Creating freebies can be fun too!

If you are struggling with this element of your marketing strategy, then why not talk it through with me on a free discovery call. I’d love to help ease the overwhelm and assist you with building your list.

One of the hardest parts of working for yourself is building up a strong presence and keeping your business profile in the hearts and minds of your audience. Why not download your FREE GUIDE on how to raise your profile as a freelancer here.

Connect with Michelle on other platforms too: Learn how you can work with Virtual Hand; how your business can grow and how you can communicate better with your audience.