Give it away.
When was the last time you bought a book? Wait, it’s 2011. Sorry to be so outdated.
When was the last time you downloaded a book in electronic form to your e-reader of choice? Was it from a best-selling author? And was it free?
I did. And it was almost free. It was $1. The going rate for most electronic books is $10. Why would the author do that?
He’s taking an uncharacteristic (that’s 6 syllables folks – I usually don’t get that fancy) marketing approach to generate a buzz even before the book was published.
And it worked. Thousands of people signed up, tweeted, liked and otherwise jumped on the bandwagon for the new blog/newsletter. While he didn’t reach his goal (whatever that was), he felt compelled to offer the book for a buck if you pre-ordered before March 1st. I say it’s worth the investment and I haven’t even read the first word.
Is this a new tactic or an old tactic wrapped in a package using new technology? Marketers, successful ones anyway, are great at creating a sense of urgency. You need their product and you need it now. There’s nothing new about this approach.
Like a drug dealer, I’m going to let you have this now, just this once, for free. You’re going to love it so much I know you’ll be back for more. And next time you’ll pay for it.
So with your service or product, what are you going to give away today? You say you can’t afford to throw money away. I say you can’t afford not to.
Day 2 – Free gift. No purchase necessary.
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Great post! Offering pause to think about marketing strategies and life.
Glad you see it that way, Patty. I wasn’t sure if my “drug dealer” line would be taken as funny (intention) or sinister (not intended).
Others have freely shared the knowledge they have gathered over the years. We should be willing to do the same.
I took it the funny way. The sinister side didn’t even cross my mind… must be only seeing the good side.
Oh if you only knew me . . . . the sinister would not be a far reach. 🙂
Seth is a genius.
And a genius that I can understand. There is a marketing genius I heard speak once. He needs to stick to marketing and not public speaking until he develops that talent. His work is legendary but communicating his vision to a large group is not his strong suit.
Curious, Jeff, did you pre-order his new book?