Building Your List - What Free Gifts Are You Offering? - By: Graham Bray

Do you remember those free gifts that were hidden away inside cereal packets? As a child whenever I saw a new gift on offer I used to pester my mother until she included the cereal on her shopping list. I was never allowed to dig down inside the packet for the gift, but I had to wait until it fell out 'naturally' as I poured my breakfast cereal!

I can still recall the excitement of receiving the free gift. It was usually just a cheap bit of plastic, but it meant so much to me.

If you're a budding internet marketer then no doubt you understand the concept of the free gift for building your list. Opt-in forms are everywhere, and we are constantly encouraged to sign-up in exchange for something of perceived 'value'.

I have no statistics to support my claim, but it would seem to me that eBooks are far and away the most frequently used free gifts. So if you're going to stand out from the crowd, what else could you offer?

Here are three free gift ideas that I've used;

1. The audio recording. Using free software such as Audacity it's really simple to make a short recording which you can then distribute via your opt-in form. Perhaps you could record a short interview with an 'expert', and you could then produce a transcript as an extra gift - it's good to over-deliver! Another alternative that I've used is to make audio recordings of articles that I've already written. Why not recycle some of your existing products!

2. The newsletter. I really enjoy producing newsletters. After you've developed the basic structure then it's very easy to follow your format and deliver quality content. My newsletters tend to be themed, for example I do issues on 'blogging' or 'using keywords', but there's nothing to stop you producing various pieces of information within the same newsletter and linking snippets together with images or headings.

3. The video course. Videos are becoming more and more popular as sales tools. If you fancy yourself as a bit of a screen star then you could adopt a 'talking heads' approach, or if you don't feel confident in front of the camera then why not use Camtasia or Camstudio to screen-capture a powerpoint presentation with your narration? The key point about producing a video is that you are developing a closer relationship with your potential customer.

Try to be different with your free gift offering, and always endeavour to produce something of 'quality'. It may be free, but you'll be judged by your product. As a child I was always thrilled with the cheap plastic toy, but as I've got older I've become more selective in what I'll accept. No more cereal packets for me!

About the Author

Graham Bray is an enthusiastic internet marketer, and for nearly five years he has been developing websites as part of his Multiple Income Pathways. To learn more about internet marketing and how you can download newsletters, training videos and a *free report* visit his blog at http://www.easierinternetmarketing.com

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