The ‘Free’ Business Model: A Strategy for Attention, Traffic and Profits

Free is an business model that works extremely well for most types of businesses and websites. The idea of getting something for nothing is one that is incredibly attractive, because it perfectly fulfills the self-interest of even the most casual visitor or consumer.

“Free” is also a keyword that is malleable and fully capable of attaching itself to just about any possible search phrase.

Free iphones, free software, free stock pictures, free audiobooks, free coupons. And it goes on forever, like a parasite embedding itself as a modifier for its host.

Selling products or services? Try optimizing for the ‘free‘ keyword. If you are a marketplace selling premium software, it wouldn’t hurt to rank for variations of your normal keywords (free desktop calender, free alarm clock, free anti-virus etc.), because it easily allow you to draw in search visitors who may become future customers.

Visibility and exposure is just as important as the sales figures you see at the end of every month. To sell, you need to first exist in the minds of others.

Going from a ‘Free’ to a Paid Model Isn’t Difficult

The trick is simple. Pull visitors in through a free model and then slowly and gradually monetize your core supporters and brand reach by moving towards a paid model that expands upon on your initial service or product offerings.

There are also several ways to dangle the ‘free’ bait and eventually seduce the customer into making a purchase. The easiest method would be to really give away something for free, perhaps a trial subscription, a free PDF report or magazine or a limited amount of free premium softwares for a select number of visitors.

Acquire information like testimonials, email addresses, feedback and statistics from your visitors. These can be helpful for any free business model when they transit towards a monetized framework:

1. Testimonials for social proof and publicity among your target market.




2. Email addresses and registered users for future monetization through paid subscriptions or other add-on or complementary products.




3. Feedback to improve your product features, in order to increase competitive advantage and make it superior to other similar providers.




4. Statistics to further optimize your site navigation, keyword targeting, conversion goals, landing pages and sales letters.

Bloggers Can Benefit with the Free Model Too

When it comes to blogging, you often want to grab hold of the first-time user who arrives at your site. You want him or her to track your blog by subscribing to it. You do this by giving quality information away for free. Don’t be afraid to share your ‘secret techniques‘. So what if you give it all away for free?

Be generous with links and publicity. Make your readers feel grateful and happy. Grab them by the throat and never let them go. Build attention for your ventures consistently by progressively catering to your audience’s needs.

The more you share useful content and appear to be genuine, the more loyal your readers you will be and the easier for you to acquire support for your future projects. Never forget that people are transferable assets and crucial factors in word of mouth marketing.

Listen to them. Let them tell you how they feel. You don’t have to soft sell or hard sell anything to initially make some money from your blog. You don’t even have to put any ads up at all. It’s more about attention, loyalty, connections and leverage.

You want these visitors and readers to back you up when you move towards a new commercial venture. They make the difference between launching a new project with zero buzz and an avalanche of media coverage or grassroots support.

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