Can I Grow My Business on Freebies?
Freebies are everywhere. They are the educational content that you can download for free on pretty much every website in exchange for your email address. Some are very complete, some are pretty poor. The risk isn’t really high since it is free. So you end up subscribing to a lot of them hoping to find the one 5 step guide that will finally help you grow your following and double your revenue.
So… can you grow your business on freebies? We don’t want to break your heart but the short answer is no. Let’s dive deeper into it.
#1: it can be really overwhelming
If you try to download all the freebie content you come across you will soon feel exhausted, overwhelmed, and demotivated. It looks like a never-ending list of guides you need to download before working on your business. You get stuck into that energy that before implementing you need to read more. You end up feeling never ready to do anything. You sure read a lot about all the things you should do but you are missing clear action steps to put it into practice.
The thing is that knowledge without practice is a waste and won’t help your business.
#2: it is superficial knowledge
The education you get through free content touches the surface. It is made to get your intrigued and when well done will have at least a few starter points but it won’t go deep into the topic.
Keep in mind that free content can be done by anyone. The difference with an actual paying course is that before investing your money, you will actually do your research on who the expert behind the course is and you will double-check if it is a good match for your business. That alone will increase the chances of success.
#3: you don’t get as involved
There is a psychological thing with free content. If you don’t pay anything for it or very little money, you end up not feeling engaged by it. You don’t put as much energy into learning it or as much commitment (you might not even finish it). The bottom line is: you end up wasting your time and you don’t get as much value out of it.
Take another example. You brought a very expansive bottle of wine back from France and one that you bought at the local supermarket for $10. Which one will you keep for a special occasion? Which one will you be excited to open? Which one will you take more time to drink? Which one will you get curious about where it is from? Which one will you want to talk about it afterward? In other words, which one will require more of your conscious energy, and will you enjoy more?
#4 you don’t get any additional support
A freebie is going to be delivered in your email and that’s it. You won’t have any additional support when implementing the tips. You can find content pretty much everywhere these days. The problem is not so much in the knowledge – how many times have you read a piece of advice and thought “oh yeah, I’ve heard that before.” Yet, you still don’t make it happen. The implementation of the advice is the hard part and ask you a lot of energy. This is where you can use additional help from the person giving you the content.
Ask yourself if you rather follow a course online or in person, at which frequency and if you want to have group support, a 1:1 follow up or nothing at all.
#5 make it a recurrent investment
Make sure to set aside a specific budget for your growth. As business constantly evolves, staying up to date with the latest trends is crucial. And remember it is tax-deductible so don’t shy away from that expanse.
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