Clickbank Marketing With FREE Bonuses
Posted on 18. Apr, 2010 by Affiliate in Click Bank
Mike Mcmillan asked:
You know almost every Clickbank author does it: giving away free bonus reports to encourage visitors to subscribe to a newsletter or mini-course. But there are a few caveats to be aware of. In fact, the “free bonus” technique” many Clickbank authors use can actually do more to inhibit their ebook sales than help them.
HOW THIS WORKS
You no doubt know how free bonuses work. Someone has an ebook to sell and they set up a pitch page to promote the product as well as a squeeze page to collect visitor’s names and e-mail addresses. So when you get to their pitch page, they make an offer to send you a free report if you sign up for their newsletter or free mini-course. The concept is great–and it works!
THE REPORT MUST HAVE VALUE
However, this technique is predicated upon the fact that the free report the visitors receive will be perceived as having a good value. It should convince the visitors that the author does indeed have some degree of useful knowledge related to the topic of their ebook.
This is where the technique begins to fall apart in many cases. Let me give you a real-life example to illustrate how the “free report” technique can actually kill the chances of selling your ebook if you use it improperly.
A REAL-LIFE EXAMPLE
Last week I visited a web site which promoted an ebook which claimed to show other authors how to make money on-line by selling information. That’s what I do myself for a living, so I bit on the offer: a free report that claimed it would show exactly how to make $100,000 selling ebooks on line.
So I gave up my information–my name and e-mail address, in exchange for the free report. And yup, I got my download instructions immediately. I downloaded the free report.
WHAT I GOT
The author’s report was about 4-5 pages. She told that making $100,000 a year is a scary figure because it is so big. Her “secret blueprint” can be summed up in a couple sentences: Making 100,000 dollars a year can be broken down into a more manageable task when you consider that all you are required to do is to make about $270 a day (100,000 divided by 365 days in a year). So, all one really has to do is to develop a plan that will allow them to make that $270 a day selling their ebook, and voila!–you will be making $100,000 a year.
I kid you not; That was here “secret” blueprint” for making 100k a year. I mean, this was such an utter con that, after receiving this one free publication from her, I would never even remotely consider purchasing any publication from this author no matter how many promises she made about it.
BAD INFORMATION WILL TURN VISITORS AWAY!
My point is this: If you are going to use free reports as teasers to encourage visitors to sign up for your newsletter, make darned sure that the report provides evidence of the fact that you have some modicum of expert advice to give the reader. It needs to prove to them that you are indeed an expert so that they will come back and consider actually buying from you.
If your report fails to do that, you will actually hurt your future sales by using this technique. So choose the content of your free reports wisely.
You know almost every Clickbank author does it: giving away free bonus reports to encourage visitors to subscribe to a newsletter or mini-course. But there are a few caveats to be aware of. In fact, the “free bonus” technique” many Clickbank authors use can actually do more to inhibit their ebook sales than help them.
HOW THIS WORKS
You no doubt know how free bonuses work. Someone has an ebook to sell and they set up a pitch page to promote the product as well as a squeeze page to collect visitor’s names and e-mail addresses. So when you get to their pitch page, they make an offer to send you a free report if you sign up for their newsletter or free mini-course. The concept is great–and it works!
THE REPORT MUST HAVE VALUE
However, this technique is predicated upon the fact that the free report the visitors receive will be perceived as having a good value. It should convince the visitors that the author does indeed have some degree of useful knowledge related to the topic of their ebook.
This is where the technique begins to fall apart in many cases. Let me give you a real-life example to illustrate how the “free report” technique can actually kill the chances of selling your ebook if you use it improperly.
A REAL-LIFE EXAMPLE
Last week I visited a web site which promoted an ebook which claimed to show other authors how to make money on-line by selling information. That’s what I do myself for a living, so I bit on the offer: a free report that claimed it would show exactly how to make $100,000 selling ebooks on line.
So I gave up my information–my name and e-mail address, in exchange for the free report. And yup, I got my download instructions immediately. I downloaded the free report.
WHAT I GOT
The author’s report was about 4-5 pages. She told that making $100,000 a year is a scary figure because it is so big. Her “secret blueprint” can be summed up in a couple sentences: Making 100,000 dollars a year can be broken down into a more manageable task when you consider that all you are required to do is to make about $270 a day (100,000 divided by 365 days in a year). So, all one really has to do is to develop a plan that will allow them to make that $270 a day selling their ebook, and voila!–you will be making $100,000 a year.
I kid you not; That was here “secret” blueprint” for making 100k a year. I mean, this was such an utter con that, after receiving this one free publication from her, I would never even remotely consider purchasing any publication from this author no matter how many promises she made about it.
BAD INFORMATION WILL TURN VISITORS AWAY!
My point is this: If you are going to use free reports as teasers to encourage visitors to sign up for your newsletter, make darned sure that the report provides evidence of the fact that you have some modicum of expert advice to give the reader. It needs to prove to them that you are indeed an expert so that they will come back and consider actually buying from you.
If your report fails to do that, you will actually hurt your future sales by using this technique. So choose the content of your free reports wisely.