To Free or not to Free - Help Needed

[Vincent]

Over the last few days I've been toying with the idea of allowing people to download any document from my website for free, except my books. I want to and need to change my whole strategy and mindset regarding the webpage.

My question is should I do it or not?

As I don't want to influence anyone's thinking, I would like to leave this as open as possible. I would prefer a Q & A and from the Q & A develop a strategy.

Your comments, viewpoints, suggestions and question would be greatly appreciated.

[Dave A]

This could turn into quite a long thread if a few people participate, because it cuts to the core of the value (and saleability) of information in the internet era.

I know Paul Jacobson was contemplating the same dilemma not too long ago. Should he just make a substantial collection of legal documents available free, and then live off the inquiries of people needing or wanting personal attention? I tried to visit his site to get a link to the actual blog post, but he seems to have server problems just at the moment.

Obviously I've gone the free route with this site, so it might seem I've got a predisposed bias here. But that particular decision was more Gung Ho than carefully structured reason. So I'm quite interested in trying to analyse the issue in a more structured way.

I'm tempted to hare off down a particular line of thinking, but I suppose the first thing is to ask a few questions. Off the top of my head, the first two are:

What is the environment?
What is the objective?

[Vincent]

Thanks Dave. First off I'm not a lawyer, but I do have access to people who can provide legal advice. Secondly the environment that I work in is that of Business rescue, business turnaround, change management etc., and also do comprehensive business valuations.

The objectives are simple:
1) grow my customer base via people registering - offering something of value
2) grow my customer base by presenting seminars of two and a half hours for R100.00 - have my books and CDs with a variety of documents and open source programs for sale.
3) Use the open source concept - the documents are free but my services are billed.

One of my strengths - good at presenting seminar/workshop

PS - will be away from my computer most of the day - will answer any other questions when I get back.

[Dave A]

I consider various aspects of internet culture are big factors in this discussion.

• Most internet savvy folks expect stuff for free. Particularly the younger age groups. They have a totally different value perspective to folks conditioned to doing info business pre-internet.
• Information that is charged for on one site is often available free elsewhere (or at least something similar, but still useable) - you just need to know how to use the search engines.
• Many of the commercial online information models I've seen give some information for free, but have an added value option for those who are looking for more.

What else is there that we need to consider on the "internet culture" side?

[Vincent]

Dave:
I was at a networking evening yesterday, and I posed the same question. The general consensus seems to be, give for free, but have an added value option, pretty much the same as what you have said.

The decisions that I've had made are:
1. webpage to change and reflect the work I do - seminars, change management, business rescue, comprehensive business valuation and turnaround.

2. use the open source concept

3. Provide docs for free - link up with another internet site that offers free docs.

4 Seminars - co-brand with other business

It has been an enlightening experience writing all this out and talking to and meeting people who you 'don't know.'

[Dave A]

Thanks for the feedback. Let me know when you've got your site redone so that I can admire the fruits of your labour.

Although my exerience is it's an ongoing thing.
A little addictive even

[QUINN]

This could turn into quite a long thread if a few people participate, because it cuts to the core of the value (and saleability) of information in the internet era.

I know Paul Jacobson was contemplating the same dilemma not too long ago. Should he just make a substantial collection of legal documents available free, and then live off the inquiries of people needing or wanting personal attention? I tried to visit his site to get a link to the actual blog post, but he seems to have server problems just at the moment.

Obviously I've gone the free route with this site, so it might seem I've got a predisposed bias here. But that particular decision was more Gung Ho than carefully structured reason. So I'm quite interested in trying to analyse the issue in a more structured way.

I'm tempted to hare off down a particular line of thinking, but I suppose the first thing is to ask a few questions. Off the top of my head, the first two are:

What is the environment?
What is the objective?

Dave I would have gone with the Business Warrior model, small fee access to a lot of free advice.
But thats me......... always ready to make a bob.

[Vincent]

Dave I would have gone with the Business Warrior model, small fee access to a lot of free advice.
But thats me......... always ready to make a bob.

QUINN:
I would agree with you, but it's not what my business is about. I'm not there to sell documents, but rather build a client base to whom I can sell my services. The documents are all freely available on the net, if you take the time to search.

[Dave A]

Dave I would have gone with the Business Warrior model, small fee access to a lot of free advice.

This site certainly was not based on the BW model

Pete's site is well worth the subscription by old style value systems - no doubt. But the low cost/high volume nature of the internet has turned those old style value systems on their head. Not to mention the idea of building closed information resources.

One big change I'd have made if I had gone that route would be to carve off a slice to go back to the major contributors. It's something I have back of mind if ever we get huge here too.

A different path.

[QUINN]

QUINN:
I would agree with you, but it's not what my business is about. I'm not there to sell documents, but rather build a client base to whom I can sell my services. The documents are all freely available on the net, if you take the time to search.

I am thinking along the same line but I have found you end up giving a lot of free advice and people take up much of my time and then just DIY the issue.

[Debbiedle]

It has been my experience that you can give it for free and sell it and you will still have sales! People are bone idle and or stuck for time and learn in different ways. In the past it was said never sell anything on the net that can be found for free, I believe that the net has become so big that there is little you cannot find for free. So I would look at it from a different angle. What do I want to sell, what is easy to deliver once paid for and then give the rest away if necessary?

[Chatmaster]

Hi Vincent

My contribution to this is the following. You must have free information. The Internet is very different in that way, because you obtain more and more targetted traffic, which will result in more sales and a handy database of people interested in your topic.

How it works is simple. You have an information website, right? Now in terms of information 93% of all people looking for information on the web will make use of a search engine. Take for example Jim Novo (good read btw), he gives alot of valuable information on his website for free. But to understand the full concept you will need to buy his book. Now by just providing the information he does for free on his website, I personally have referred his website to countless of people, getting the viral thing going and I just linked to him because know this guy is good, scoring him another backlink.

The web is all about reputation, you can tell millions of people that you know something, they will only believe you if they witness it for themselves.

By not making free information available, search engines cannot find the information and therefore you miss out on all those valuable searches. People have no idea who you are and that you are for real, because they cannot discover you as a person. You cannot collect a database and therefore your online marketing strategy becomes so much harder to accomplish.

Some writers also makes use of other techniques to get the points over.

• Writing a complex article and making it very difficult to understand without proper explanation. The explanation is then available in the book.
• Writing content that are dependent on information available only in the book
• Taking extracts from the book and making it available.
• Publishing researched articles motivating the need for the book known.

I personally suggest that you divide your content into three sections.

1. Completely free content with valuable information without registration. The articles has 2 goals and that is to get information freely available for search engines and to serve as a conversion tool for the "registration required" articles.
2. Articles that requires registration for access but are free for download. This provides you with a database of people interested in your topic, that leads to the next step...
3. Sale of books

[Vincent]

Thanks for the tip and your input, much appreciated- this is something that I never knew. I thought search engines searched for anything and everything.

Hi Vincent
By not making free information available, search engines cannot find the information and therefore you miss out on all those valuable searches.

I like this idea as well, will definitely consider when redoing my webpage

I personally suggest that you divide your content into three sections.

1. Completely free content with valuable information without registration. The articles has 2 goals and that is to get information freely available for search engines and to serve as a conversion tool for the "registration required" articles.
2. Articles that requires registration for access but are free for download. This provides you with a database of people interested in your topic, that leads to the next step...
3. Sale of books

[Dave A]

Chatmaster is something of a guru on this.

I was pretty blown away by his international reputation as I've been tip-toeing around the SEO world picking up tips. There' something special about seeing a South African make an impression on the global stage.

I'm pretty sure he's worth his fee if you want to enlist his personal professional help

[Chatmaster]

Thanks Dave, appreciate the compliment!