I was asked about bookmarkers, keychains, pens and other book goodies.
Do “freebies” help the sale of books?
The comments here about the serendipitous long term effects of freebies is so true.
Just difficult to calculate the ROI (return on investment).
I’ve found that every time such items are purchased and USED, there are benefits that later can be traced back to the item.
Key points:
1. They have to be used. Won’t do any good in a box in the garage.
2. Can’t measure forward.. just after the fact.
What you can measure:
Studies have been done doing a promotion with/without these attention getters. In a controlled environment, sales go up when there is something that get attention.
The only risk is that the attention generated will be misplaced (i.e. kids grab the toy and Mom throws it out without ever seeing your book)
We teach authors to use their book as the “freebie”.. either giving it away as a gift to prospects, or making sure that each buyer is presented with an opportunity to advance to a more profitable transaction. We’ve seen “average sales per book buyer” got into hundreds of thousands of dollars in life time value to the business behind the book.
The LAW OF RECIPROCITY states that if you give something to someone, a true gift, they will be more inclined to want to give something to you at a later date.
If you give more.. you will get more. The universe does not stay out of balance. This is the guiding principle we use when we build cross promotions via http://ZeroCostPromotions.com
