If you've been in the online business world for a while, chances are you would have created some free content for your target audience.
But here's the deal: the people who consume your free content fall into distinct groups. Let's break it down!
Group 1: The Freebie Hunters
These people will never pay for anything. They don't invest in themselves. They'll happily jump from one piece of free content to the next until the end of time. I'm not talking about people who may not be ready to buy from you, or genuinely can't afford to work with you right now. I'm talking about people who have a fundamental worldview of not willing to pay for anything.
Can you persuade freebie hunters to pay?
In my opinion, not easily. Freebies hunters don't value other people's expertise and time. They don't even value their own time. They don't mind trawling through the internet trying to piece together 100 chunks of information into something that looks vaguely like a plan or a strategy.
So I would say don't waste your time with this group. Let them read your free content and leave them be.
Group 2: The Non-fans
They read your content but don't like it. Or, for whatever reason, they don't like you. They unsubscribe. They're not your people. There's really not much to talk about. Just move on.
Group 3: "I love your stuff!"
These people like your content and they're happy to use your free information to help themselves. They may or may not get the results they want. Those who become frustrated with not getting results (could be due to lack of time, not taking consistent action, procrastinating or not having the skills) will decide to work with you sometime in the future, if they want the results badly enough. They value genuine expertise and recognise you as the person who can help them.
This group is important. I'll talk about them some more later.
Group 4: "How do I pay you?"
This group consists of your dream clients. They like you. They've been following you for a while. They recognise your expertise. They understand that you can help them get better and faster results because you have the knowledge and experience that will save them time, money and effort.
If you're great at what you do, and as long as you have an offer that addresses their problems, and you can show clearly how you can help them, there's really not a lot you need to do with this group. Just keep showing up. Keep repeating your message. Keep sharing how you've helped others just like them. When they're ready to buy, they'll know where to find you.
Let's come back to Group 3
This is the group you need to focus on. These people love your content. They're hovering outside the fence in the "free" area, waiting for the right moment to come through the gate into the "paid" zone.
What can you offer them to entice them through the gate?
Ask yourself:
- How can I help them save more time?
- How can I help them get better results?
- How can I help them learn and execute faster?
- How can I make things more fun for them?
- How can I help them feel more confident in themselves?
- How can I make them feel part of a community, and that they're not alone?
- How can I help them see that they're wasting too much time trying to figure things out on their own, and there's a less painful way?
It doesn't have to be anything major. It could be a $5 PDF, or a $50 short online course. Something that's a no-brainer investment. The idea is to move people from "free" to "paid", and get them used to investing in you. Let's not forget, you're running a business 🙂
Then go and create!
