In a time where all money is precious and important (since it’s so hard to come by), why do we give away so many free things? We’re working hard to make money, draw in customers, but we keep giving things like information away for free? Does this make any sense to you? Allow to me explain a little, in case you are confused about why we don’t charge.

People love free things. Let’s just get that out in the open. If there is something for free (like information), you are far more likely to spend time around that source. I don’t know about you, but if someone wants me to pay for the rest of someone’s advice online, and I’m not downloading or purchasing an entire book, then I am far less likely to hang out, and fork over the money. What I tend to do, is find a free source. There is a possibility that the information may not be as high quality as the purchasable item, but that’s where credibility comes in. When someone is a reliable source of information, you’re going to return to them. If you return to them, you’re more likely to click on other things on their site, read other articles they have written, and maybe even purchase an item of theirs.

If you are offering information to people, make it for free. Do not make the main source of information on your website something you have to pay for. People aren’t going to like it, especially if they know they can go elsewhere.

There are exceptions to this rule of course. There are some topics and questions that are so unique and eclectic that they are hard to come by. If you have a very specified niche that is difficult to find, you can only then really consider whether or not you’re going to charge people for the information. You have to do your research though, to know whether or not you could get away with charging. If you do charge, then don’t make everything only accessible through payment. Offer free information as well!

Free information is going to keep people around. If you supply enough content for people to taste of, you’ve really roped them in and you’re going to be more likely to get them coming back for more (and/or even making that purchase). Sell, sell, sell, by giving it away for free.

What do we give away for free and what do we charge for? Write articles on what you know. Quality, informative content that’s going to leave people wanting to learn more. I’m not saying you should write a partial article and then say something like, “If you want to read more, it’s only $5.99.” Let them have the whole thing for free! Don’t keep it from them. Be picky though, because if you’re going to be charging people for certain bits of information, you need to know which pieces to hand out, and which ones to keep quiet.

Free information/content is really beneficial when it comes to marketing yourself. You’re getting the word out about your products, bringing people in, getting referrals from other people for their friends, family and colleagues. How often have you told someone where you got something that they liked? “I got this at So-And-So market,” “I was reading an article on Someone’s Blog” or “Have you checked out ThisWebsite?” Word of mouth is an amazing marketing strategy. No, you shouldn’t rely entirely on it, but never underestimate it! Take advantage of the classic methods of spreading the word. Have you heard? The bird is the word!

If you’ve done this all right, then your customers are going to be linking your site to theirs as well. Spread the word long enough, and you’ll have a nice steady flow of traffic into your site, making money, and popping up in search results like nobody’s business.

Good luck with your content!