{"id":12733,"date":"2011-09-21T04:00:15","date_gmt":"2011-09-21T09:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/michaelhyatt.com\/?p=12733"},"modified":"2011-09-21T04:00:15","modified_gmt":"2011-09-21T09:00:15","slug":"how-to-use-free-to-drive-your-marketing-strategy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fullfocus.co\/how-to-use-free-to-drive-your-marketing-strategy\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use Free to Drive Your Marketing Strategy"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the last decade, we have witnessed the “free revolution.” Marketers are giving away everything from books and software to vacations and even cars. This has shaped consumer behavior to the point that people often expect free and resent having to pay.<\/p>\n

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Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com\/jdillontoole<\/div>\n

I see this every week in the publishing industry with ebooks. Many consumers expect them to be free or sold for a nominal amount, because they incorrectly believe<\/a> that they don’t cost anything to produce.<\/p>\n

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Unfortunately, authors won’t write for free. Editors and packagers won't work for free. Online retailers and distributors also want to get paid, as do the publishers who find the books, curate them, and market them.<\/p>\n

So free is certainly not a viable business model. However, it can be a brilliant marketing strategy.<\/em> Many individuals and companies are using this strategy very effectively to:<\/p>\n