Free marketing services? Crazy. Why would I offer free digital marketing? These pro bono marketing services are not for everyone, as you must be a startup or a nonprofit, and I can only serve one non-paying client at a time, for a maximum of one year. Well, here’s where I explain my logic – and I think there are reasons why pro bono digital marketing makes sense on many levels. Let’s begin.
1. There is a hole in the marketing service portfolio.
Who else offers this kind of service for free? Who else offers ANY service for free? It’s always a consultation, a session, a ‘something’ that is really just a sales tool. This is actual work that you’re getting, and it provides you incredible value. There’s a need in the market for something like this, and I love being the one who provides it.
2. It’s a great way to connect with those you might not otherwise meet.
Everyone is trying to do business with those that net $2 million+ annually. There’s a lack of service, and a lack of conversation going on with those that are far more innovative than the rest of the business world. The name of the game is innovation in my niche industry, so I will take the converse with those creative thinkers any chance I get. And they know more people that think differently… more on that later.
3. Research.
If you’re working with a startup, the owners are very accessible and responsive to your strategic recommendations. This also means they’re a great resource when it comes to testing new software, new ideas, and free products.
4. Learning.
If I don’t learn, I fail. I’m hard-pressed to think of an industry that evolves more quickly than mine, so I don’t take a learning opportunity lightly. It’s how I stay abreast and how I ensure that I’m at the cutting edge of what I provide. Unique opportunities are always learning opportunities.
5. Cheap marketing is cheap.
People search “cheap digital marketing” much more than “free digital marketing.” Just punch it in Google Trends and see for yourself. Why? If you want cheap, you’ll get cheap. Cheap in this world looks like this: people who don’t know what they are doing, aren’t strategic, don’t value your time, and don’t put in the effort to provide you returns. That’s just a waste of your money. But what about free digital marketing? That’s much more promising. Yes, I can’t give you the same level of attention as a client that pays 70% of my salary, but I want to be transparent about that. What I can do is prove to you that my services are valuable, productive, and unique. If I am willing to stand by my offerings so confidently that I am willing to offer them to one select client for a full year, assured that it will grow your business to where you can pay me for more incremental growth for years to come, what do you have to lose? That’s a win-win. A confident option is an option that won’t cause headaches. Cheap will. Save yourself time, stress, AND money.
6. Scrappy people know other scrappy people.
You can argue that sales is more profitable than marketing, and broadly speaking, that’s probably true. But sales is not more profitable than digital marketing, marketing that drives a direct return and creates demand. And sales can’t even sniff the ROI that demand generation marketing provides. The reason is obvious, when you think of it. Would you rather pay one person to manage the automations that do the work of a team of 10, or pay a team of 10 to do the work? Yeah, I’ll take more money directly to the bottom line of my business and to my pocket if I’m that business owner, every day of the week. Scrappy new businesses can’t afford the overhead of a sales team that they need to support the volume of growth that will keep them afloat. This is why it’s vital to leverage your most efficient resources for growth early, often, and in perpetuity. Tenacious business owners understand this, and as they say, birds of a feather flock together. As a scrappy businessperson, I love connecting with other scrappy business owners. They get it. They know other business owners that need to grow today. While I only have the capacity to offer this free service to one client at a time, word spreads and these are connections that are absolutely worth making. Even though I’m an introvert, these conversations give me a great deal of energy 100% of the time.
7. It’s a differentiator.
As I’ve mentioned, there’s a hole in the service world when it comes to ‘free.’ Nobody is offering anything for free. But in digital marketing, it’s a heck of a differentiator because I provide something few people can: tremendous growth. This being the most clearly vital component of business (for everyone, but especially startups), I feel that it really stands out as an offering. If it weren’t already clear the uniqueness and the value I provide, here’s as big of a sign as I can make that says “grow with me.”
8. It’s fun.
These are passion projects for me. I get to be selective both in who is qualified to receive free services, and which niches I want to work in. If you manufacture the gaskets that allow bridges to shrink and expand with the weather, I want to talk to you. If you make a kombucha seltzer hybrid alcoholic beverage, I want to talk to you. Unique products are hard to find organically, and very challenging to drive demand and interest via word of mouth. It’s incredibly satisfying to me to generate that for these businesses and see how they blossom.
If you’d like to discuss the possibility of working together at no cost to you, or would like to refer me to a friend who might want free digital marketing, please connect with me here.