The Power of FREE – an Experiment in Marketing: Part 1

FREE is a poweful attention-grabbing word.

Last week I decided to test the power of the word “FREE” to attract new customers.

First, let me give you a little background for my decision. I have almost no customers in Austin, my hometown. Because of a curious turn of events in my career and business, most of my customers are niche software technology companies based outside of Texas – some are even outside of the U.S.

Now I happen to believe my PR and marketing skills are highly transferrable to other industries. Indeed, quite a few of my press releases were written for businesses outside the software industry I serve. Still, going from a market defined by a specific industry’s needs to one defined more by geography presents a few challenges. For instance:

• Where in Austin do I find prospects for my PR and marketing services?
• How do I establish credibility in a market known for being cool, hip and cutting-edge?
• What mix of services might appeal to a sophisticated Austin business echelon made up of more Gen-X entrepreneurs than Boomers nearing retirement?

I felt like I had to come up with a different marketing approach than the usual suspects: networking, telemarketing and direct mail – all old-school and increasingly ineffective at courting new customers.

For starters, I needed a message that would make sense. My free offer had to have a perceived “main street value” and prompt companies to reply immediately. I also needed a way to get in front of as many potential leads as possible without requiring a huge investment in time or money – both of which are in short supply these days.

In short, I needed a Hail-Mary pass, a lightning strike to score some points with the elusive Austin market.

To be continued...