Giveaways - Three Ways to Use Them Successfully in Online Marketing

I rarely have a week during which I don't get a series of emails announcing giveaways and trying to convince me to sign up and enjoy the "goodies" supplied by several known, but often by less-known marketers.

At times, there will be two or three giveaway events taking place, especially around Christmas, or Easter, or Father's Day or Halloween. Very often, an organizer uses his or her own private event to find a theme for the giveaway or to justify it somehow. When that happens, we have a "moving-out giveaway, a "getting-married giveaway", or a "my-daughter-is-six giveaway" (I'm not kidding; I remember at least two events with that idea).

Actually, any pretext to hold a giveaway is great as long as the organizer puts some effort into creating a convincing letter of invitation. But the truth is, nobody cares much, as there are always hordes of individuals who just think - "all right, completely right, just give me the stuff..." Those are the opportunity seekers; they always will exist, because who does not like bargains? And each giveaway event is a great chance to get for free stuff that is normally being sold for significant amounts of money - usually $17 - $47, but sometimes even higher-priced jewels are accessible (especially around Christmas/New Year).

Although those giveaways often feature offers by marketers who give their products (usually called "gifts") in every event, there is always a chance that something early and interesting will appear and you'll be able to get for free a nice piece of software or a valuable e-book that otherwise would cost you a couple dozens of dollars.

You could participate in those giveaway events in three basic ways: 1/ as an organizer, 2/ as a product supplier (contributor) and 3/ as a taker.

Let's start with the third option. It's very easy to sign up for a giveaway in order to be able to receive the gifts. You should join every event that attracts your attention, especially if the gifts are in the niche or medium you're very curious (e.g., blogging, podcasting, article marketing, video marketing, social marketing, etc.). It won't cost you anything, except your time. Yes, that's the catch (you knew there will be one...) - in order to get any gift you will have to sign up for the mailing list. Or at least two mailing lists - first you'll give your email to the organizer(s) and then to every marketer whose gift you'd like to get.

Many people unsubscribe as soon as they download the gifts. It's always useful to make a special folder for the downloaded giveaway goodies. Another good idea is to unzip the downloads inside that folder. And give that folder a meaningful name so that you cognize when to find those treasures later. Very often, when the giveaway has numerous excellent products, downloading takes a couple hours (that includes time for confirming registrations - without that you won't get the gifts). Having the downloaded gifts in one convenient place will allow you to go back later when you have time to unzip the products, to see if they work and if they have any value at all.

You could use the downloaded giveaway items in some ways. In general, it depends what rights are coming with them, but in most cases you can use them on your web site, blog, in an e-book you're working on, or if it's software - to improve your business or private productivity. Very often, you'll be able to re-brand them and sell them as your own. You might be able to give them away in another giveaway event. You can use them as bonuses to entice people to purchase your own products or you can just give them away at your web site or blog and build a mailing record in that way.

With that, we just touched the reasons 1/ and 2/ for participating in the giveaways. They are so fashionable because with very little expense (almost zero), you can fast build a big mailing list. Simply make your own giveaway event or become a JV-partner. Being an organizer requires a bit more effort and it's a subject for another article, but being a JV partner is easy. All you have to do is to create a product or use a one you have the rights to and build a simple squeeze page to present your gift and capture the emails and just contact the giveaway organizer. In most cases, if your product is valuable, and your squeeze page looks professional (it doesn't mean it has to be fancy or flashy; very simple, but working one will do), you will be accepted.

Once you join any giveaway and see how easy and useful it is, it will be hard for you to refuse to participate in another, and another one. Especially if they are run by the popular marketers as they always try to feature at least few gems.