It can make people listen; it can make people pay attention. A half decent freebie can even possess the power to turn good people in to a manic crowd of idiots like zombies chasing after the last chunk of human flesh. Anyway, I digress…
The point is, when it comes to marketing, the word ‘free’ sounds great, right? Free website, free business cards (ever heard of VistaPrint?), free logo; the list goes on. After all, it’s costing you nothing, what’s not to like about that?
Free can actually be much more expensive and detrimental in the long run than paying for a professional service. Worse still, you may not even know it’s costing you.
Let me build a scenario for you. (If you think Corrie is good, you’ve seen nothing yet…)
You own a beauty salon. A potential customer, Dave (don’t judge him) has stumbled across your free beauty salon website. The layout and design is poor, the content isn’t great, and the website is slow and difficult to use.
Dave decides that he doesn’t want to deal with your company. His first impression certainly isn’t a good one having seen your website and Dave decides to go elsewhere for his manicure on the back of his first impressions.
That’s lost revenue for your business right there and a loss of a potential customer for life too. Even worse is you weren’t aware that this was happening…
If your website had been professionally built, the layout and design would be much sharper, content would be far superior and the website would be quick and simple to use. As a result, Dave’s first impression would have been much healthier and would of likely turned in to an enquiry or booking.
It looks like the saying, ‘You get what you pay for’ really is true, huh?
Free costs you nothing to buy but it can cost you customers, business and your reputation. Next time, think carefully before choosing free over a professional service. Now? It’s time for a Snickers Duo.
