by Jessica N King
All companies do it - Give something away for free to prospective buyers. Even the bigger brands give merchandise away - so why aren't you? Below are several reasons why you should be giving something away for free, whether it be a free memory drive, or a free pizza.
Lets face it - people love free stuff. There's people out there that only look for free items, whether it may be paper, toilet paper, or business cards. All companies should give something away for the following reasons:
I struck the board, and cried, ‘No more,
I will abroad!
What? shall I ever sigh and pine?
My lines and life are free, free as the road,
Loose as the wind, as large as store.
Shall I be still in suit?
—George Herbert (1593–1633)
1. Free merchandise drives business. Let's say your pizza company is giving away free pizza to the first 20 people who come into their store. Not only are 20 people going to show up, but up to hundreds of people could show up to wait in line for their free pizza. This brings people into your business, which could be a prospective customer - especially if they've never been in your store before.
2. People who don't usually receive something for free (maybe they were too late) often buy something anyways. The people who waited in line for hours to receive a free pizza may have gotten hungry, so what happens? They buy a pizza. What if they've never even heard of your company? Now, they will probably come back since they know of a new pizza place.
3. People love coupons. There are hundreds of coupons sites are out there, and even if you're not giving something away completely free, giving out discounts is primarily the same thing. Coupons make people shop on your site, or even in your store. If you have enough mark up on your price, you're actually still making a profit by offering discounts up to 30% off.
Had you rather Caesar were living, and die all slaves, than that Caesar were dead, to live all free men?
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
Companies have been giving away free merchandise for years now, and no matter if your business is a corporation, or a mom & pop store, I can guarantee that giving away 1 item free, will bring back 2-3 customers, strictly by word of mouth and customers coming to your site or store. For more information, visit freestuff.me. They offer information about obtaining free stuff, including free bingo sites.