Hey, so do you like FREE stuff?
I mean pretty much everyone does. And that’s why it’s so popular in business.
- Buy one get one free.
- Free two week trials.
- Free samples.
- Even free shipping – I’m a sucker for that one.
It’s like, oh that tank top is 20 bucks – but there’s $5 shipping? UM. NO THANKS.
But you tell me that top is $25 AND I get free shipping? Take my money please. LOL
Are you like that? I bet you are.
Why are we like this?! LOL
Well, I actually have the answer to that. And I’m gonna tell ya in today’s episode.
Giving stuff away for free is a biz strategy that’s used alllllll over the place.
So when I hear shit like “Eh, everybody gives away free content online – why should I even bother?”
I literally wanna pull my hair out.
You wanna consider doing it… because it works, friends. Duhhhhh. LOL And no, it doesn’t have to be super complicated, hard, or time consuming. It simply needs to have VALUE.
There’s actually a whole psychology about freebies and why they work. It’s known as: the universal law of reciprocity.
I’ll tell ya about that here in just a second – and why it’s a great relationship-building strategy… but since we’re talking about giving away free things…
I have a free resource that’s really gonna help you out when you sit down to do this in your own biz.
Because putting out the RIGHT free stuff is really what matters.
My Build Your Biz Online guide will help you curate the exact right giveaway or free content pieces for YOUR ideal audience.
So when you’re ready for that step – or you wanna optimize what you’ve already got – you’ve now got the blueprint to know what to create.
Or comment the word BIZ on any of my Instagram or Facebook posts.
And I’ll get ya that link right away.
The thing is… business is ALLLL about relationships.
Literally doesn’t matter what business it is.
Could be your relationship with an actual person. OR with a company.
Even if you don’t really think about it in those terms on a day by day basis.
So for our kinds of businesses – which I assume you’re a person doing business with other people… relationships REALLY matter.
And when you give give give… you build relationships that give give give BACK.
That’s what we’re talking about here today.
The law of reciprocity essentially comes down to: When you receive something, you want to give something.
Or, at least, most humans do. I’m not talking about like Tinder Swindler people or con artists.
Those kind of people are master takers.
I SAID TAKERS. LOL – Or criminals.
Anyhoo… point being – the law of reciprocity is a real thing. And it really matters.
Here’s an example – you know like if you go out to lunch with a girlfriend and you pick up the tab, she’s usually like “Ok FINE – but I’m paying next time.”
The law of reciprocity lets us feel balanced. Even. On equal footing in our relationship.
And it’s also why you probably feel weird when someone gives TOO much to you.
Like always picks up the tab. Or goes overboard on gift giving.
I bet you can think of an example from your own life where this happened.
I mean, when someone does something nice for you, you wanna do something nice for them back. You want to reciprocate, right?
It’s in our nature.
The universal law of reciprocity happens in business too.
It’s why giving away content – or a discount – or something else for free is so compelling.
Because when you give something of value away for free, it sets you up as an authority and expert.
As well as someone who cares – and has the best interest of your audience at heart.
Or at least, that’s how I approach it.
Personally, I’ve hit a level in my life and in my biz where I’m super psyched to see others – especially other women – succeed.
A rising tide lifts all boats.
I used to be in the super competitive mindset.
Gotta hit certain numbers – mostly for myself and my ego, if I’m being real with ya.
Gotta rank up. Gotta pass certain people on that hierarchy.
Gotta achieve achieve achieve.
And then once I hit those goals – those peak points I set for myself – it was kinda like… Ok so now what?
NOW what do I do?
And I realized the thing that made me the happiest about achieving those goals was the teamwork involved.
The collaboration and mentorship. Achieving TOGETHER.
I love bringing others up with me.
I literally got amped – and still do today – seeing people on my team hit their next level.
Hit their goals and achieve their dreams.
Whether that’s being able to send their kids to summer camp that year.
Or pay off their debt 3 years faster than expected.
Or even just get a mani pedi every 2 weeks – everyone has different aspirations and goals. Big and small.
And even now, seeing this manifest into a reality brings me wayyyy more joy and fulfillment than achieving my own goals and numbers.
And that’s why I’m so passionate on the daily about sharing what I’ve learned about holistic wellness and business.
I want to see other people win.
So let’s talk a bit more about how the law of reciprocity works in terms of business strategy.
You’re probably familiar with signing up for an email list in order to get a discount. Or a free trial.
So you hand over your email address to receive that free thing. And it feels GOOD.
You are giving something that’s valuable to that company.
And you are RECEIVING something you desire. And to be honest, some people guard this like crazy. Because they don’t want anything “extra” coming into their inbox. I mean, if you get a piece of spam mail, you probably know what I mean.
So with this value changes hands, it’s even.
It’s an energetic exchange – even if you haven’t handed over money yet.
When there’s NOT an energetic exchange – or there’s a totally IMBALANCED exchange – it feels weird, right?
For example, if you went into Nordstroms and you saw this gorgeous coat that you’d value at like $300 and you see it tagged at 3 bucks… you would likely think: There’s something wrong with it.
It could be that the coat is totally fine.
But in your subconscious mind, the law of reciprocity isn’t there.
The whole sitch is sus to you.
And while that example is about actually BUYING something, the law of reciprocity also works where there’s no money exchanged at all.
For example, in our kinds of businesses, building your email list is a smart way to establish and nurture relationships – with the intention of eventually enrolling that relationship into a sale.
And handing over an email address in exchange for a piece of content or a discount feels like an even energy swap.
It’s low risk. And it’s essentially cracking open the door to a relationship.
If you choose to NOT offer anything free at all, you may struggle to enroll people to work with you. You will struggle to build those fruitful, connected relationships.
Because there’s no initial energy exchange. There’s no way to build a deeper relationship.
So when you decide to put yourself out there – and offer a piece of content, a discount, or something of value that you have to share – it’s a sign to your audience that you want to build a relationship.
You want to exchange energy with them.
And you want to do it in a way that is simple, low risk, and low commitment.
And from THAT point on… you get to deepen the relationship together, if you both so decide. All the way to an eventual sale.
But before you can do that – before you can even get there – you gotta get them in the door. AKA get their email address.
And offering something of value for free is a proven and accepted strategy for this to happen.
OH! And before I forget…
You probably remember that thing I mentioned at the top of the show about why we’re totally willing to spend more on the exact same item when it’s free shipping…
Versus paying less for an item PLUS a shipping fee.
It all comes down to that value thing.
Most of us (at least nowadays) don’t see shipping as valuable.
We expect that shipping is part of the company’s cost of doing business.
Kinda like – that’s on you, bruh. LOL
So even if the item goes up 5 bucks to cover the cost of the shipping, we PERCEIVE the value differently.
And we’ll keep moving forward with the transaction slash energy exchange.
Here’s proof. Did you know that when companies add shipping and other fees to online purchases, almost
50% of us abandon the cart entirely?
No joke.
And we’re less likely to come back. Because we remember this negative impression – and no longer want to have that relationship.
Ok, I know I’ve taken you on a bit of a wild ride with this topic, so I’ll sum it up for you before we wrap up.
First, people like free things when there is a small energy exchange that happens.
They get to sample what you have to offer. And you get to begin a relationship with them.
In our case, we’re talking about an email address in exchange for some piece of free content or a discount.
Which means they think you’re high value. High value enough that they’re literally giving you permission to come into a private space – their inbox. Which, as I’ve shared, is fiercely guarded by many people.
This energy exchange is even and it feels good.
It’s the first step in building a relationship. Which you get to nurture and grow down the line.
Putting out something free online cracks the door open to that relationship…
And if you keep hesitating… keep telling yourself that you can’t do it… or you don’t know how.
Or that you have nothing to offer… or live in that “who am I to share something with people?” space…
You’re gonna stay in the same place you are now.
So let’s change that.
Let’s go on the ride together. It really does make me happy to raise others up – and I totally wanna exchange energy with you.
Or comment the word BIZ (B-I-Z) on any of my Instagram or Facebook posts… and I’ll drop ya the link.
Again this guide helps you determine not only what your free relationship-building content piece could be…
It also helps you get clarity on who YOU are in your biz. What makes you different.
What makes you the absolute right match for your dream customers or clients.
So you CAN confidently take action in your work.
Put yourself out there, knowing you’re making the right moves… instead of just copying what other people are doing. And hoping it works for you.
Trust me, that was my initial strategy when I started my biz and it only works for so long. If it works at all, LOL.
And most of the time it doesn’t. As I learned the hard way.
But you don’t have to.
So let’s take the messiness out of at least THAT part of your life and biz. LOL
And give you the kind of clarity you wish you could have across the board. Ok or the clarity I wish IIIIII could have in all aspects of my life. LOL
And I’ll see ya next week! And until then, see you online!