Blogs, podcasts, social networks, widgets, wikis, jotts, and flower potts. Why are they letting us use all of this for free?
Two reasons.
- Building a database. The most valuable asset of any business is their database of past clients, customers, prospects, and sphere of influence. This list comprised of names, phone numbers, zip codes, email addresses allows businesses to implement marketing plans to either sell products, services or upgrades from the FREE versions.
- Selling advertising. Space on a website is no different than a billboard on a highway. A visual that identifies a brand that leads to action. Savvy online advertisers realize the return on investment from pay per click advertising and traffic generated that leads to sales. These results are quantifiable and have proven to generate revenues faster than traditional forms of advertising.
A word to the wise. New FREE sites are populating the net daily to attract online attention by offering FREE services that truly have value. My suggestion is to check where the company came from, what is their mission statement, are they backed by a reputable firm? Before signing up for the FREE service look for a note that says, “Your personal information is not to be released nor sold to a 3rd party. We respect your privacy and make a commitment to protecting you.”
The last thing we want to do is subscribe to a FREE service and have our information sold to a third party without previous notice.
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