Creating free products to build your email list is one of the fundamentals of SEO campaign management
One of the main topics of our SEO Campaign Management Basics white paper (free), is how to create, write and market a free white paper. While our ultimate goal online is to increase revenues, we can’t do that without a considerable email list. And how do we grow our lists? We give stuff away.
Now, we could stop right there and create one product to give away, but why would we stop with just one when we have so many keywords we can target and so many topics to cover? On Mequoda.com we’re trying to create a free white paper for every category we publish in. That way, we have a relevant white paper to promote, no matter what the category is that we’re writing about.
But what specifically, in each category of your website, should you create a free report about?
Anything that you can do to help determine what your customers are interested in — although not necessarily willing to pay for — will suggest a free report topic.
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Let’s make a list:
- Research audience interest and keywords using the Google Keyword Tool.
- Review the most frequently asked questions posted to your online forum.
- Determine which of your paid products are the best sellers.
- Examine your magazine cover stories to determine which have the best sell-through.
- Review your direct mail results to determine which teaser lines create the most sales.
- Review the subject lines of your most successful email marketing campaigns to determine which create the highest open rates.
- Determine which sessions at your live events are the most popular.
Here’s a tip that every online editor and copywriter should know:
Many people start their search by typing the words “how to” and a verb in the query box. Adding “how to” and verbs to your primary keyword phrases can result in optimal rankings for just about anything, but they’re especially helpful in writing a free handbook, report or white paper.
We’ve got tons more tips for launching keyword-driven landing pages for free reports in our SEO Campaign Management Basics white paper so check it out. Just like we’d suggest of you, we don’t skimp on our white papers. Our white papers range from 18 pages to over 100 pages. If you have the content, share it!
