Free Marketing Tools and Training vs. Paid!?!

First let me say that nothing is free. Even if there was no financial cost to you it will cost you the time and effort to use the tool or absorb and apply the training.

While this blog and the content within are of no direct financial cost to you, it does cost you your time to read it, and your effort to implement any of the strategies.

It is also important to know that the strategy on my end is simple.

1. Provide useful content and develop rapport with my existing subscribers
2. Attracts new subscribers
3. My blog is one of the gateways to the Internet Profit Academy
4. I am creating theme relevant search engine content

I share this with you because knowing motive will give you a better perspective on the tools and training that you come across. Information about what to do, provides value and I offer it for free, but the bulk of my “how to do it” is paid content. As it should be!

Most free tools still serve a purpose in someone’s sales funnel. It may be for the same reasons that I mentioned above or it may be riddled with ads and promotions.

So when do you need to pay for a tool rather than find and use a free tool?

Here is a check list for quick consideration of when to buy vs. find a free tool:

1. Identify exactly what you want to accomplish and why?
2. Do you have a budget for purchasing a product that will fill this need?
3. If you did buy the product, how can you measure the return on your investment?
4. How long will it take to see that return?
5. Are there any free resources that can meet this need?
6. Can I get the same results with the free resources?
7. How much extra time will the free resources require?

Don’t get caught up in shiny objects. It may not even be the right time to implement a particular tool or training but many people buy them anyway because of great sales copy that gives them an emotional fix about the possibilites for their business. Then they have just one more distraction that keeps them from focusing on the things that matter most and that move their business forward.

Use the check list above each and every time you are about to purchase a new product for your business and you will find that you can see beyond the smoke and mirrors much more clearly.

It is important to point out step #7. There are many times where cutting costs can hurt you more than help. For instance if a free product takes 5 times as long to produce the results of a $199 paid product. You have got to decide how much your time is worth and how often you will need the product.

Example: About a year ago I purchased a program that submitted my articles to many directories simultaneously. It saved me hours of work. Sure I could have done it myself for free but my business has progressed to a place where I need to be more efficient. This means that as your business grows you want to delegate more of your tasks to other people and implement resources that make you more efficient.

When you are just getting started it is a fine line that depends on your budget.

Comments welcome.

Together in Success!

Jesse P. Jameson