The Free Jerk, a Lesson in Internet Marketing
Jad BitarIncentive marketing applied to digital products. Marketer Alex Goad launches www.thefreejerk.com, a site that gives away marketing sensation ebook The Rich Jerk. How do you get something you want for free? Until recently, you could pretty much put it on your Christmas wish list and hope the big guy delivers. Several companies, starting with Gratis Internet, have created or emulated the incentive marketing business model, whereby users get free stuff for becoming "forced leads." If you%26#8217;ve ever come across one of those "squash the spider to get a free Ipod" ads, that%26#8217;s exactly what they were about. Internet marketer Alex Goad took things one step further: "I saw a great opportunity here. Free stuff has an incredible appeal to just about anybody and that makes the business model a winner, in and of itself. After seeing literally dozens of free Ipod touting sites popup, I wanted to target a completely different audience." Enter www.thefreejerk.com, launched October 7th 2005. The site runs on the same principles as its Ipod brethren but the "free gift" this time is $97 ebook sensation The Rich Jerk. "When I saw how much buzz The Rich Jerk was able to generate around his ebook, I knew that it was just a simple stretch to use the incentive marketing business model to give it away," said founder Alex Goad. The Rich Jerk has undoubtedly become one of the greatest successes of Internet marketing ever, coming out of nowhere to top several categories at online marketplace Clickbank.com. The unique tone of the book as well as its "no fluff, no filler" style have made it a popular read for beginners and experts alike. Incentive marketing really saw the light of day when free Ipods hit the market. Since then, the company has given away over 5 million dollars worth of those little marvels in exchange for visitors filling in lead sheets for advertisers such as AOL, BlockBuster Online, Comcast and many more. While there is some effort involved in the process, freebies are now well documented reality. "I had two objectives when I set out to build TheFreejerk.com. First off I wanted to apply the incentive marketing principle to digital products. A lot of people are reticent to buy $100 ebooks and with good reason. If they can get it for free, it takes a big part of the risk out of the equation. I also wanted to break the business model out into the open for internet marketing in general. I truly believe that this is one of the few opportunities that ordinary people have to make money on the internet. I%26#8217;m giving all the information away on www.buildafreebiesite.com, it%26#8217;s theirs for the taking," said Goad. Freebies aren%26#8217;t for everybody. You need to buy into the idea first and be patient. Most companies offering freebies have a near 30 day turnaround time for shipping. Just as with any new industry, this one has its fair share of scammers and unethical business; users should stick to sites that have attained some recognition to avoid disappointment.