Have you heard of Third Tribe Marketing?
No?
Here’s the rundown:
It’s a new and ethical way to sell stuff online. Instead of squeezing your customers with a long-form sales letter, you give them compelling content to build trust.
Then, after you earned that trust, you ask for the sale.
Simple as that.
But let’s get down to business. Why does this strategy work?
The Rule of Reciprocity
People tend to return favors and repay gifts. It’s a well-documented, wide-spread human norm that governs many of our social interactions.
As a matter of fact, Dr. Robert Cialdini named reciprocity as on of the six weapons of influence in his book on persuasion called “Influence.”
You may know this, but for those who don’t, this same rule applies online too.
For example, when you give out free content that helps people, they almost instantly feel indebted to you.
And if you give the same set of people, a loyal audience for example, lots of free content over an extended period of time, selling products to them is easy. Extremely easy.
I showed you how this worked for Brian Clark yesterday. Today, I’ll show you a few more examples.
The Trust Agents Book Release
Everyone knows Chris Brogan and Julien Smith. They’re the guys who wrote the New York Times Bestseller Trust Agents.
How did they do it?
Chris Brogan has been giving out free content for years. While I know he was doing this because he’s a nice guy, he was indirectly making people “owe” him.
So, when his book hit stores and he asked his following to buy it, they did it without question. It was their chance to repay a debt.
Thesis Theme for WordPress
Chris Pearson has an interesting, not-so-known story, too.
To cut it short, he started designing WordPress themes around five years ago. He developed instant hits like Pressrow, Cutline, and Neoclassical.
This was quality work. And the best part? They were all free.
So, in early 2008, when Chris released his first version of Thesis for $87, people wanted in.
Why?
Chris did great work, and everyone knew it because of his free wordpress themes. Buying Thesis was a no-brainer.
Is Reciprocity Enough?
In some cases, yes. When you give away tons of free content, it shows people two these two things:
1. you know what you’re doing
2. you’re willing to prove it
This is why giving away free content is one of the fundamentals of Third Tribe Marketing.
Plus, think about this for one second.
Many of you know that it’s much easier to sell products to a warm source than a cold source. Free content lets you have an endless supply of warm sources.
Now Let Me Ask You This…
What have you gave away lately?
Tweet
Good stuff, man. I think the important thing in all this is to understand reciprocity exists, but to act as if it doesn’t. In other words, don’t expect it. Just give.
Here’s what I’ve given away recently (it’s a doozy): Blog Traffic Fisher.
Couldn’t have said it better. Most people do something and immediately ask for something in return. That’s not how it works as you know. Instead, it’s better to wait for someone to offer help.
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