When marketing to potential customers, you have to be a creative-thinking individual or company to gain their notice and differentiate yourself from the competition.

Sales and discounts are always a great way to do that, but what about giving away free products or services?

A free offer can backfire in many ways, so it’s important that the freebie marketing is done correctly to provide value to the customers without devaluing the product or service.

Many people don’t think free items have any value, so the tactic must be done right.

What’s the Purpose Behind Freebie Marketing?

When you’re offering an item for free, you are trying to provide yourself with a benefit.

You could be trying to gain new customers, get your customers to talk about you on social media or retain those customers with a future offer that allows you to upsell to customers.

Fast food chains often give away appetizers or drinks with the goal of selling more products at the same time.

Not many people will order an appetizer or a drink without buying a meal to go with it. They are giving freebies with the intended goal of making more sales.

When it comes to home inspector services, you have to think creatively about what you’d like to offer your new or existing customers. It’s important that the freebie provides value to your customers.

You shouldn’t give them anything that has negative connotations though. While it might seem humorous to give customers a roll of duct tape or a copy of The Money Pit move, this freebie will fall flat.

Customers don’t want to feel like they’re being laughed at when it comes to their homes. The freebie has to provide value while making the customer want to buy more services from you in the future.

What to Offer as Your Freebie?

Free Home Inspection Videos

When you offer free videos, you’re showing that you’re an expert in your field.

You can talk about how homeowners can test their water supply for contaminants, test for toxic mold in the home or anything that isn’t part of the standard home inspection process.

You want them to think of you as their go-to home inspection resource. When they’re ready to buy a home and need an inspection, you’ll be the one they call.

Free Pre-Inspection Checklist

You can provide a checklist for potential buyers that would help them when they’re looking for homes, and before they hire you for their home inspection.

It could cover indications of foundation problems, indications of roof leaks and how to know if there are potential plumbing issues. They’ll want to hire you once they find a home that doesn’t have any of these indications.

Free One-Year Roof Inspection

When homeowners are given a freebie like this, they are going to remember you. They’ll be eager to find out if their roof is holding up after a year of ownership.

There’s value in providing this kind of freebie because you’re making contact after a year and have the opportunity to upsell some other services at that time.

Free Workshop

You should be building relationships with realtors. They are going to recommend your services to their clients, and that could bring in a lot of new business.

You can host a free workshop for this audience. Think about your expertise. Are you an expert on older homes?

Do you love Victorians? Find your ideal topic and consider the questions that are asked continually. Those are great talking points for your workshop.

You should think outside the box of providing traditional freebies to customers like promotional materials, and instead, think of items and services that have value but come with a catch.

You want the opportunity to sell your products and services too.

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