If you’re looking for effective freebie ideas for small business owners, then you’re in the right place! Giveaways and freebies are amazing tools for businesses to attract and engage customers. It’s an opportunity to provide value and leave a lasting positive impression on your shoppers.
Successful freebies work because of reciprocity – it’s the idea that when someone does something nice for us, we naturally want to do something nice in return! So, by giving away something valuable for free, we tap into this instinct, encouraging customers to connect more with our brand.
In this article, we’ll talk about 12 creative freebie ideas for small business owners. Then, we’ll show you how to set them up in WooCommerce using Advanced Coupons. Let’s get started!
Why You Need To Giveaway Freebies As A Small Business Owner
As a small business owner, you’re always on the lookout for affordable ways to promote your products and services, right?
Well, giveaways are a fantastic option that can give you great results without breaking the bank. They give your potential customers a reason to engage with you, whether it’s signing up for your newsletter, following you on social media, or even making a purchase.
Running giveaways also helps you gather valuable insights about your audience.
When people enter your giveaway, they often share information that can help you better understand and connect with your target market. This data allows you to tailor your marketing efforts to their preferences, making your promotions more effective.
Additionally, giving away freebies can generate buzz about your business. When customers receive something valuable for free, they’re more likely to spread the word to their friends and family, giving you free word-of-mouth advertising.
12 Creative Freebie Ideas For Small Business Owners
Before you dive into the world of freebies, it’s important to understand what makes a good freebie. Firstly, a good freebie should resonate with your target audience, add value to their lives, and be cost-effective for you. Aim to offer items that are desirable yet budget-friendly.
Finding this balance is key to being generous yet profitable.
Freebies can come in various forms, such as physical products or digital downloads. They can stand alone or complement other products. Think about the long-term benefits too.
For instance, giving a sample of a consumable product may lead to repeat purchases, while a free ebook can establish your brand as an industry expert.
Choosing freebies that align with your brand identity and values creates a consistent experience for customers, building trust and loyalty. As a small business, you have the flexibility to be creative and differentiate yourself.
That being said, let’s now explore some innovative ideas together that can help you stand out:
1. Customized product samples
Samples have always been a popular freebie choice, but you can take it a step further by customizing them. If you sell accessories, for example, offering a small, personalized sample with a purchase can delight customers.
It’s an opportunity to showcase your range and encourage future purchases, while the personal touch makes the customer feel valued.
2. Membership or subscription perks
Starting a membership or subscription service might seem challenging, but it’s a great way to offer ongoing value. You can give members special perks like early access to sales, exclusive discounts, or members-only freebies.
This makes customers feel special and can build a community around your brand.
3. Collaborative giveaways
Partnering with another business for giveaways can introduce you to new customers. For example, teaming up with a local coffee shop to offer a free coffee with a purchase over a certain amount benefits both businesses and exposes your brand to a new audience.
4. Event-based freebies
Tying freebies to events or holidays can create excitement! This is why offering themed products during the holiday season are amazing freebie ideas for small business owners.
For example, take a look at So Fort Worth It by Christy Dunaway Smith’s Christmas giveaway:
This strategy can be applied to different events throughout the year to keep your brand top of mind.
5. Loyalty program incentives
Loyalty programs are great for keeping customers coming back.
Giving away freebies as rewards for reaching certain points or making purchases encourages repeat business and shows appreciation for your customer’s loyalty.
If this is something you’re interested in, consider getting the WooCommerce Loyalty Program plugin:
This plugin lets you easily set up a loyalty program within 5 minutes! Additionally, it lets you reward customers for a multitude of actions, such as:
- Purchasing products
- Leaving a product review
- Commenting on a blog post
- Registering as a user/customer
- And many, many more!
6. Limited-time offers
Creating limited-time freebie offers builds urgency and motivates action.
Whether it’s a seasonal product, a special edition item, or exclusive content, making it available for a short time makes customers act fast.
7. Personalized services
Free services can be just as impactful as physical products. For service-based businesses, offering a free consultation or personalized assessment introduces potential customers to your offerings and provides a personalized experience that leads to happy customers and positive reviews.
8. Free shipping
Shipping costs can be a deal-breaker for most shoppers, often leading to cart abandonment. In fact, according to recent industry research by Statista, high delivery fees and unexpected costs at checkout are among the top reasons for cart abandonment. Offering free shipping as a “freebie” can help you eliminate this barrier and encourage customers to complete their purchases.
There are several ways you can implement this. For instance, you can offer free shipping as a welcome gift to new buyers. Likewise, you can set minimum purchase requirements to make an order eligible for free shipping–an amazing way to increase average order values.
9. Referral bonuses
Referral programs are an excellent way to expand your brand’s reach and reach new customers. By offering referral freebies or bonuses, you can incentivize existing customers to spread the word about your business. It’s a win-win strategy: customers get rewarded and you gain new customers without spending too much on customer acquisition.
Some referral rewards you can explore include gift cards, store credits, and exclusive discounts. To make your reward more enticing, consider offering a bonus to both the referrer and the new customer. For instance, you can give both customers a $50 gift card for participating in your referral program.
10. Free online courses/workshops
This freebie is an excellent choice for service-based industries (such as digital marketing and fitness coaching), or businesses with the main aim of educating their customers. It’s a powerful way to provide immense value, while also establishing industry authority.
Depending on your niche, there are several types of rich content you can choose from. For instance, you can host webinars that demonstrate how to use your products correctly. This can work well for beauty and skincare brands. Likewise, you can offer interactive Q&A sessions, giving customers the chance to engage with your brand at a more personal level.
11. Downloadable checklists/templates
Digital content like templates or checklists are also excellent ways to provide your customers with value. These resources are e simple to make and distribute, and can virtually be tailored for any niche.
A great opportunity is setting this content up as an opt-in freebie. This way, you can simultaneously capture important customer information and build your email list. Here are some good industry-specific examples:
- Meal planning templates: Businesses in the health and wellness space can offer downloadable meal plan templates that customers can edit.
- Social media content calendars: This will work well for businesses offering digital marketing or creative services. A good real-life example is HubSpot–a company that provides marketing, sales, and customer service software solutions. They have a dedicated hub of free templates and resources, including social media content calendars.
- Event planning checklists: Businesses in the event planning sector can provide customers with free, downloadable checklists to help clients plan special events. The Knot, for example, offers a free wedding planning checklist for couples:
12. Free trial period/upgrade
You’ll notice that most software businesses or subscription-based companies leverage this freebie. It’s one of the most effective ways to attract customers and reduce their perceived risks about upgrading. By offering a free trial period, you allow customers to experience the full benefits of upgrading without the commitment, making it easier for them to make a purchase decision.
A good example is Canva’s Free Pro Trial–users gain access to premium features for 30 days, giving them ample time to see the added value of being paid customers. This increases the likelihood of them upgrading to a paid plan once the trial period is over.
How To Giveaway Freebies In WooCommerce (3-Step Tutorial)
When you’ve settled on the freebie that best suits your business strategy, your next step is to figure out how to distribute it effectively.
You can explore WooCommerce, a popular e-commerce platform for small businesses, which offers a variety of plugins and extensions that can assist you in managing giveaways. One such tool you can consider is Advanced Coupons:
Advanced Coupons extends the basic coupon functionality of WooCommerce, allowing you to create complex deals and offers. With this tool, you can set up “Buy One, Get One” deals, schedule coupons, and restrict offers based on various conditions like user roles or purchase history.
Most especially, it’s particularly useful for setting up a giveaway in just 3 steps:
Step 1: Create a new coupon
To begin, navigate to Coupons > Add New on your WooCommerce dashboard. This will prompt you to configure the Coupon Data section:
Be sure to provide a meaningful coupon name so that your customers can easily identify and redeem the offer. Alternatively, you can simply ask the system to generate a code for you.
Step 2: Tweak the “Add Products” tab
Next, head over to the “Add Products” tab within the Advanced Coupons settings. Here, you’ll find a “Products” field that displays a comprehensive list of all the products available in your store:
Select the specific product you’d like to give out for free, adjust the quantity, and enter the discount amount. If you want to set the sample product to be free, choose the “Override Price” option and enter “0.00” in the corresponding box:
Step 3: Auto-apply the sample product
Using automatic coupon applications is a great way to surprise customers with a freebie pleasantly.
To set this up, adjust the Cart Condition settings of the coupon.
Then, you can pick either the “Product Quantity In The Cart” condition or the “Product Category Exists In Cart” condition, depending on what you need.
Then, head to the “Add Products” tab again, select the sample product, and set the price to zero.
Finally, enable the “Enable auto apply” option:
This means that when a customer fulfills certain conditions, a free sample product will automatically appear in their shopping cart, improving their shopping experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can small businesses offer freebies without big losses?
Choosing freebies that are valuable yet don’t have large upfront costs is key. For instance, you can offer digital downloads, product samples, free webinars, or even free shipping deals. Setting order conditions (like minimum purchase amounts) can help ensure freebies are sustainable for your business.
What is a freebie content?
Virtually anything that business owners offer for free to customers is considered freebie content. Some common examples include physical product samples, downloadable guides (eBooks or free templates), and free product trials. They’re excellent tools to attract new customers or reward them for their engagement and loyalty.
Do customers like freebies?
Yes, customers adore freebies! Research backs this up, showing that people tend to assign large value to free items due to the emotional satisfaction they provide. Small businesses can leverage freebies to build trust and excitement, as well as increase overall customer engagement.
Conclusion
Embracing giveaways can be a rewarding journey for your small business. When you offer unique and valuable freebies for small businesses, you attract new customers, strengthen existing relationships, and create a lively brand community.
In this article, we shared 8 innovative freebie ideas for small business owners:
- Customized product samples
- Membership or subscription perks
- Collaborative giveaways
- Event-based freebies
- Loyalty program incentives
- Limited-time offers
- Personalized services
- Free shipping
- Referral bonuses
- Free online courses/workshops
- Downloadable checklists/templates
- Free trial period/upgrade
Then, we also shared 3 easy steps to giveaway a product using Advanced Coupons:
Do you have any questions about this article? Let us know in the comments!
