Section 3 Free Content from Uncle Sam Can Save Marketers Time and Money

One of the most effective and popular marketing techniques being used today,
both online and offline, is the free content offer. You know how it works: to
generate a lead or an order, you offer the prospect some valuable free content in
exchange for an inquiry or a purchase.

The free content can take many different forms: booklets, special reports, white
papers, article reprints, manuals, even books. These items are called “bait pieces
,” because they are used to “bait the hook” when you go “fishing” for a lead or
sale.

The process of building marketing campaigns around free content offers is
called “educational marketing” or “edu‐marketing,” because it generates sales
by educating prospects about your product or service—or the problem it solves.

Today, the bait piece is often electronic, not print. For online marketing, white
papers and reports are offered as downloadable PDF documents. The advantage
is that the prospect gets instant delivery of the bait piece, which costs you no
thing in printing and postage. Bait pieces don’t have to be documents. You can
offer software, DVDs, videos, or CDs. The advantage is that the prospect is for
ced to give you his snail mail address, because otherwise, you can’t ship the
physical item to him.


I am constantly urging clients to use the bait piece strategyfree content offers
to increase response rates to lead‐generating and one‐step promotions. But to
my dismay, many don’t follow my suggestion. Why not? The three biggest
objections these marketers have to the bait piece strategy revolve around the
creation of the bait piece itslf. They are:


1. I can’t write.
2. I don’t have time to write it.
3. I don’t have the budget to hire a writer and designer to produce the bait piece.


If any of these are stopping you from offering free content, I have some good
news for you: now you can get “ready‐made” bait pieces from Uncle Sam. And
most won’t cost you a nickel. How? Many people don’t realize that the U.S.
Government Printing Office (GPO) is one of the largest publishers in the country.

They also aren’t aware that many of the U.S. GPO publications are not copyright
edmeaning they are yours to reprint, distribute, and use however you want (the
government does ask that you credit them as the source, as a courtesy).

Years ago, when radon was in the news, I responded to a newspaper ad for a
radar inspection service because they offered a free “consumer awareness guide
to radon.” When I got it, I realized they had taken a GPO publication and just
imprinted it with their name and address.
You can find a selection of GPO reports and booklets at the Federal Citizen Infor
mation Center (FCIC). Before the Internet, FCIC used to advertise their free
publications catalog aggressively on TVremember those commercials urging
you to call or write “Pueblo, Colorado”?

Now, you can find the FCIC online at www.pueblo.gsa.gov, where you can
download and print dozens of publications for free. Or you can call them toll‐
free at 888‐878‐3256 for a free copy of their catalog of publications.

How might a marketer take advantage of this rich treasure trove of free content
from Uncle Sam?

Well, one of the publications I found on the site is “Stop, Think, Click: 7 Practices
for Safer Computing.” This 12‐page report “helps protect your information, your
computer, even yourself…[against] online scammers, hackers, and identity
thieves.”

Could you imagine a high‐tech firm selling firewalls, anti‐virus software, Inter
net monitoring programs, or content filters offering this as a free report in their
ads or online? Of course: it’s a natural fit. And they wouldn’t have to write
a word; they could just put their logo and contact information on the front and
back pages of the existing report.

Another report I downloaded for free at the FCIC Website was “Taking Control
of Your Finances.” This 12‐page document had sections on common mistakes
people make with money, how to protect yourself against financial fraud, and

five things you should know about credit cards. Any financial planner could get
more leads by offering this free bulletin to potential customers interested in
saving and makig money.

The library of free content available at www.pueblo.gsa/gov is quality material:
the federal government pays writers and designers good money to produce these

publications, which are almost universally well written and attractively designed

So if you want to offer free content, but you don’t have the time, skill, or
resources to create your own bait pieces, that’s no longer a valid excuse for igno
ring the bait‐piece strategy. Your tax dollars have already been spent creating


a wealth of content you can offer your prospects as a bait piece. And it’s yours
free for the taking.

One additional tip: another good source of content is books in the “public
domain”that is, books on which copyright protection has expired. Most non
fiction books published before 1923 fit into this category. Of course, the draw
back here is that much of this content is dated—but not all.

Note: I am not an attorney. So I can’t give you legal advice. Therefore, you
should check with your attorney before using previously published material
from any source, other than your own company, in your marketing programs.