RE: Will They Pay? Part II

From: Rob Frankel <rob_at_robfrankel.com>
Date: Mon 21 May 2001 12:20:33 -0500

JOHN GASKILL <gm_at_info-central-usa.com> WROTE:

>There seems to be a desire on the part of some list
>contributors to convince the rest of the list that so
>many people who surf the internet are unwilling to pay
>for content that a web site operator may not charge
>for content and be profitable.

>I've read research by Forrester and Nua that appears
>to reinforce this concept if you read the headlines and
>don't see beyond the words printed on the web page.

>In fact these reports reveal that increased numbers
>of people are paying for online content, aside from their
>internet access subscriptions. That is the first step.

SNIP

>If publishers can't get the necessary funds to
>stay in business from advertisers, plus a little left
>over after expenses for the shareholders, they
>must get it from the people who use their product.

>If people are unwilling to pay, the answer is clear
>in spite of its unpleasant nature.

Yeah, I don't get what all the fuss is about. If you
take this argument to the print media world, it really
gets absurd. I mean, do you think twice about the fact
that Playboy, Newsweek or even -- gulp
-- Oprah charge their subscribers a fee?

As I may have mentioned before, I've found that the
problem really isn't getting people to pay for content;
it's getting them to pay for what was once free. That
feels like a rip off to them, because, well, you're
changing the rules.

My experience proves you can do it. Easily. Here's
what I did:

My Frankelbiz branded community is free. Always
will be. The new FrankelTips weekly, though, is a
subscription driven model. When I introduced the
FrankelTips publication to the FrankelBiz members,
nobody complained or even remarked about paying. But
in the first two weeks, over 20% of the list (several
hundred) gladly did.

The reason, I believe, is two-fold. First, there's a
clear distinction between the free product and the pay
product. One is a free business opportunity exchange,
the other is a Q&A/commentary format. The second
reason is that the brand behind the first was strong
enough to carry over to the second.

People really do pay for content. They just don't
like it when you change the rules.


Rob Frankel, "Yes, I really do turn users into
evangelists for your brand."
Big Time Branding (TM) http://www.RobFrankel.com
FrankelTips Weekly at: http://www.FrankelTips.com
The Book/Tapes: http://www.RevengeOfBrandX.com
FrankelBiz for FREE at: http://www.FrankelBiz.com



Received on Mon May 21 2001 - 12:20:33 CDT