Status of Markus Allen's FREE marketing ideas newsletter: discontinued

That's it... I'm not going to take it any more -- but it's probably good news for you...

Every once in a while, the people that you care about the most give you advice that falls on deaf ears. Many people like Yanik Silver, my mentor Paul Schlegel and (and others) often advised me to drop my free newsletter -- yet I ignored their advice. I have no excuse... I'm a slow learner.

This is my final free tip. And I'd like to think I've saved the best for last. It's both a marketing tip and a detailed look at why I'm closing the file on my free marketing newsletter.

Sour grapes? You bet.

"I absolutely agree with your last tip. When done within limits it's useful. Going overboard with free advice certainly loses it's worth.

Glad to see that you have the courage to call a spade a spade. I wish we had more genuine people like you around."

-- Sabiha Siddiqui
http://siddiquimarketers.com

Click here to read comments about this announcement...

After reading this you might get the impression that I'm jaded. Yes, I admit it -- I am...

... A month-long break in July confirmed my suspicions -- the time, money, and effort to send a marketing newsletter is (and was) one of the worst returns on investment.

I listened to the so-called gurus for far too long... claiming that we're just, "... one $19 ebook purchase away from instant internet riches and early retirement." Certainly, this is possible, but usually reserved to the "shovel sellers" -- those selling us the "secrets".

Like a patriotic soldier, I followed the advice of creating a free newsletter. These gurus drilled into our heads that offering a newsletter was a great way to build a mailing list. And once you had a mailing list, you could almost print money at will.

So on December 1, 1997, my free marketing ideas' newsletter was born. Every business day over the course of 6 years, this newsletter featured my favorite collection of marketing ideas from under-the-radar experts. And as word got out about this free newsletter, the size of my mailing list grew.

The number is...

While I'd like to think I'm an open book about everything, I never revealed my subscriber counts. It's kind of funny... when I was asked about this (which was often), I'd answer the question with my own question and asked for a guess. Every guess (for just one exception) was higher than the actual count. Some even guessed over a million.

But here's a hint... I think it was either Dan Kennedy or Jay Abraham who estimated that at any one time, the world has less than 10,000 marketing junkies. I'd agree with that number, so when an internet marketing newsletter publisher claims massive subscriber counts, you might double check the facts.

And now for the bottom line

While I had a lot of subscribers to my free newsletter, the quality of these "leads" (for the most part) were worthless. That's not to say that you're worthless -- I doubt it actually. The fact that you're reading this tells me you're different...

... But when I apply the 80/20 rule, the math is impossible to deny -- giving away free stuff attracts freebie seekers. That's something you learn during the first week of business school. And it took me more than 8 years to figure it out.

So my last tip here is this... let your competitors sell ice to Eskimos
Ever since December 1 of 1997, I've been trying to sell ice to Eskimos... trying to "convince" marketers that my newsletter was the answer to their marketing problems was both naive and arrogant.

For the tiny fraction of a fraction of subscribers who implemented the marketing ideas, it really paid off. It was tempting to call the police because these "implementers" virtually stole from me (with my permission of course).

... But the vast majority of my subscribers hardly (if ever) implemented any of the 1,841 ideas I've published every business day for over 7 years. A surprisingly high percentage didn't even open the emails -- I know because I precisely track this.

Cash vs. gratis
The bottom line is free stuff has virtually zero value.

To further prove this observation, I'd offer free advice to struggling retailers in my small town... revealing how they could easily grow their business as big as they desired.

These shop owners were always cordial and listened. Yet none... literally none of retailers implemented any of my suggestions.

I'm not bragging... the advice I offered wasn't original... stuff like ask customers for their email address... track advertising and slash non performers... and all of the other simple, yet proven ideas dispensed by the masters of marketing.

Today, it's painfully obvious why these retailers "smiled and nodded"... I was trying to sell free ice to Eskimos. That's a recipe for disaster. Free advice isn't respected.

Only the flip side, there's a group of retailers that invest almost $100.00 a month to get these same proven marketing strategies... this simple newsletter is read cover to cover -- and almost every subscriber thrives in a marketplace were most struggle to merely survive.

While the information is basically the same, the difference is striking -- those who pay for stuff have a much greater respect for information than those getting it free.

The amazing value of paper
Another trend quickly discovered by information publishers is the perceived value of printed information vs. onscreen information.

Buyers are often willing to pay up to double or even triple the price to have the same information printed and mailed compared to reading the exact same content on the 'net.

FAQs

What's next for Markus Allen?
I periodically put out an alert about what I'm working on... visit my homepage to get that latest.

What's going to happen with our email address?
When my next project is ready to go, I'll send just one last email about my next offering. After that, that's it -- your file is closed.

Can we still access your achieve of marketing ideas?
At this very moment, the answer is yes. But once my programmer switches web content management software, my archive will only be available for members.

Are you retiring?
Not at all... you might be thinking of another Mark -- Mark Joyner. I don't play those guru games. I'm just changing the model of my income stream. You could say I'm cashing out -- I'm cool with that.

Aren't you a hypocrite... advising us more than once that offering a free sample is a great way to attract new leads?
That's absolutely true... offering a free sample is one surefire way to boost response. But giving away valuable information and ideas forever is a recipe for disaster.

Can we change your mind?
I asked my mentor to yell at me if I even ponder changing my mind... and I hate being yelled at. If you're really interested to see what people are saying about this announcement, click here to read comments posted at my discussion forum...

... And here's an sampling of what they're saying about my announcement on other blogs and discussion forums: