Free stuff motivates.  I think we can all agree with that.

During college, it was all about finding free food.  It almost didn’t matter what the event was or the organization holding it or even the cause that was being supported.

Free hamburgers?  Sure, I’ll support “No more offshore drilling” for a day.  Free Tshirts and coffee mugs?  Yup, I’ll be there and no, I don’t mind having to wear that wristband for a couple minutes for cancer.  Free “entire meals” deals complete with drinks, sides, and a main course?  Sure, I’ll be a “christian” for a day and join those wierdos in the student lobby singing praise songs to a God who supposedly died on a tree…

And what’s so great is that the internet should be a prime resource for not only giving away “free” stuff but also providing added benefits for marketing (if you can find a creative and easy way to do it).

Thomas Nelson Publishers has done just that with their new initiative called Book Review Bloggers, which has a super simple premise:  They’ll send you a free copy of a book if you promise to blog a 200 word review and another one on Amazon.com (and it doesn’t have to be positive!)

Genius.

Not only do they get ratings and reviews on Amazon, one of the most visited online bookseller in the entire world, they’ve injected themselves into the blogging space where viral and grassroots marketing can blaze through the interwebs faster than a California firestorm (and that can be a good thing or a bad thing, like the SoCal fires of course).

But the point is that people are talking about it.

I’m not familiar with the costs associated with publishing a book (perhaps some day) but I can’t imagine that Thomas Nelson and co are losing anything but pennies on the dollar for their free reviews (but shipping might be a pain in the tookus).

So go ahead and signup.  It’s free, takes a second, and then get your phat-free-loot-on.  I’ve already done my first review on Lynne Spears Through the Storm… easy cakes!

If you want even more information, check out Michael Hyatt’s (President and CEO) blog post about it.

So do some creative thinking this week about your ministry and online agenda for your organization.  Does it include giving away something for “free”?  Is this a reasonable initiative from a financial, business, marketing, and strategic perspective?  (One size doesn’t fit all, of course).

Ah, and remember, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is free too.  Don’t forget that.  =)