Girls Fight Back… with video

September is National Campus Safety Awareness Month. And this week millions of college students in North America will move into their dorms or apartments for the new academic year.

In this spirit, I'd like to talk about Erin Weed and her terrific program called Girls Fight Back.

GFB empowers girls and women from around the world through personal safety and self-defense techniques. The information is delivered via in person sessions on university campuses, at high schools and workplaces. Erin and her team have trained over half a million people.

This valuable content is also available via Erin's book Girls Fight Back!: The College Girl's Guide to Protecting Herself (Amazon affiliate link) and via a DVD which retails for $29.95.

Here's the amazing thing.

Erin also makes her entire program available as a completely free online video with no registration! I love how the ideas pioneered by the Grateful Dead are being used in all sorts of businesses.

"You inspired me to put the entire DVD online, viewable to anyone, for free, without even giving an email address," Erin told me. "It feels good to make this information accessible to literally any woman in the world."

Good for you Erin.

And to anyone reading who knows a teenage girl or young woman, please send this link to the free training video.

Many people (especially music labels) think that what Erin does (giving away content) is nuts. After all, she's making money by selling her book and DVD and by delivering in person seminars, so many people think providing the content for free is a bad strategy.

I make my revenue just like Erin does—via speaking engagements and books. Yet I have complete speeches available online for free such as this keynote at BMA annual conference 2009. I also make much of my print content available for free as well through my blog and free, no registration required ebooks. Call me nuts, but it drives lots of business my way.

Free content is the best marketing in the world.

In a world where people share online, it's all about exposure.

If you're like Erin and have the guts to do it, make your content available for free. You’ll change people’s lives (and in Erin's business even save lives), gain exposure, and build your business.

Stay safe.

Comments

[Gzmskl]

I really impressed from that and I will look at her website:)

[HMacdonald]

David, I really appreciate you sharing Erin's website. Not only is it a great marketing technique, but this is certainly information that every woman can use. Too many women, especially college-aged, are harmed in this manner. I'm very excited to check out the book and I'm already sharing the Girls Fight Back website with friends.

[David Meerman Scott]

HMacdonald - Thanks for the comment and the tweet. Erin and her team are doing terrific work. But it is people like you who are essential to spreading the information. Stay safe.

[UFC 135 Fight Card]

"I am just someone who wanted to try, in some way, to fight back against thugs and criminals. Have you seen the video of the attacked lad getting robbed? ...