In one of my previous blogs I addressed the concept of FREE and how social media has provided everyone with invaluable information that is out there for grabs! In a follow up post I noted that there’s always a catch attached to the word FREE – so what’s THE CATCH?
We are all in it for the business! In my comment on Christy Li’s post about the concept of FREE – I said that you have to give a little to receive a little. Sharon Crost dubbed it as “Fair Trade – give knowledge FREELY, but not for FREE. Trade knowledge for knowledge. Trade knowledge for productivity. Trade knowledge for action.” That is THE CATCH.
I’m reminded of a conversation I always used to have with my dad – he would always accuse my generation of being lazy and very dependent on technology to manage our lives – he used to tell me to stop using the calculator and use my head, my come back used to be: “Why should I waste time and energy on calculations when I can be using it to be more productive!” This is exactly what we have in the social media world – abundance of information (the numbers that need to be calculated), social media network (the different types of calculators), and The Catch (seeking experts to help transform this knowledge into action). The analogy being – why should I waste my money on information when it’s readily available – you should focus you efforts on converting this wealth of knowledge into action and your money should be spent on hiring the right people to do that job!
Think of it when it comes to purchasing a new software – it’s always FREE to Try! It is very similar to the concept of FREE in Social Media – let’s take the example of my blog – I’m pouring my years of study and experience in marketing onto these pages as a “FREE sample” of what I am capable of offering any company that decided to hire my consulting services. Denise Wakeman aka Blog Squad said in one of her sessions on blogging – “business blogs are a business marketing tool. It’s OK to tell people you have a business and you sell services/products …”
In conclusion, “strings will always be attached” and there will always be a “catch” associated with FREE. Therefore, as a business, the more appropriate question that you need to be addressing is – How do I offer Value in a FREE World? – Think About It
I completely agree with the concept of ‘give a little to receive a little’. As greedy as I might sound, in business world, we always expect to give a little to receive A LOT! I’m not saying that we ONLY give if we can receive A LOT, but then, having that in mind to push us think long term is necessary.
Regarding to your conversation with your father, I have the same one with my parents as well. Seemingly, calculator is really not for their ages. However, from what I understand the meaning behind is that, we, as a new age generation, rely TOO much on technology and as a result, we become slaves. Just imagine, how many phone numbers or birthdays you can remember by heart? We sync our mobile, pc, palm and every single device…we don’t use our brain as a memory device anymore! Furthermore, in terms of calculation, I have to tell you with a bit of shame that my father can calculate faster by heart than I use calculator…and also, when we negotiate prices with customers…just imagine the scenario of holding a calculator versus someone who can give the %difference within 1 second…
Of course I’m not saying technology is not good, thank them for bringing the world closer, providing free information and allowing fair trade (if it’s true). However, as the example above, overusing or overrelying on technology might have a downside…people lost the basic survival skill and direct communication…we can’t live and become totally disconnected to the world without mobile and PC. How many times you hear people say “I’m back to the world with my internet working again”?
Same theory applies to social media i believe, choosing the right one with a right management is very important. But also don’t forget, once you get connected, how to remain connected and also make a closer approach in order to build an exclusive and personal relationship is the hardest part. I can have 100000000 people knowing my company, my business and myself. But how many of them do I really talk to and become ‘friends?’ The latest blog from Seth Godin on “First, organize 1000′ says it loud and clear. Stop yelling at strangers but find 1000 your true fans, who are willing to build a real relationship with you, in a virtual world