How often do you give away the store?
One of the consequences of understanding how to use social media or other Internet marketing services is that people without this knowledge flock to you, asking for your time in exchange for small tokens of affection (Most of these types of people offer me beer — am I that transparent?).
Sometimes it’s a good thing to share your knowledge with folks with little regard for payment.
You never know who may be able to hook you up with a paying gig if they’re impressed with your knowledge. I’ve received lots of business and met plenty of new clients this way. But here’s the rub: you must know when it’s time to stop sharing your valuable skills for little or no compensation.
Internet Marketers Are Not Hobbyists
I believe part of the reason people think it’s ok to trade a round of beers for several hours (or more) of valuable Internet marketing services is because they don’t understand the value and effort behind it. Many people with ‘professional’ careers, like lawyers, doctors, and accountants, believe social media or online services are performed by geeks who enjoy creating successful campaigns with little thought about payment.
Part of this is our own fault.
The number of hours I spend tweaking campaigns beyond what I am paid for has to do with my own insatiable desire for perfection that I don’t feel like billing a client. This is ok – from time to time. But it’s critical to determine for yourself what is ok to give away for free and what else is a service you require payment for.
My own business model is based on something Wired editor Chris Anderson calls ‘freemium’ in his book, ‘Free: The Future of a Radical Price‘.
I will give you advice and tutorials — FREE. The reason I do this is because:
- I love to create, learn and share.
- Sharing content helps establish me as a respected leader.
- Valuable free content drives links and inbound leads.
If you’re a friend and you ask me out for drinks, I will most likely accept happily and without reservation. Want to talk social media? That’s cool with me, I’ll probably even share some notes on the back of a napkin and pump you up about your own ability to build a successful (but most likely basic) campaign.
Send me emails, engage me in conversation, this is all cool and I encourage it.
But here’s what I will not do, and frankly I am risking losing several friends by being honest with you — because I don’t want you to make the mistake of promising your services to people for free. The result of this is usually hard feelings and shoddy work:
- I will not create your AdWords campaigns ‘in my spare time’ (Would you ask a tailor to put together your new suit on his lunch break, or inquire if your accountant can whip up your taxes in between business meetings?).
- I will never build you a website just because you ask me nicely and say you think a friend might be able to get a business owner they know to pay for one.
- No, I cannot ‘do your social media’ this weekend (Dude, social media is social — this means it is an ongoing process, not a one-time activity).
Expertise is Not a License to Sneer
OK, some people will think the Commando is coming down hard on folks who just want a little guidance, and that’s not the case at all.
Sharing your knowledge and helping people out is a professional courtesy the world needs more of. I love helping people and hope you do too. But lets not forget that good intentions can’t make the mortgage payment or put food in our bellies. So long as you are up-front about what is free and what costs money, you’re set up for success.
Now don’t take my example to the extreme! Sneering at folks who inquire about your services are not asking for free help. People who want to know about social media are not necessarily asking for hours of your time. Please don’t forget this, and never do something really stupid like charging for quotes and estimates (Someone is asking you for a quote? Holy crap, sounds like a great business opportunity to me!).
Best of luck with your own online marketing and social media efforts.
Feel free to email me with questions or requests for quotes, which are also available on my services page. And never forget that building relationships and starting conversations is one of the most important activities you will ever invest in…
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Excellent points Joe, I'm right there with you. In the design world its called 'spec' and although we'd love to show you the possibilities of your idea, we can't do it for free. Took a bit of time and talent to get to the point where we can actually call ourselves professional. And if anybody can do it, why don't they? Yes, social media is free to use, but skills likes yours aren't akin to flipping burgers.
Oh, I need to buy you a beer sometime…!
Beer is good
Joe – Fair, honest and direct – ahhh… Social: you know it, teach it and live it – transparency is the Prince (Content is King and Context is Queen) and appreciated! The points you hit on parallel those that have appeared next to Open Source software for years as well “The software was free, whadya mean you want to charge me to customize it”. Your points are valid and dead-on
(BTW, I was thinking about something, should be simple to do, let's have a beer so we can discuss it
Any time, Mitch
I think these are excellent guidelines for any area of expertise and/or career field, Joe. Unfortunately, yes, people would ask the accountant to whip up their tax filings for free between business meetings, just like people are always expecting to get free diagnoses from doctors and free legal advice from lawyers who are friends or relatives. Which of course, is just plain wrong. But if they would expect THAT for free, of course they would expect your social media skills for free! It's human nature for people to want to get something for nothing if they possibly can. It's incumbent upon us to educate them as to why we cannot do that. And you've done that very well with this article.
Great post Joe. Like a splash of cold water in the face, it is a great reminder of how hard it is to not to cross that proverbial “line” of giving too much away for free. We are all a tight knit community here wanting to help each others business succeed but…
And I will get in line behind Lara and Mitch and buy the 3rd round
I appreciate the kind words.
I guess you're right about people wanting things for free, which makes me think of the old saying, “You get what you pay for.” It's funny, because I actually want to make sure the professionals I patronize are well compensated, because then I feel they are motivated to give me their best.
Nice thoughts, thanks for sharing!
You illustrate the difference between genuine interest and 'wanting something for nothing' though, Dana. We have a vibrant community here and it's great so many of us are willing to share insights about what works, and what doesn't.
Nothing makes me happier than helping someone succeed. But nothing drives me crazier than people who want to half-ass it and push all the work they should be doing onto me for no pay. That's just insane.
2010 is going to be a year of consolidation as people get over the hype and move on from their social media business hopes, separating those who can from those who cannot. Going to be an exciting ride!
As for that beer, looking forward to it!
Joe: excellent points. I can tell you as a lawyer (one who thinks you may be a geek, but has every right to expect payments for your services), it's really no different. You go to a party, someone chats you up about their legal issue, and says, “whaddaya think?” Well, it's a tough position to be in when that happens, and I have told people, “why don't you come to my office so we can discuss it?” That usually cools the conversation off a bit. Or, the middle road is to hand out a few bits of information but keep the nitty-gritty for the office meeting. Ah, the world of being a service provider….
Good call, Brian.
Say…I've been meaning to start a new LLC. Think you can throw one together during your lunch break? Really appreciate it!
Yes, being a service provider is a wild ride, indeed…
No problemo, but you get what you pay for….
Exactly!
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