Nothing Worth a Damn is Free

There is a lovely “myth-conception” gaining ground these days and perpetuated by a flurry of social media gold rush consultants out there that marketing your business in the 21st century (thanks to social media) is now….(wait for it) free! I heard one of these inexperienced idiots say (and the audience wrote it down) “Very soon marketing will be like sex, only losers will have to pay for it.” Just today I read a post from a well-respected marketing guru who said companies should gain attention by creating “YouTube videos, blogs, Twitter feeds, photographs, charts, graphs, and ebooks—and it is all free.” Really? No more need to design expensive advertising, PR and marketing strategies or employ agencies. Just simply do it yourself. nike air max tavas Quick and easy, just like cleaning a toilet bowl with those fun little scrubbing bubble dudes who do all the work and leave you with a satisfied, nay happy, look on your face. Well, I do love fairly tales and especially the part where you can use them to escape the real world. However, this magic journey of a fairly tale like so many others, fails to stand up to real-world scrutiny. Allow me to explain. First off, we are taught from a very young age the old saying popularized by free-market economist Milton Friedman that goes “there is no such thing as a free lunch.” It even has it’s own abbreviation TTNSTAAFL in economic circles. In the digital age, we added “If you’re not paying for something, you’re the PRODUCT being sold.” And you need look no further than your “free” apps on your smartphone to prove that one. Asics gel nimbus pas cher So in the real-world, things of value cost money. In business, we pay employees, vendors and partners who can help us build a better business, increase our profit, enhance our reputations, generate attention for our ideas, etc. None of this is free. While you might not have to pay for access to the media through advertising, you will still need to build up a following for your content and if you’re not a media company with those skills, good luck. And of course it will take you a TON of time to do also. Buy hey, time is “free” right and you probably have an unlimited supply. Please laugh along at any time as the logic of the “marketing is free” argument tumbles down. adidas zx 500 Simply put, your marketing efforts for your business create value and NOTHING of value comes for free. There is no asset in your company more valuable than your brand. adidas yeezy boost Spend time on it, spend money on it when necessary and please don’t ever for a minute believe that it can be built and maintained for free. adidas yeezy Because your brand is worth something great. And nothing great comes easy or free.