Image credit: VisualField on iStockphoto
As eloquent as I usually try to be when writing a post, I’m finding difficulty crafting a colorful lead in for this one so I’ll just come right out and ask the question… Would you pay for social media information or education?
A silly question? Apparently not because after a few conversations with some fellow bloggers-turned-consultants, I obviously have a reason to ask. It seems that some of our “bloggy peers” feel that if some of us decide to charge consulting fees for our socially savvy expertise, we are taking advantage of our “friends” by making them pay for information they can get for free. My reaction to this… “Um…HUH?” (Give me a second while I climb up on this here soapbox.)
I can download a tutorial on how to knit a sweater but really, I’d rather have someone show me how to knit a sweater! So I’d most likely take a knitting class (be it virtual or IRL). Truth be told, I’d rather just buy a freakin’ sweater and cut out the middle man! Do you see my point? No? Okay, let me break it down for you…
Here’s how I see it… there are three kinds of people out there: Those that want to figure it out on their own, those that want to be told how to do it, and those that prefer a mix of the two. One is no better than the other. It just comes down to personal preference.
Usually those that prefer the DIY (do it yourself) approach have some basic knowledge of the subject at hand, they like doing research, and most importantly, they usually have the time to devote to it. Those that prefer to be “taught” may or may not have basic knowledge, they do not like doing research and even if they do like it, they don’t have the time to pour over endless websites and tutorials. They’d rather take a class and get it over with. There is also the “response” factor. Meaning, the way people respond to or absorb information. Some people can grasp whole concepts from a two dimensional medium. Others, like myself, respond better from the “human” factor… a person to walk me through it then send me home with reference materials.
It’s all a choice. And the choice is to be made by the individual seeking the information.
Those of us who have decided to take our knowledge and expertise and turn it into a business have done so out of passion for what we do, the desire to help others achieve their goals, and yes, to earn a living. People do this every day in every industry…even in OUR industry. I’m failing to see the cause for concern. Is it because we’re (gasp) bloggers? Mommy-bloggers? (double gasp – I mean, we’re only doing this for self-fulfillment, right? Not to make money and we DEFINITELY are NOT supposed to make money off of each other, right? Oh the horror of supporting a fellow woman-owned / mom-owned business!) Is it because having a successful blog and being successful at using social media is not enough to warrant charging for our experience? (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is NOT the only person around here who can raise an eyebrow.) Who are you, the social media experience police? Not only that, what gives you the right to tell consultants they can’t “consult” and to tell potential clients they are wrong for seeking assistance that requires a fee? Um, have you ever attended a conference? Yeah, thought so! (cough-haters-cough)
Okay seriously, my friends, I don’t mean to be overly blunt or harsh here. (And for those of you who “get it,” I don’t mean to insult your intelligence.) This is just my attempt to open some eyes (and minds) to the obvious. If you know someone has more experience than you in a certain area, you will ask them for help, right? If it’s their business (and you know full well it’s their business), you should be prepared to pay for their expertise. Point. Blank. Period. If they CHOOSE to give you a freebie, that’s on them…but you, no matter what your relationship is, should not enter the situation expecting the “home-girl-hook-up.” Think about your time and your experience (in whatever it is you do) and what it’s worth. You’d want someone to pay you, right? Just sayin.
But hey, this is my humble opinion. I could be WAY off base here and talking completely out the side of my neck. So I pose this question back to you…
Please tell us your thoughts in the comments! We’d love to know your opinion or maybe your personal experience as a client or consultant. Feel free to include experiences outside of social media… consulting is consulting.
SIDE NOTE: Just to be clear, the people/businesses/websites who offer free resources are getting paid in some other way. Whether it’s speaking engagements, product endorsements/advertising, and/or consulting services (that go above and beyond the info in their little downloadable ebook), they are getting theirs!
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
This is something I've been doing a lot of thinking about lately too. There is so much discussion about there being too many social media experts. So, what is an expert? Isn't it just someone who knows a whole lot about something? I mean we all are experts at something. Does that mean we know everything? NO! It does mean we have a passion for something, we know a lot about it and what we don't know, we WANT to find out and we continue to learn and grow in that area.
So, should I pay for that expertise? YES! I tend to be a researcher and I like to find out information myself. I read everything about it, but then I get to a point where I crave more and I need to hear opinions from another human being. So then I take a class or hire someone.
Just because someone is an expert doesn't mean you have to agree with everything they say. They may form opinions you don't agree with. But that doesn't mean they aren't an expert. I have been to several doctors who will give me 2 completely different (and contradicting) responses to the same problem and both are based on science. They come to their conclusion based on their knowledge and experience and they are both experts in their area of medicine.
ok…a little off topic, but my point being yes, you should be paying if you ask someone to do something for you or help you out with something (of you should be assuming you'd pay).
We can go through so many different scenarios where maybe you wouldn't and I don't think this is a point blank yes or no answer, so there are a ton of exceptions.
And I agree that everyone is different. Just because you wouldn't pay for certain knowledge doesn't mean that someone else shouldn't. For instance, I HATE cleaning with a passion, so I hire someone to clean my house. Many people think it's a HUGE waste of my money and I've been told so many times that I shouldn't pay for that. Why not? I don't want to do it and so I pay someone who is better at it than I am.
And now to answer your specific question. I have paid money for classes on blogging as a business and social media. I do it when I feel like I want more information that what is available out there for free. I also like having an "expert" available to explain or discuss things with which you get when you take a class. When I buy books I am also paying for someone's expertise.
There is so much more to learning than just reading about it. If that were the case, doctors wouldn't have to go to school for so long. They'd just have all premed students read about what they need to do.
Being new to the arenas of social media and entrepreneurship I can say that both arenas are complex and confusing paths to navigate. There are no formulas or one size fits all approaches for success and there are plenty of pitfalls that will cause us to stumble. (I almost bought a list to get 3400000000 Twitter followers, silly me)
If a person has something of value to provide I see nothing wrong with him or her getting paid to become a modern-day Virgil, guiding and directing those of us who are clueless about the in's and outs of social media.
This is a good topic, I'm glad you got on your soapbox, lol! Number 1 I think sometimes people get upset about having to pay for consulting or otherwise is because they are "broke". Not being mean about it, just keeping it real. I say that because I have been there (broke, that is). Trying to create and build something on a shoestring budget is not easy and can be very frustrating. With that said,The folks who consider you in their "same arena" i.e., blogger, sahm etc dont expect you to charge them. I think because they dont realize their own treasure and are hating on the fact that you have seen yours and are using it.
When I do decide to seek help and to pay for it, it is because I totally respect, appreciate the expertise and style of the other person and….I have money to spare and I need it bad enough.
Keep on keeping on Christie! Let the "haters be your motivators" *smh with the side-eye*
Thanks for your feedback!
Mutual understanding is where it all begins!
@ScrappinMichele – completely on the same page with you on the expert thing! You will never hear that word come out of my mouth. However, to some who may not have the knowledge that we do, we may be thought of as experts in one way or another. As with my point about knitting…if you can knit one stitch, you are an expert to me because I can't. But you may not regard yourself as an expert because you've only been knitting for 6 mos. It's all relative.
@Hicksgirl – I feel you too on the broke thing! It's hard when you are hustling and the person who wants your help is hustling (or vice versa)…that's when you "barter"
~The ChatterBox
I find it very interesting when people have an issue with moms who blog getting compensated in various ways – including as consultant.
I pay for things that I can't (or don't want to!) learn or do myself all of the time. I have no problem (actually I prefer) paying another mom for those services.
I charge for consulting with no apologies. I had almost a decade of corporate experience – investment banking, research and finance – before I became a mom. I was paid REALLY well at some of those positions. Now, I combine the "corporate" experience" with the IRL experience of being a mom and having worked with a wide variety of moms (offline and online) over the last 5+ years.
If anyone has an issue with me getting paid, that is their issue – not mines!
I have to giggle a little. It's almost like you took the words right out of my mouth. You are RIGHT and so are those of us who are consultants.
I know personally when I started blogging that there was NO ONE lending a helping hand to teach me the ropes. So I decided wants I had the ropes that I would share my knowledge other people who may be staying up until 2am every night trying to "get it". Why charge? Hmmmm….let's see because my time is worth something to me. Because that was time away from my family. Not to mention it's about connecting and the relationships that flourished after that was the best for me. So some people don't like it. Even willing to chat amongst themselves about it…SO WHAT. I've totally learned to laugh and let go. Companies pay me for my knowledge and I am enjoying every minute of it. Oh and you know what, I'm great at it.
If someone is willing to pass judgement on what you do then it's on them at that point. Do what you love and do it well. Succeeding is not everything but wanting to is!!
Jen Hinton
@keepitclassyjen
AH! I am loving the comments! Thank you for helping me (and others) know that we're not crazy!
I love supporting women/mom owned when I can especially when they can fill a need!
The info is out there, available, for free…. I paid someone to give me the inside scoop and was able to quickly get my blog up and running. I can't tell you how many people were impressed and surprised at the short period of time I had been blogging before I had a fairly good following. The reality is that there was too much to dig through and so i chose to pay someone and I think it was worth every penny, actually probably twice what I did pay for it. If you don't want to pay for it then don't, but my time is valuable and if I want to charge for something that people are willing to pay for, who are you to judge? If you want to give it away for free – go for it, nobody is stopping you….just like nobody can stop me from charging for my knowledge!
I didn't realized until I started researching blogging that so many people were doing things for free.
If I become successful at this I fully plan to charge for my time.
I can understand bartering with someone that can't afford to pay, but to expect someone to give you valuable information for free at anytime is crazy.
I agree with you 100% on this! You know, bottom line is this, and I'll use me as an example here: Some may not consider me an "expert", but there are others that do, and who value what I know have to share and my work…and pay me for it. I charge, without remorse, for being someone else's mouth piece…and without remorse because I know that my services, for whatever I get paid for them, are still SIGNIFICANTLY LESS than what they would be paying what "traditional media" experts…and I charge, without remorse, because every second I sit in front of a computer, is a second not with my family, or in my bed slipping, or out in the world living.
I charge, without remorse, because there are people out there that would agree I am worth it…and those that don't don't have to pay me…but many who would never pay me still often find ways to ask me for advice. So, what gives?
I say, if you are out there doing your thing, go for it!! Many of us paid our dues, got our degree, worked in corporate and got our experience…we weren't just born "stay at home moms with a computer and a blog"…many of us are really damn good at what we do and are worth every penny! I support you all the way!!
Forgive my many typos…I am up at 12:00AM digressing from work…very sleepy…that I am (eh-hem) getting paid to do, but taking a break from to read your lovely blog and comment on incoherently, and almost incoherently it seems too! lol!
Whew…tell it! I think people would actually save themselves a lot of wasted money in the long run if they would invest in consulting services upfront before jumping into arenas they are not full familiar with. I witness this a lot in education. People purchase a lot of resources for show, but have no idea how to use those resources to best serve students. It's sad. If people would stop looking for the "homeboy hookup," they would be surprised at the doors that could open as a result. Great post!
I think it's fine, when you want to pass on information. And past a certain point, you are doing the work, consultanting.
As a consultant, you're in business. And being in business, means there is a price.
Stay strong, and keep up the good work.