“Free” is good right? We all like free things, right? Over the last week I downloaded a free social media primer from a company. Well, not completely free I guess. I gave them my real name, address, phone number and demographics. I sampled free food at Trader Joe’s and ended up buying a few things that weren’t on my grocery list, including the sample items I tasted. I attended an exhibit without paying an entrance fee. No, I didn’t buy the accompanying CD, t-shirt or note cards. Dare I say I love free stuff? Don’t we all?

“Free” is good right? We all like free things, right? Over the last week I downloaded a free social media primer from a company. Well, not completely free I guess. I gave them my real name, address, phone number and demographics. I sampled free food at Trader Joe’s and ended up buying a few things that weren’t on my grocery list, including the sample items I tasted. I attended an exhibit without paying an entrance fee. No, I didn’t buy the accompanying CD, t-shirt or note cards. Dare I say I love free stuff? Don’t we all? I have a home full of free stuff that was such a bargain that I couldn’t live without these items. I still know tons of people who go to tradeshows and events and come home with bag(s) of free tchotchkes and swag. Even the bags are free!

But how do we as marketers and consumers value free? Some consumers believe that if cash doesn’t leave their wallet, the product or service is free. Sometimes we ask, “What’s the catch?” Each of us has a boundary as to what we’re willing to “exchange” for free stuff because as we know, most things aren’t really free and no one knows this better than marketers. But we all accept the rules of free stuff. For marketers, the key is to identify the value of the free stuff to its respective audience. This is a difficult proposition and one that we as marketers always strive (and struggle) to balance. We want our audience to try our offer but we don’t want to give away all of the product or service at no cost. And, we also have to consider what the competition is doing.

Lately I’ve noticed a pattern of free events from webinars to full day events and even week long programs and I wonder, is this a good thing for us as professionals and what is it doing to the industry? Lots of people sign up but then lots of people don’t show. Lots of people give us their contact information but many people aren’t buying. Are conversation rates any better as a result of the free offer and are we attracting the right customers for our business model? Somehow I think we’re just confusing people and overwhelming their calendars (and closets). Do they really hear our message and want to buy? Is free the way to go as often as we use it?

I propose a revolution. Despite the dozens of weekly events that one can attend for free, marketers, hold your ground! Don’t give away your services. When you purchase a gym membership, you don’t get personal training for free so why should marketers give away their intellectual property? Free samples work for food tasting and a teaser chapter of an article or book but when it comes to holding an event with a well-known speaker on a relevant subject matter, make the value obvious and the corresponding fee reasonable. Let’s raise the benchmark together on content and quality not quantity of events.