Columns, Opinion

Editor’s Column: When it comes to marketing, ‘free’ isn’t really free

The word “free” is a tantalizing attraction. Maybe it’s our capitalistic system where literally everything has a price, or maybe it’s simply human nature to want something for nothing… results without effort… benefits without expense.

You’re probably familiar with the phrase “there’s no such thing as a free lunch.” The saying reportedly comes from a 19th century practice of saloon owners who offered free lunch to customers who purchased at least one drink. It was a great marketing concept: give a man a free beer in exchange for a (usually) salty meal and he’s likely to buy more than one beer. Mark up the cost of the beer and the saloon owner makes a tidy profit. If we’re given something for free, we’re likely to spend more at the establishment, partly out of a sense of obligation and partly because we feel like we can spend more because we got something for “free.”

Enter the 21st century. Social media platforms offer “free” advertising for our events, our businesses and our products. Why spend money advertising via traditional media when we can just advertise for free on Facebook? After all, we’ve been told, not everyone reads the paper or listens to the radio anymore, right? That may be true, but the assumption that follows—everyone is on Facebook—is a logical fallacy we’ve swallowed hook, line and sinker.

First, “everyone” isn’t on Facebook. Our particular demographic may not be on Facebook at all, or may only visit once in a while and see a few posts. Second, Facebook is in control of who sees what and when. There’s no guarantee that our demographic will see our post… unless we pay for it. The more we pay, the more likely our posts will be seen. It’s still just good old fashioned marketing, and there’s still a price to pay.

What price, you ask? Well, from the Captain Conspiracy mindset, there’s entrusting our lives and businesses to the corporate oligarchs at Facebook, who’ve proven time and again that their own profit is their ultimate goal. From a more practical standpoint, all that “free” advertising is taking a toll on traditional media right and left. More than 1,000 newspapers went under last year in the U.S. That means fewer reporters covering town council and school board and county commissioner meetings, which means less accountability and transparency for local government, which means higher interest rates on bond measures and a greater likelihood of corruption.

Don’t get me wrong, we use Facebook and Twitter and Instagram for marketing, too. It’s the nature of the beast. But we don’t use them exclusively, because alone, they aren’t effective. If we’re selling off our yard sale junk (or the stuff we couldn’t sell at the last yard sale), sometimes it works, but if we’re trying to get people to come out to our business or our event, social media has less reach than we’d like to think, particularly if we haven’t spent the last decade building a substantial social media platform. And by substantial, I mean thousands of followers, not a few hundred.

Free isn’t really free. Everything has a price.

 

By NIKI TURNER | [email protected]

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  • Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
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Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch.  See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
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🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week.
Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! 
We appreciate all your continued support!
It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week. Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! We appreciate all your continued support!
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Mormon crickets have hatched near Rangely. They were all sighted on BLM land north of Hwy. 64 near the junction of CR 96 and CR 1, down a dirt road near the Moffat County line. The picture shown was taken yesterday by Mary Meinen from Rangely. She says the crickets are about the size of a ladybug (less than 1/2”). Some of them are actually yellow in color but most of them are darker. They are milling around and getting ready to start moving soon. Note: Photo is not to scale. Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch. See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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