eHub

Time is money, and for the right content, I'm willing to give you some of mine.
Photo: Heidi Fedak

I may not know much when it comes to the inner workings of the Internet, but this is what I know for sure:

I don’t pay attention to pop-ups.

I don’t click on banner ads.

I don’t pay for content.

And, if I’m already getting the content for free, I don’t donate money after the fact. If I can download your podcast without donating a dime, then that’s what I’m going to do, even if you put up a "donations button" and waste my precious listening time reciting a list of people who use it.

Call me a skin flint, if you must, but the truth is, I’m like most people: If I can get it for free, I don’t see why I should pay for it. I’m nothing if not frugal.

In terms of online advertising, here’s what does work for me: the traditional model transported into the modern world. Perhaps, it’s my age, but I’ll sit through the Acura commercial that holds me hostage until I can hear the latest from NPR. I’ll suffer through the sponsorship spot that serves as a prelude to the Business Week cover story podcast. Heck, I’ll even watch the Century 21, Subway and Nexium commercials that are part of ABC’s online television service.

And here's why: NPR, Business Week, ABC? They have what I want: content and they let me have it for free. That's pretty smart, because I'm cheap enough to sit through just about anything to get it. That’s one of the tenets of social marketing:

"Action is undertaken whenever target audiences believe that the benefits they receive will be greater than the costs they incur.”

Sign me up.

For me, the advertising model that works best is the one that gives me what I want when I want it with the least amount of impact. In short, the benefits outweigh the costs.

Time may be money, but, if the content’s right, I’m willing to give you mine for free.