Anyone who’s creative will tell you they often get lost in the weeds of their project. But the “why” and the “what” behind your work are much more important than the “how”.
And yet, we often get stuck trying to fit our message into a medium that it might not be well-suited for.
“I’m a writer,” we say to ourselves. So when we get to a piece of content that might better serve our audience in a video format, we balk. Or we turn a blog post into a book…
“I’m a drummer,” a musician might say, so she believes it’s the only way she can create music… No need to pick up that guitar or try to pluck out a melody on the piano, thank you very much!
The form doesn’t matter as long as it serves the content and the audience. That means you don’t have to be a blogger, a writer, a podcaster, or a coach forever.
As long as you are doing something to spread your message, how you do it is irrelevant.
Controversial Opinion: Becoming a social media influencer is NOT the best way to thrive in today’s economy.
Yes—there are people on TikTok, Instagram, and all the other platforms making a fortune.
Social media influencing is the new Hollywood. Most of us only see the handful of big-name players making fortunes, and we assume we can easily do that too.
What we miss are the hundreds or thousands of actors making little to nothing in the entertainment industry or working odd jobs to pay the bills.
There isn’t anything wrong with that, but our culture is telling us we can all do this on social media now.
Ever heard of the long tail? Here’s an example (about podcasts):
50% or more of all podcasts have only been listened to by 124 people… Which is not a sustainable business model.
This is a power-law curve, and it applies to just about everything.
If you solve problems for people by BEING one of those influencers, that’s a different story.
But measuring your success and hoping one of these companies will pay you a fortune for hits on your content is a bad way to live your life.
Commonsense, fundamental money principles combined with a steady income from solving problems for people over a long period of time.
This is the way to make a fortune. It’s just not slick or instant, so it isn’t sexy.
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One of the most helpful things I’ve learned as a blogger came to me from David Meerman Scott. There are two parts, and the first is this:
Before you start your own blog, follow other blogs and bloggers and engage with the ones that matter to you.
I’ve been an avid blog consumer for years, reading from great thinkers and companies like Seth Godin, Michael Hyatt, HubSpot, and Mr. Scott himself of course. They’ve shaped my own thinking and helped me figure out my path forward as a marketer.
This first step lets you figure out how you can contribute to the discussions and the questions being asked on the internet. This is a great starting point for creating your own content.
But the second part of what David taught me was the most profound: engage with their content, leave comments, start discussions.And when you do that, include a link to your own blog.
We often forget the “engagement” step. Don’t just consume—engage! And almost no one links back to themselves for follow-up.
Bloggers like to support other bloggers. They like to talk, discuss, disagree in a civil manner, and try to make the world a better place. By engaging with their content and leaving behind a link as a calling card, you’re encouraging this type of civil discourse.
Now, if you don’t yet have your own blog, you can do the same thing by linking to your LinkedIn profile. Or better yet (since people won’t be able to see your whole profile or its content without connecting), create a free, public about.mepage to leave behind.
Think of it as your digital business card, a way for people to learn who you are and follow up with you if they’re so inclined.
Try it the next time you comment on someone’s blog or social media post. I guarantee people will want to hear what you have to say. And they might follow up as well.
“Too many businesses suffer from FOMO [Fear of Missing Out] when it comes to their marketing. ‘We NEED a podcast!’ We NEED to be on TikTok!’
We’re all marketers now, trying to change the culture and influence others (hopefully for the better). But we have a problem: we get so caught up trying to figure out the tools and tactics, we stop focusing on the people!
What if your target audience isn’t ON TikTok?
What if your ideal customers don’t LISTEN to podcasts?
Why use those platforms if they aren’t helping you reach the right people?
“Who’s it for?” is the first question we should be asking.
H/t to Seth Godin for teaching me what’s most important in marketing.
(Here’s the original post if you’re interested.)
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I’m a native of Mississippi, but I traveled to California numerous times as a teenager. Having been born and raised in the Deep South, I’d grown up saying “Yes, sir!” or “No, ma’am!” my entire life.
(For those of you not of the Deep South, “ma’am” is a contraction of the word “madam.” You know how us Southern folk like to throw a little twang into our speech).
In our culture, it is considered polite to use these phrases, and the epitome of rudeness should you not.
Then I traveled to California…
You’re Being Rude
On numerous occasions, people laughed at me for saying it. A friend of mine asked, “Is that something you just say in the South?”
I replied, “Yes, we use ‘sir’ or ‘ma’am’ whenever we speak to our elders. Or those we consider to be in positions of authority.”
“Well,” she replied, “when you say it, it sounds like you’re being sarcastic…like you’re mocking my parents.”
I was completely floored. It never occurred to me that I might be coming off as rude. On the contrary, I thought I was speaking with the utmost respect by using “sir” and “ma’am”.
Why Did I Tell You That Story?
It’s quite simple: different people see things differently.
If you travel to Spain, you are likely to be kissed on both cheeks as a form of greeting (at least before COVID-19). In the United States, our “bubbles” are too big for something like that. We’d consider that a severe violation of our personal space.
In some countries, it’s considered incredibly rude to “clean your plate.” Why? Because the cook will think you didn’t get enough to eat.
It seems bizarre, right? That’s because you see things differently.
Consider these differences when interacting with different people. Especially when traveling to different places. Or when in close contact with people of different cultures.
We All Have a Different Noise In Our Heads
Different people see things differently. Because of this, they interpret things differently. What may seem like an empathic gesture to one person might come across as uncaring by another.
An advertisement might be funny and persuasive to one prospect and bawdy and offensive to another.
You might create a work of art that one person ridicules unmercifully and another describes as “a masterpiece.”
When serving or communicating with different people, think whether or not your gesture will be well-received by the other person.
If not, change gestures or tactics.
You could easily write it off. “That person is just being difficult and unreasonable.” Occasionally, that might be so.
But you can’t do anything about that. All you can control is what you do.
And what you can do is treat different people differently.
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I bought an audiobook through Audible and started listening to it today. (It’s called The Miracle Equation if you’re curious.)
In the second chapter, the author Hal Elrod talks about how anyone who’s contributed something great to society had two qualities: unwavering faith in their mission, and the willingness to put in extraordinary effort to achieve it.
Dr. King had unwavering faith in his mission to achieve racial equality in the United States. And he most definitely put in extraordinary effort to achieve it. At the cost of his life.
Let’s remember Dr. King’s legacy today and continue to pursue his mission with the same effort he did.
There is a war going on, a content war—one of which we are all a part. If you are on social media or have a smartphone, you now have a voice.
We have two choices:
We can sit on the sides and watch passively, soaking up everyone else’s content and letting it sway us one way or another.
Or we can choose to create, contribute, and add our voice to the mix and try to be heard. To change someone for the better. To make a difference however small.
It’s true you may never be noticed. You might be drowned out by all the other voices. But doing the work is still worth it—in fact, it’s all that matters.
If we do not speak up, there is no chance that we can improve anything. And those that seek to make things worse will overtake those who want to make things better.
Criticism sucks. At times, it’s necessary for growth, but it still sucks.
How did you react the last time someone criticized you? I’m guessing you retreated inward, or perhaps you did the opposite and lashed out to defend your actions.
People don’t like to be wrong, and they like it even less when their wrongdoing is pointed out. Criticism only creates a need in others to justify their actions.
Really, when someone does something wrong, the only useful thing to do for either party involved is to respond proactively. On the lowest level of proactivity, this means living by Jesus’ principle of “turning the other cheek.” Simply choose not to react–easier said than done, I know, but it can be developed with practice like any skill or muscle. At a higher level, this might mean never taking offense to the wrongdoing in the first place. This idea is the epitome of stoicism.
As you go about your day, assume that each person you meet is angry, negative, reactive, and will blame everyone and everything he meets for his circumstances…except himself. If you do this, you’ll soon realize that criticizing or reacting to him does nothing except, perhaps, to make you feel better.
It won’t solve the problem; he won’t learn the lesson you want to pound into him; and the only growth anyone makes will be that of resentment and ill will between each party.
Don’t be a critic; be a model of what you wish others to do. It’s the only way to create the change you seek. Learn how right here.
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