Benjamin Franklin once wrote, “If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth writing.”
But how do you write things worth reading in a world where so few people are reading anymore?
Most of what is on the Internet is video and garbage. It’s not worth watching. Yet that’s the medium that we consume.
Perhaps the modern equivalent is to do things worth making a TikTok reel about.
Old Ben must be rolling in his grave.
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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Jason Bradwell tweeted this a while back:
“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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