“I don’t care about you – I don’t want to hear about your life – all I care about is how your story applies to me. Stop promoting yourself and start promoting the benefit.”
We hear this pretty often in the world of Markteting, PR, Social Media, and blogging – that people really aren’t all that interested in what you have to say – but are instead focused purely on the “WIIFM” (What’s in it for me?) factor.
I agree. Sort of.
For the most part I’m not all that interested in reading anyone’s personal journey – except, you know, if you’re someone like Nicole Antionette who has an entirely more exciting and interesting life than I do and draws me in with promises of midgets, dry humping, and beef brisket (not neccesarily to be grouped together – although it wouldn’t surprise me if they were).
Reading about someone’s day to day life isn’t (typically) all that compelling – there’s no takeaway – it might be entertaining but we don’t walk away with much. We aren’t given anything tangible. Marketing/Advertising is all about leaving an impression on people, but that impression needs to get people thinking, talking, and running up to their friends, family, and co-workers to say, “Hey, you’ve got to go check this out”!
So in your ploy to take over the world – instead of focusing on “me, me, me” you should focus on “we” – the overall community and the perceived beneft, right?
Yes – but don’t forget that your personal opinion is valuable.
We are impacted by ad campaigns, marketing tactics, and effective writing that makes us say “Wow!” – As human beings, we inherently want to make that personal connection with another human. We don’t want to be sold to by a company, we want to be talked to by someone who is genuinely interested in forging that relationship and establishing a connection.
So as you’re marketing the community benefit – don’t forget that your personal perspective is what makes it unique – it’s what humanizes your brand. Your personal story is what people are going to walk away with, saying “I know exactly what he was talking about – I’ve been there”.
I talk to people all the time who have questions about what direction they should go with their writing and how they can best maintain their focus. And I tell them, time and time again, you have to OWN your place on the web – you need to make a name for yourself and establish a voice that people come to expect. But at the end of the day – you have to write about yourself – relate it to the masses – but ultimately, still make it about you.
Make sense? Easier said than done, right?
What do you think? How are you able to connect your personal stories to ideas that will relate to your community?