Forget the Mothers Of Invention, in the age of Infinite Information, what are the Levers of Attention?
Relevance
It’s been said more than once before that good marketing is the right message, at the right time to the right person.
When most of your audience are experiencing information overload relevance is the way to their heart.
Brevity
Say what needs to be said to serve your audience, your community. Serving your ego with thinly disguised self promotion is a waste of their time and yours. Trim mercilessly.
Visual Stories
A picture is worth a 1000 words so illustrate your story if possibile. At least avoid the big block of text.
Relationship
If someone you loves rings will you be more likely to answer the phone than if your bank, insurance company, or telco calls? You betcha.
“They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”.
Build relationships with your community and they’ll give you the attention you need.
You want to work so badly, it makes your tummy churn. Sometimes in a good way (butterflies), sometimes, not so good (knots).
Having been there enough times have an inkling. Not so many times as to say “here is the gospel, you can call me Mr Guru now”. I’ve launched little projects and mutli-million dollar ones and I can say, that the closer you get to letting yours loose.
The closer you get to letting your project, art, startup out into the open.
You may not be able to see it. But others at arms distance can.
Recognise it’s coming and push through.
What you’re doing is important. Push through.
Steve Pressfield named this anti-creative force, he called it Resistance. If you have ever wanted to create anything novel, poem, painting, not for profit, technology start-up, organic farm, fitness program. I can’t recommend more highly; The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles
and Do the Work↩ both books talk about Resistance and how to defeat it.
We have been coaching and consulting to big organisations, small organisations and soloprenuers to develop Social strategy for a decade.
In 2002 our clients asked us “How do we do this program engaging whole of community“? It felt like a watershed moment where there was a demand for campaigns that were owned and directed by community.
In 2006 the “Web 2.0″ changed our business, we needed to respond to the new opportunities that were being created by blogging, podcasting and online video as we helped our clients engage community. The question changed to “How do we use this new media to engage community“?
In 2009 Social Media changed our business again from a Social and Community Engagement Strategy focus to being more about ROI. The questions became “How do we get a return on our investment online“?
In 2011 with Social Media is everywhere. It’s no longer a question of should we engage all stakeholders in designing campaigns, or should we be on Facebook, it’s not even does anyone make any money from Social Media. In 2011 your community is online and making media, your competitors are online and making media, our cleints clearly understand this.
In 2011 community and media aren’t the challenge. This year community (Social) and media (Social Media) are changing the business landscape, from the way a restuarant manages complaints, a hotel group think about reaching international customers, to how a seminar company supports it’s community on thier journey of self development. There is a movement that is transforming business and the energy is coming from grassroots, from community.
Below is a great primer to think about how business might look as, that cohort formerly known as “the punter” starts transforming the business models not because of their spend but because the way they communicate has changed.
