We don’t need to be a Social Marketing Specialist to know we are slaughtered and inundated by slogans by marketing gurus on the internet, that promise traffic, recognition and profit, if you just follow them, read this, or try that.
If you look closer, these same marketing specialists have very little followers on their various social platforms. Why is that? Because they are faking it! They’re faking it until they make it, or until there is a solid, predictable marketing method in place that they can stick to. No one really knows what truly works yet to drive traffic and sell products from your site.
It’s time to get back to basics, back to good wholesome feelings that people still use in their social activities during the day. No one wants to listen to a know-it-all dressed in a business suit at a neighborhood barbecue, or a person who comes into a room of strangers and tries selling something to everyone. He/She becomes instantly despised, and that’s the same for the internet.
The most successful people are the ones that wear their heart on their sleeves and is not afraid of expressing true feelings. People can smell fake a mile away, so be real. Stop bragging about your credentials and listen to your clients. Listen without thinking about what you’re going to say next. Stop placing dollar signs on the faceless victims that just needed your help.
When I first started writing books I thought about all the things I thought people would like. I talked about sex, drugs and Rock n’ Roll. I was so engrossed with my idea of cool, with what I thought my audience wanted, when in fact they were patiently waiting for me to grow up. They wanted a solution to the madness. They wanted to get a nugget of wisdom that floated somewhere deep in the bile that I was producing.
It took a few years for it to sink in. People wanted the guts. They wanted to know the real me. I didn’t write that way. I was looking to be the next Jack Kerouac or Chuck Palahniuk. I thought my audience would be so entertained with my memoir about drunken theatrics, that they would propel me to stardom. I lived a lie, and my sales reflected it.
The World is changing fast. I don’t see a lot of people drinking and smoking anymore. It’s not like the seventies, or the HBO series Madmen, where every scene someone is holding a drink and a cigarette. People want healthy, and they want to extend their life as long as possible, not destroy it.
When reality slapped me in the face, I stopped running with my ego, sat still and looked within. The noise slowly disappeared. The money schemes subsided, and I was able to listen to my real heart. The true voice came out and wanted to reveal what I had been doing wrong for all those years. People began to listen. They wanted to see my face and know my name. I began to write without thinking about the outcome, about the dollars and laughs. I wrote without thinking about how I could benefit from others. The more selfless I became, the more people listened. It was miraculous, the simple act of letting go produced some of the best stuff I had written.
It seems that the majority of people who use the internet to market themselves are fixated on SEO, branding, backlinks, tags, adwords, and a million other tricks. Some people hire ghost writers to add content to their blogs so that search engines can find them better and drive their Alexa rank up. It’s a mad dash to the invisible finish line and feelings, especially vulnerable feelings are squashed. Don’t people realize that everyone is writing about how to market content. If everyone is talking about marketing content, who is writing the content?
What I believe people want is HONESTY. They want to know you are just as scared about life as they are. They want to see your grief, your happiness, and what makes you tick. They don’t want another data report about SEO, or how to “go viral.” They want Bob to walk out of salesman mode and sit down and really talk. If Bob doesn’t, he is just another bullshitter.
I wrote an article awhile back that was called, “Tens Ways In Being Man.” It was meant to be satirical, clever and marketable, I thought. No one liked it. I pulled it. What people really like are the posts about how insecure I get in life, how I made it out of a downward spiral. They didn’t want comedy hour, they wanted Erik to be Erik. There is a lot of value in letting go of the façade, and in today’s lightening quick world, people are starving for real more than ever.
Copyright 2012. Erik Christian
First I enjoyed your “Man” post!! I also agree with you that people want to know the true you & are more into health now. Keep writing your true sekf& I will keep reading.
Very good post with a lot of truth. SEO the ultimate problem…without it , do you get known and your words heard…Content is great if you can get people to read it but I struggle and learn each day..Keep an eye on what i am up to with a business (see not hiding anything)idea, should launch in the New Year the main site. Maybe we can help each other.
I’m impressed that you found my Blog and took time to discover an image that spoke to you. You are welcome to visit at any time to enjoy and find your own truth.
Thank you for the article. You writing kept my interest. Like you I have come to know the power of speaking the fullness of one’s perception to sway others in a balanced way. Keep up the good work.
BOA
Thanks a lot for stopping by!
Nice post, Erik.
I get twenty spam comments a day talking about increasing SEO so I know that is a large issue with most people. Personally, I don’t see the point.
A recent article I saw mentioned the best way to increasing the traffic on blogs and facebook was NOT in creating original and awesome content but by supplying more links to outside resources, and hopefully those are not original either, but simply more linked articles.
The structure seems to be betting against the original thinkers… all the more reason to remain one. So keep going with your original, selfless, and vulnerable postings.
It’s like a breath of fresh air.
I love what you have to say. So, do you think that re-blogging blogs is a fast way to add content to one’s blog? Would that add keywords to my site, even though it is an article or post from another’s site? Let me know. Cheers!
Good post, and agreed. Honesty, yes. From me to you, and you to me. None of us are perfect, but too many try to pretend we are. I’ve a conviction in my past, and talk about it openly. You can run from such things and let it own you, or you can own it. Give me real, and I say that as a novelist.
There’s a difference between creative writing and blogging a falsified life.
Really enjoyed this post. Sometimes I worry that writing what I think or feel is boring to other people, then I write whatever it was anyway. Giving voice to authentic self is a spiritual practice. much love to you and thanks for stopping by. looking forward to reading more.
Wow! I can’t tell you how reading this made me feel. All too many people go through life wearing a mask that transforms them into what they believe others want them to be. I say Halloween only comes once a year. Let’s be real, not artificial…just loved it.
Very true, people want honesty. Everyone has an amazing story, just waiting to be told. Looks like you might have an idea of how to market…looking forward to reading more soon
keep doin your thang
~Join Me~ http://missjessedeol.wordpress.com/
~Like Me~ https://www.facebook.com/MissCaliBayArea
~Follow Me~ @missbayareacali
You’ve got a great point. If someone is going to hire you to do social media or any sort of business for them, they don’t want to hire a robot. I think we worry a little too much about being PC and water ourselves down to the point where it backfires sometimes.
Steve Pavlina wrote an article about how write a high traffic blog. One if his points was to focus on writing for humans and computers. Focus on quality and then SEO.
http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2006/01/how-to-build-a-high-traffic-web-site-or-blog/
I thought this would disgust me when I saw your picture and the title, and then it delighted me. You’re preaching to the choir, well done! In my world we still think it’s cool to drink a cold, cold martini and smoke a cigarette in front of the fireplace. Wanna be hipster!
I really enjoyed this post. It spoke to me about something I have been thinking for some time. There are business savvy people out there, but when I and all the people I know go shopping or searching, it’s always for the truth; for an honest seller.
“People are starving for real more than ever.” Ain’t that the truth. Nice post.
Precisely my thoughts. I found you because you found our site.
Intriguing post; honesty is a rare gift these days.
Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today.
i started a blog about a health condition I have that nearly 10% of women worldwide have is considered taboo to discuss. And you are SO right: People seriously do appreciate honesty work and the real story behind the glitter. I can testify to that point! People want to know they are not alone in the world with something that makes them miserable too. Great post!
“Nothing succeeds like sincerity. Fake that, and you’ve got it made.” Groucho Marx. Caveat emptor. And thanks for the follow.
Screaming and cheering “Yes, Yes, Yes!!” from my computer as I read this post. I write becuase I want to express myself – not because I want to tag myself and appear on search engines. And you can tell the bloggers and writers who feel the same (and have that SEO thing down too)…
BRAVO!!!!!!!
Some thoughtful advice. Thanks.
I think people are looking for authentic connection, and in order to have that you have to be vulnerable. I loved this post!