Maybe I’m doing it wrong

Let me stitch 3 disparate thoughts together to lay the foundation for this post.

One of the most important marketing lessons we work to teach clients is – it’s about them (customers/prospects) not you. Rightly so – our community/audiences are asking “what’s in it for me?” every day.
My feed reader is bulging and it was time to prune.
I believe that blogging is about giving. Value, information, insight, support, a sense of community. If you do that regularly, the money will follow.

As I was pruning my feed reader, I found myself asking – what have I gotten out of this blog? How have I been engaged in conversation? What have I learned? What have I been invited to share?

The blogs who got deleted from my feed reader were the ones who seems much less interested in helping me and much more interested in putting their hand into my pocket to sell me their new book, new e-course or new whatever.

Maybe I am doing it wrong.

I don’t post ad nauseam about my book. I figure you can see the graphic and you’re bright enough to know if you click on it, you can buy it.

Maybe I’m doing it wrong.

I don’t blather on about e-courses, speaking fees, seminars, or blatantly ask you to hire me. I believe if my content is worthy and I fit a need that you have – you will seek me out for those opportunities.

Maybe I’m doing it wrong.

Whenever I reference my company, my family or some other aspect of my world – I do my darnedest to relate it to yours in a meaningful way. On rare occasion, it isn’t about business — it’s about life. I’m okay with that. But, I never just lob up a sales pitch.

Maybe I’m doing wrong.

The question I ask myself before I hit save on any post is a simple one. Have I provided value? If the answer is no, or you sure have – value to you, big guy – then it doesn’t belong on my blog.

Maybe I’m doing it wrong.

If I am…so be it.

Especially in a medium that I think is all about community, connections, relationships, sharing, listening and reaching out – I want to provide an easy answer when any reader asks “what’s in it for me?”

I can’t think of anything more embarrassing (for me) than to be deleted because I was too busy selling to be of real value.

How about you? Are you doing it wrong? Are your marketing materials all about you? Be careful – it’s all to easy in these days to be pruned.