I was browsing my Twitter feed to try and find some new topics to write about and I came across this post from Marketing Profs, Anne Handley:
It was an intriguing TWEET and so… I decided to check it out.
@GapingVoid is actually Hugh MacLeod from GapingVoid.com. He has a great post entitled: The Cocktail Party Rule.
In the post Hugh talks about the concept of NOT being egotistical and self-centered when approaching your Marketing Directive. From this post:
I call this The Cocktail Party Rule- what’s true at cocktail parties is also true in marketing: “If you want to be boring, talk about yourself. If you want to be interesting, talk about something other than yourself.”
He relates this idea to a story where a competitor blogger posted a “Welcome to the Neighborhood” post about her competition and actually supported the competitors product! There were some angry individuals in the company but they eventually ignored the post and went on with their daily lives.
There is a great lesson to be learned from this post. Many small business owners worry constantly about competition. Are we competing in the push marketing drivel that is taking over mailboxes and in-boxes? Should we buy that billboard?
We always try to talk about ourselves. This happens most of the time through networking and marketing alike. We are there to sell, sell, sell.
The truth of the matter? We are all in the same boat. Try not to take the egotistical side of the equation and talk about yourself every chance you get.
Also from Hugh’s post:
It’s human nature to want the benefits of this brave new world of ours, without wanting it to have to actually exist, without having to do anything differently themselves. At least at first. Education is expensive.
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Glad to be the conduit for a little bit of inspiration, Kyle!
I like the way Hugh articulates the argument to mention the competition — as in, “Go ahead!” My guess it that will resonate with a lot of business owners/marketers.
Ann,
I have been taught to recognize and respond to the competition but not to worry. Thanks for the inspiration! Marketing Profs always helps my day!
Thanks for sharing Kyle (& Ann). It’s great when we can relate our business back to our personal lives. I think this is even more true with using social media for marketing.
Thanks and enjoy your day.