The Internet is Full
The internet is full. Overflowing. Saturated. At least it ought to be, with all the blogs, tweets, news, videos, music, and pictures of cats. But I suppose as long as they can keep making more hard drives there is always more room for content. So I probably need to rephrase that:
Actually, what is full is our attention.
Email, blog posts, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. Phone calls, meetings, projects, deadlines. Friends, relationships, family, significant others. Birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, vacations. Mowing the lawn, walking the dog, paying the bills, buying groceries. Etc., etc., etc., etc.
Several years ago, you could keep track of the news by reading the paper or watching the news. Now we read or watch it on our phone. You used to be able to answer all the messages in your inbox before going home. Now you probably do what you can and delete the rest at 5. Especially if it’s Friday at 5. (Hey, If it’s important, they’ll resend, right?)
If you are this busy, what about your members? Probably just as busy. All of those same activities that are making your day full are also filling their days.
And you probably aren’t helping.
Most marketing is based on interrupting their routines enough to get noticed. When you create enough visual noise to get noticed, you add clutter to the lives of your members. So what do you need to do?
Stop. Take a deep breath. Exhale and relax. Now think of a way to interact with people so they enjoy the connection. Look them in the eye and ask them a question. (Questions are the best way to start a conversation.) Write someone a personal note. Or pick up the phone and spend some time getting to know the person on the other end.
Sometimes it is better to get rid of all the clutter in communication to truly connect.
- Are you scared yet? - October 22, 2024
- OMG! Who really IS our competition?!? - September 24, 2024
- Do 5-star ratings really mean anything? - August 27, 2024