You Probably Won’t Read This Blog

read this blog

Okay, so maybe that was a bit of reverse psychology.  If you are reading this, though, it must have worked.   But I promise there is a point to this exercise. Many of you know that we have been creating content for quite some time now.  I have created hundreds of podcasts, probably over 300 videos, and well over 500 blog posts.

I have committed to the idea of creating value through content, because it’s the right thing to do.  (And it’s working).   But one thing I have yet to REALLY learn is what will work.  I talk about this a bit here.

What I mean by this is that sometimes I write a blog that I think is really good.  I am excited about the topic and I think it will add value to a lot of people.  I am fired up to push publish…and…nothing.  Often, those sure-fire hit blog posts don’t seem to resonate.   Then, especially as I was committed to writing a blog every day, I might crank out a quick one with very little thought and BOOM, that article takes off.

When I blogged about this in the link above I got quite a bit of feedback that I needed to see what my audience was passionate about, and stick with that.   So I tried.   I noticed that sometimes I wrote specifically about a marketing topic, and that did well.  For example, this blog about how to deal with Haters online was read quite a bit.  So I decided to write another article like that.  Here is a one that discusses treating social media like a cocktail party.

The results?  Meh.

Okay…maybe it’s about “real” stories and authenticity.  This is a word everyone throws around a ton, so that must be true!  I wrote this article saying “I am NOT for everyone” and it was one of the most read blogs of 2018.  It was written out of a moment of frustration.

So what if I shared those moments more?  I wrote this blog about being overwhelmed and…well…the results were okay.   I have had the same results with video.  I am excited about my Day in the Life videos.  For example, this one where we lost our Drone got over 500 views pretty quickly.  But we have others in this series that (it feels like) no one watches.

Just currently, I am excited about this video we created that’s a little more inspirational.  It’s gotten some great feedback, so I am thinking of creating more things like that. The point of all of this exercise is that it’s a work in process.  Even the best content creators have pieces of content that flop.

It happens in Hollywood all of the time!  The best studios, producers and actors team up on a project…and no one cares.   So if it happens to the best, don’t worry when it happens to you.  It’s important, I think, to just keep showing up.  Keep pushing out your message and your value into the world.  You probably won’t know when something will flop.

But you also might be delighted when something really takes off and makes a difference. Oh…and the same is true for sales too.  You never know if THIS will be the sales call that helps you break through.   Go get it.

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Written by: Kirby Hasseman

Kirby Hasseman is the CEO of Hasseman Marketing & Communications. Kirby hosts a weekly Web show called Delivering Marketing Joy where he interviews business leaders from around the country. Kirby has published four books. His most recent is “Fan of Happy.” His book, called "Delivering Marketing Joy" is about doing “promo right” and is perfect for people in the industry and customers. He also wrote “Think Big For Small Business” and “Give Your Way to Success. All are available on Amazon.