Let’s face facts… success either on the web or in business doesn’t come easily to the meek or the mild. Whether it’s blogging or writing marketing content…. bold is not only beautiful, it’s essential.
Take for example, the experience of a client of mine. This client had been “sanitizing” her blog posts… after all, the purpose of the blog is to ATTRACT potential clients to her practice…. so she HAD to make certain her posts weren’t offensive. However, one day last week… she “snapped”. She began writing from the heart and as a result, produced a very “unsanitary” post… and followed it with another…. and another! Once she started, it seems she couldn’t stop!
Turns out, that was a GOOD thing!
The results were immediately evident. Traffic rose sharply as did comments to her “unsanitary” posts. Some of the comments were positive, some negative but the point is… she had motivated her readers to take action by taking off the kidskin gloves and “getting real”.
Whether it’s a blog post or a radio ad, being bold is a great way to break out of the ever growing pack of the mundane. However, I don’t recommend being belligerent merely for the sake of being belligerent.
BOLD is different than belligerent. Bold is daring to stand up for what you think… while belligerent is merely picking a fight.
I passed on being bold the other day. I came across a blog post that was extolling the virtues of a certain plug in for Word Press from Microsoft that required disabling a popular Google Sitemap generator plug in. The comments on the blog were, “Hey! Great advice!” and “Thanks for letting me know!” Meanwhile, the voice in my head is screaming…. “YOU WHAT?!?! YOU DISABLED A PLUG IN THAT AUTOMATICALLY CREATES AN XML SITE MAP FOR YOUR BLOG FOR SOME GARBAGE FROM MICROSOFT?!?!?”
I should have been bold. I should have been daring and I could have done so without being belligerent. I missed an opportunity to attract more readers to my blog had I done so. Instead… I put my head down and got back to work. My opportunity to be bold passed as quickly as it presented itself. The opportunity to remain a part of the ” crowd of the mundane” is relentlessly persistent.
Liz Strauss would NOT be proud!
Comments
3 responses to “The trouble with sanitized content…. or how BOLD can beautiful!”
Actually Liz Strauss is proud.
It’s not all about attracting readers. I think you might have known that. Who wants to attract readers by pointing out someone has done something wrong? . . . no one wants to call someone out in public.
Liz Strauss is proud that you chose to show respect for the other guy. Some fights don’t need fighting. 🙂
Thanks Liz for the pat on the head! I’ll put away the wet noodle… for the moment.
[…] as a way to promote their business and who have been disappointed usually discover that they are “sanitizing” their posts. Trying to write in a manner that HIDES who you are is one way to ensure your blog never finds […]