Going viral isn’t the goal

It seems like everyone’s fighting to stand out by chasing metrics. “How do I make this go viral?” “How do I get more likes and impressions on LinkedIn?”

Although going viral isn’t the goal, some of my clients’ posts do go viral for them. But it’s not because they’re chasing the algorithm or telling their audience what they want to hear or even posting trendy memes or quotes. It’s because finally, after years of posting, they’re finally brave enough to share the content they’ve never shared before.

Here’s why that matters.

It’s about the digital imprint you leave, not that one post that’s going to blow up and make you suddenly famous. It’s easier said than done, I get it. Especially for those of us who have been in marketing and understand what kind of content goes viral.

But performing for everyone else besides yourself and the true people who need your services gets exhausting, and sooner or later, you’ll stop posting because you can’t keep up with the charade.

I got tired of performing and decided to write what was on my mind instead, for the people who needed to hear it. I said a long time ago that I would treat my posts on LinkedIn with more thought energy. (What's thought energy? It's a word I just made up. 😉)

It's writing to you as if you're sitting with me, having coffee.

It's treating you like a friend instead of a potential warm or hot lead.

It's being human with a side of bringing you along for the ride.

But the reason I failed to do this was because I fell into that dang, stinkin' trap of sell, sell sell. I started seeing everyone else's posts, getting a bazillion inbounds and impressions and I thought I needed to be more like them.
To be honest, (you might want to sit down for this) my posts typically don't convert. I know, the shame!

That's because I don't write for conversion. I write for connection. Always have.

I want you to feel like you know me, so that when we meet, you'll say I'm exactly the same online as I am in person. Since I write for connection, it takes longer for people to reach out. It takes longer to grow my following because I'm not chasing someone else's dream.

Why does that even matter? Well, I'm not sure, but it matters to me. Plus the hard sell has never been my thing. Sure, I started my donut business by sending cold emails, but believe it or not, they were very warm and personalized. I did my homework before contacting coffee shops, and it showed.

At the end of the day, I want to be proud of the legacy I leave on this digital world. I want to look back and go, "Yep. I showed up in a way I can be proud of."

I'm not saying my way is right or wrong, but it is intentional and more meaningful to me, and I hope you feel it in whenever you read anything I write.