Entertain or interact?
What was that recent commercial that showed a bimbo groupie saying, “I dunno what it is, but I want it”? I thought it was an especially funny image, a parody of hype and at the same time encouraging that kind of fan-atic behavior.
Makes me wonder: how much does business depend on hype and how much does it rely on authenticity?
The measurement varies for every enterprise, I suppose. How about your biz? Do you build hype or trust?
What makes hype so pervasive?
How does authenticity become trust?
Is it better to build thrilling suspense or to cultivate security? Does it serve small business purposes to approach markets as if they’re looking for entertainment? Or are mundane, concrete solutions for practical everyday living more profitable these days?
Should you latch onto the glitzy affiliate program, selling flashy products from your internet heroes? Or should you carry on the campaign to get your personal brand established, slowly building your own highly select audience, one by one?
I’m a relationship-oriented type, so the slow build is my obvious preference. But honestly, I can’t say which approach is better in terms of making money for you. Small business marketing is rather like college athletics: mysteriously unpredictable.
For some, the extravaganza is the natural modus operandi; for others, the routine is the only trustworthy way.
Some can produce spectacle upon spectacle, dazzling their public with unflagging celebrations. At higher corporate levels, this is the only way to survive. Others of us in day-to-day commerce feel most productive when establishing solid personal connections that are well positioned to strengthen over time. We like customers that directly dialog with us; we seek clients of a well-defined ilk who will stay with us over the long run.
As much as the gurus would have us believe that authenticity reigns in social media, it’s easy to fake it, and to present hype that avoids all contact with deep inner truth. Sincerely revealing your ‘nekkid’ self in social networks takes precise skill and awareness. Not all of us are up to meeting the necessary standards of authenticity every day.
I think we have to keep trying, though. I think this is the core value of the internet. It’s a tool that can guide us to a new kind of self-awareness – a self-awareness that actually sells.
How does this contrast strike you? How do you orient your communications – to be entertaining, or to solicit a response from the receivers? Does one or the other of these approaches get a better return on your investment?
