I fumbled around this afternoon curiously trying to find more people to “follow” on Twitter and found that many like Twitterati were posting about the same thing. The topic didn’t matter. They were all like people, of course, because I have interests they all share. What mattered to me most was that it was obvious many were trying to Tweet about their news first. They all wanted to be the conversation starter. But, after that, unless someone, and others respond, there is no conversation at all. Full disclaimer: I was looking to “follow” a bunch of reporters. And, that makes the point.
Reporters are storytellers. Marketers are story developers. We want to create as well as become part of a conversation that lifts our brands. Not everyone has a captive “subscribed to” audience like a reporter. Marketers talk about starting a conversation, engaging in conversation, marketing with conversation, but so few if rarely any we encounter want to become a part of a conversation.
Prospective clients come to us with messaging documents in bold talking about being the “first,” “best,” and “only.” Yet, category creation is hardly a science. And, in fact, in the vast universe of business creation there are only a handful of Twitters, and other creative inventions launching a communications phenomenon.
Rather than “re-invent the wheel” of conversation, why not join one? Rather than throw something at the wall and hope it sticks, why not find like pitchers and join in the game? The more people waving their hands will get more attention. With that said, I’ve put together six ways in which you can become part of a conversation and get more attention:
1) Empathize with another – Misery loves company, and if you’ve found something in common with another person, it’s best to reach out – and hold emotional hands. Rather than become sympathetic and drown yourself in their thoughts, you can empathetically open yourself up to understanding how they feel.
2) Contradict – Don’t fight, but argue. Discover something about what the other person said, do your research, and come back into the ring. Bring some clear, thoughtful (and non-abusive) language making the other person see that there are two sides to every coin.
3) Be relevant – Don’t just join any all conversation to be heard. Make sure that your opinion or fact is relevant to the conversation at hand, and that it will further the conversation.
4) Offer help – Step outside of yourself, and think about how you can help another person further their argument, position or thoughts. Make sure to provide commentary that’s tangible and readily available for anyone to use.
5) Give support – Different than being empathetic, give others the view that they are not one, but many who feel the same way they do. Support could come in many forms, but keep it simple, even if to just give a shout out, becoming another step in the pyramid.
6) Provide insight from experience – If you’ve been there, be there for someone else. Tell them about what you went through and how to make it. It doesn’t hurt to share your experience, even if it didn’t had a better than stellar outcome.
In conclusion (I just had to write that), there’s really no need to start your own movement just for the sake of wanting to be heard, when others have been carrying the torch for you after all of these years. Take the time to find out where the conversations are – and join one (or two)!
