This month I am going to an Ozzy concert. I don’t do the mosh pits anymore, but as an avid “people watcher” I love to watch them mosh. Wikipedia defines moshing as the activity in which audience members at live music performances aggressively push and/or slam into each other. The mosh pit is right in front of the stage. You are trying to get up close to the artist on stage.
Each day I see people who are moshing on the Internet. They are trying to get their business, their blog, their product in front of others by aggressively pushing and slamming into each other through tweets, posts and email blasts. The artist in this case, is the consumer.
A rock band can play above 120 dbA. The average human can yell at 90 dbA. Even if you are in the front of the mosh pit, your voice is muted; drowned out. The same holds true on the Internet. Every day our email, Facebook page, Twitter feed and cell phone lambaste us for attention. We think, “crank up the volume” and get in the mosh pit to vie for customer attention.
How’s that been working?
Great businesses and bloggers tone down the volume. They communicate with their fans, they ask their opinion, they offer sage advise or intellectual property . . . for free. If you are cranking up the volume, here are a few suggestions that will make you be heard without having to lose your voice.
- Post fresh, relevant content frequently. At least one time per day, post something on your website, blog, someone’s site or blog that adds value.
- Spread Karma. Post on other peoples sites. Spread the love and love will come back.
- Foreplay. Sales is like sex. When we meet someone, we don’t just get down to business. We listen, we share. We make it a point to understand before we are ourselves are understood. Relax, enjoy the process that leads up to the climax.
- Keep it Simple. Writing this article is not being graded as an English essay or used as a PhD dissertation. Consider writing in the first person, with a conversational tone. Keep your posts short, 350 to 500 words.
- Ask for Feedback. Get your readers input about the article, what you are writing and what they’d like to hear from you. If you have a thirsty audience, they will be coming back for more.
To paraphrase Ozzy, let’s not get All Aboard the Crazy Train. You can be heard without moshing on the Internet.
Jon Perry is the CEO of Merchant Services Inc and Managing Partner at Rebel Without Applause LLC. He is a speaker, writer and columnist. You can connect with Jon on LinkedIn, follow him on Twitter or learn more about him on Facebook Profile or Facebook Business.
