Contributed by SBOC Member:
Founder of the Small Business Owners Community
What does it take to get noticed, to spark engagement, to stop the scroll?
These questions haunt marketers, creators, and small business owners alike. We spend hours tweaking headlines, testing hashtags, and filming content that never quite hits.
But sometimes, the golden rule of humanity shows up and reminds us what really matters.
On April 1, someone posted a tweet.
Let that sink in.
Depending on who you ask, there are only 300 to 500 million Twitter users total. That means this tweet has been seen multiple times by everyone on the platform. That sounds almost impossible, but here we are.
So what’s the secret?
After the tweet was posted it was flooded with responses from users sharing interesting tidbits about their life and experiences. The responses ranged from tragic to hilarious and everyone seemed to have a story.
I could try to do a deep dive into viral trends or visual style. The answer is much simpler.
Read that again.
People only care about themselves.
When we create content, we often start from the wrong place.
What do I have to say? What do I want to share?
But your audience is only asking one question: What’s in it for me?
If you want them to learn, how will it help them?
If you want to share an insight, how will it change their day?
If you want to talk about your business, show how your business improves their life.
We’ve seen this in real life, too. Ask someone about themselves, and they’ll talk for hours. Say their name, and they light up. Being seen and heard is a basic human desire.
Yet when it’s time to post online, we forget. We default to “Look at me” when we should be saying, “Here’s something that might help you.”
So here’s the reminder. If you make content that’s only about you, it ends up in the junk pile of forgettable posts. But if you pause and ask, “Why would they care?”, your message has a chance to connect.
Because I want you to know that someone is cheering you on. Someone is reminding you that you can do this. Someone is giving you practical ideas to keep your business moving forward. That’s the point of The Summary.
This week, make your content about the person reading it. Always connect to what’s in it for them.
And who knows. Maybe your next post hits 1 billion views.
Pat spent two decades in broadcasting management and hosting. After leaving the radio industry, he spent time consulting small businesses and realized the support system for entrepreneurs was broken. Where could you find help for improving small businesses and building real connections with other like-minded people. In June of 2020, the Idea Collective Small Business Community was born.