Social media is becoming a "wow" strategy and blogs a good tactic to meet some client's needs. In addition to connecting us to a variety of communities that offer various topics, ideas, and potential friendships, its best advantages to us and our clients, I think, are the sharing opportunities. We can get feedback on almost any idea or any topic. We can ask questions. And we can answer them.


These communities create a marketplace of sharing in marketing, public relations, advertising, creative, technology, and client challenges, to name a few. And that is a great upside.
The sharing might also have a downside, if when we participate through comments, trackbacks and follow-up on our blogs or here at the Daily Fix, we don't ask ourselves several questions and then answer them before we speak. It's the old cliché: Put your mind in gear before running your mouth.
A recent post on CK's Blog raised this issue in my mind. You can read the post yourself, but briefly CK was sharing a friend's video, which is part of a marketing effort.
I was intrigued by the post and the discussion and wanted to participate. My practice before commenting usually includes reading the post, reviewing the video if it has one, and checking out the original site of the source for our discussion. Why? Because I want to think like the intended audience before commenting.
When we comment from our professional point of view, the comment might be valuable in terms of the creative... but it also might not be. Let's face it: We're in the thick of the forest and our long view is somewhat obscured by the trees. In most of our professions, our ultimate purpose isn't to see out, it is to get customers to see in and then to come and join us.
We want them to see the value of our products and services (the forest) and to join us in the experience. We want them to purchase the goods and to have a great customer experience. But before we can create sticky messages (book club plug), we need to get into the minds and hearts of those customers. That is why I make every effort to think like a customer before I participate. (Sometimes I fail because my passion and personal beliefs take over, and then I find myself in trouble and having said something that is both right and wrong.)
What do you do to understand your audience before and during your marketing projects (or whatever professional projects you are involved in where the end result is selling a product or a service)? Or do you do anything to see through customers eyes and heart? Do you agree this is a first step? Do you approach this differently? Is this a first step or does it fall somewhere else in our priorities?
Share. Look Smart. Because you are smart or your wouldn't be where you are right now: here at the Daily Fix.