Happy Monday, First name / friend!
We’re talking about two things this week: loneliness and marketing. There’s a connection, we promise.
You don’t have to go far to find lonely people. How much of that has to do with ye olde pandemic, our collective relationship with the internet, or other issues entirely, we’ll let the experts speculate. One of our upcoming podcast episodes focuses on this disconnect we’ve felt recently. People are silently struggling. Community feels fractured.
What does that have to do with marketing? Often, when an agent doesn't know how to promote their business, they turn to social media. And, often, when they aren’t sure what to do on socials, they start posting ads. They might whip out the old ChatGPT to write attention grabbing captions to show off their expertise. Their posts float off into the void, and the agent just hopes somebody pays attention.
Our question to you is, are you making connections, or are you just making noise?
The online world is already deafening. Making noise for the sake of making noise probably won’t get you very far. It can be isolating for you as the creator, and it can be isolating for any of your potential followers scrolling through the chaos that is social media.
But people need connection. So how do we gather people? How do we make meaningful one-on-one contact? Are we taking time to check in on people, one human to another? There’s something better than being an expert; and that’s being a person who cares about their community.
None of this is to say that we shouldn't post on social media, or that we should participate in community solely to generate business. It's a reminder to show up and be part of people's lives. In a lonely world, it might be hard to initiate contact. It’s a blessing for other people when we do, though.
With that in mind, here are a handful of ideas to brighten up that digital void.
- Host casual, fun events. Call, text, or email your people to personally invite them. This does not have to be complicated. For example: game nights, potlucks, backyard cookouts or bonfires, book clubs, volunteering, etc. Consider hosting an event in partnership with someone—a friend, colleague, or business/organization you like.
- Attend events hosted by other people. Try something new! Meet people! Have fun!
- Organize an activity. For example, we’re planning a food drive. We drop off canvas totes at people’s houses, they fill them with non-perishable food, then we pick them up and take them to the local food shelf.
- Call your sphere now and again just to check in. When someone pops into your head, why not send them a quick text?
- Pick an acquaintance you’re curious to learn about and invite them to coffee.
- When you use social media, be social. Interact with other people’s posts. DM friends and followers (William likes to DM videos of himself rather than writing sometimes, for the added personal touch). Spend time interacting in local groups on Facebook.
If you have ideas to add to the list, please do! Reply to this email or post in the Meeting of the Minds Facebook group. We’d love to include some of your suggestions in next week’s email!
