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I'm grateful to my business coach Rachel Turner for a conversation that led to this distinction.
So much of what appears on social media and in advertising and marketing is "self-serving":
Buy my thing
Here I am being virtuous
Look at my perfect life
I'm occasionally guilty of all three.
It occurs to me that "influencers" do this most of the time.
Yet - we truly engage with our audience when what we post is "of service":
Here's a great idea
Use this resource
Let me share this story because the metaphor will help you
When we are "of service" the flow is effortless. There is no persuasion.
Every week I receive emails that start with "I've been following your stuff for years and now I need your help".
The stuff that people reference isn't my holiday snaps or product pitches. It is the ideas, resources and stories that I share.
So let's all take a moment to evaluate what we are putting out there.
Sit down with your marketing team and work back through your advertising and marketing.
Create two columns on a sheet of paper or a device and populate the columns.
"Self serving" or "of service".
You will soon see what I mean.
Patients/clients buy your thing when they know that you are "of service".