“Why on earth do people do that?” my wife asked.
“It must work,” I responded.
As we waited for the street light to turn green, our eyes were fixed upon the man twirling a giant sign that read “FREE OIL CHANGE!”
It was close to 95 degrees outside. The man was wearing a dark outfit ? presumably so his torso could be the perfect backdrop for the white sign with red lettering. The only shading the man had was courtesy of a giant mosquito buzzing around his head.
Yet there he stood. His hands spinning the giant sign. His forehead sweating profusely. His eyes screaming to each passing vehicle, “Please take me with you.”
Of course, he wasn’t alone. At the next street light was a woman holding a pizza sign. Next to her was a man with a sign promising to buy all my gold.
If we drove long enough, I’m sure we’d have eventually passed someone holding a sign for a store that sold signs.
“Without Promotion, Something Terrible Happens. Nothing!”
The above quote is attributed to P. T. Barnum, founder of Barnum & Bailey Circus, and a man who knew a thing or two about showmanship.
And, clearly, the business owners of today agree with his sentiment…
Whether it’s sign twirling, corny radio ads, TV commercials with rap music, or giant billboards featuring attractive females even though the business has nothing to do with the gathering of attractive females ? people will try anything and everything to promote their businesses.
Bloggers should be willing to do the same.
Yes, some ideas can seem ridiculous. But don’t most promotional strategies seem crazy at first?
The notion of pouring your blood, sweat, and tears into writing an eBook, and then giving it away for free as an opt-in bribe perplexed many bloggers in the beginning. Heck, it probably still perplexes a few.
So does the idea of giving away your best work in the form of a guest post on someone else’s website. “Shouldn’t my best ideas stay on my own blog?” many bloggers wonder.
It’s all about promotion. It’s getting you and your blog out there to as many eyes as possible.
That’s why some of us guest blog. It’s why some of us do Facebook Ads. It’s why some of us are all over social media.
It’s why some of us write great blog comments, some of us are active in online communities and forums, and why some of us do videos and podcasts.
Without promotion, something terrible happens… Nothing.
The trick is realizing what works for one won’t necessarily work for another. That, and we should never stop experimenting.
The only way you’ll know if a particular promotion strategy will work for you and your blog is by trying it. Don’t assume. Don’t ever, ever assume.
Try, tweak, and then try again.
Tired of nothing happening?
It’s time to get out there and twirl your sign.
Creative Commons Image via Steve Baker.
