Getting attention isn't success. It's permission. And permission can be revoked very fucking quickly.
This week in 50-somethinghood, I’ve been thinking about my no-bullshit policy.
I’ve gotten really good at “walking right on by” brands that look interesting but just don’t cut it. They caught my attention, but I quickly realized they were not for me. They might think they are for me; they might want me to think they are for me, but nope. It's a pass—hard no. You caught me, but you are not keeping me.
I’m part of an audience with decades of experience, years of being marketed to, purchasing power, established preferences, a finite amount of attention, a high bar for trust, and highly developed bullshit detectors.
A brand can do something interesting enough that I stop, click, read, browse, follow, subscribe, walk into the store, whatever. At that point, I’ve essentially said, Fine. You have my attention. Show me what you've got. I'm looking around. Don't annoy me.
So what am I looking for, exactly?
I look at the value being offered—does the content speak to me? Are the views compelling? Am I interested in the associations?
Is the brand trying to understand me, or am I seen as a prospect to be acquired?
Was the thing that attracted me representative of what I'll find once I'm inside?
Maybe it's useful information. Maybe I discover a product that solves something. Maybe the brand makes me laugh. Maybe I see myself in it. Maybe it introduces me to an idea I hadn't considered. Maybe its point of view resonates with mine.
I respond when I get a sense of the person or brand behind something. I’m not interested in endless oversharing—I need just enough specificity and personality—a snapshot of the brand's taste and sense of humor—so I feel like I understand how they might see the world.
I need to believe that the brand “gets” a small part of me. They understand what I care about, what I’m looking for, and, even better, what I never knew I wanted or might want to do, see, or accomplish. And they need to know how to add value before they ask for my support.
They need to know not to overpost or send me daily emails that clog my already messy inbox. They can’t offer a link that looks like it leads to educational content and is, in fact, a sales offer. And they better not be posting a different version of the same crap that everyone else is talking about.
If a brand passes those tests, then I’ll stay awhile.
I’ve given you permission to occupy a little more of my world as I check out yours. Just don’t fuck it up.
