Moments Later: Blogging for One

When I started blogging about 2 years ago, I didn’t have a clear road map of where I was traveling.

I knew I wanted to do something different. I didn’t set my GPS toward a specific direction. I was operating without a clear goal in mind. I thought that eventually I would stumble upon my goal by writing.I wasn’t sure exactly where I was going, what I was doing or in fact, why.

Recently after reading SimonSinek’s wonderful book START WITH WHY, it occurred to me that I need clarity as to why I am blogging and for whom I am writing.

Why became clear after receiving a wonderful email from a comment by someone who has been reading my posts and told me that she has been using many of my ideas in her job. She works in a retirement center. She was the marketing department and a recent graduate without a lot of marketing experience. After reading her email and speaking to her on the phone, I realized that I am blogging for her.

I am blogging to see if I can share an idea, a thought or a spark of an idea that influences just one person each day.

It would be great to have a thousand readers or ten thousand readers but that isn’t the true motivation. I see that helping one person a day is a powerful goal to set. Some might see it as a low bar- not a real stretch goal but blogging is a chance to mentor to a broader audience. What a gift to have the technology platform that gives me this chance.

136,000 page views later, I am focused on just trying to help one person who can benefit from my experiences. Toward this effort, I decided I needed some guide rails that help me forward and to keep me focused.

As I reset my GPS, each post I write must meet the following criteria:

1. Am I working hard to add something new to the conversation and not just be part of the online marketing echo chamber?

2. Is my post helping to light a spark that ignites and motivates someone to take a chance, to try something new and to act?

3. Am I clear on what I want to say or just writing to hear myself think out loud?

4. Has someone already said this better than me? Am I adding an authenticity through my own voice?

5. Am I presenting my idea from a heart-centered view or am I reacting out of anger and fear?

6. Am I helping someone become more focused, clearer and targeted in their effort?

7. Am I working hard to inspire great creative ideas or just being a naysayer?

What’s in it for me?

One of my favorite questions to ask, when thinking about marketing issues, is to identify what’s in it for me (or the customer, the target, the demographic, etc.)

The Mentor in Me
In the case of my blog, I think I now understand that blogging fulfills a need and goal I have to mentor and teach others. On a deep emotional level, it may be the father in me who wants to give back some of the wonderful wisdom that was shared with me from my parents, my grandparents and the many business mentors who have helped me along my own career path. This is truly an effort to pay it forward as a thank you to those who have helped me on my own path.