The chap in the photograph is called “Chambers”, despite the freezing cold water and the 15c temperature of the dock he enjoyed repeatedly diving and the adulation it bought him.
I think there are a lot of folks just like the Chambers dude.
We can say he did some things very well. He was getting attention, inflating his ego, and he worked his audience. While he was clearly enjoying the thrill, it was just as clear as he grandstanded for the onlookers that he wasn’t doing it just for the adrenalin rush.
The audience, for their part, were egging him on and gettting entertainment.
A couple of kids tried to emulate him, but out of fear they chose lower heights to leap from, with less impressive results. Chambers did not pay them any mind. Nor did he rise to the jeering from the critic gallery who were hoping and praying that he would crack his skull on one of the many hazards around the water.
He chose his course of action, built his platform, attracted attention, and executed his plan.
What Next?
Then, just like with a lot of blogs that you see, the moment passed and everyone started to drift away. This left Mr Chambers shivering in his wet clothes, and with a withering entourage.
The problem is, often what looks like decisive action is just one step towards a goal.
Activity is not necessarily productivity.
We didn’t witness what came next, we had places to be, but I like to imagine that he at least got a Fish and Chips supper for his troubles. Some kind of reward for his stupid spectacle.
Lessons?
So many people only focus on the reward part. Had this guy turned up and gone around the folks in the bay with the offer of “Stunts for Chips” he would likely have received either a brush off at best or maybe a bruise or two. Many people on the other hand go too far the other way, they build an audience but then do not take a next step, they don’t take that audience anywhere. You need a platform and a reward (even if that reward is getting a message out, enjoying the process, or simply making new friends).
- You need to build your platform first. Attract a core audience, then get some momentum, and it is far easier to then build that platform even further.
- Discover what your audience wants, investigate and drill down to find the challenges, goals, wants and needs of the people you are attracting.
- Serve that audience with valuable contributions and make offers that are relevant to their interests and needs.
Bottom line: Before all this, know your end goal. Otherwise after the thrill is over you might end up on the sidelines, cold and alone.
If you want to learn how to launch a product or program that people actually want,
check out the Mojo Marketing Action Plan
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