The Internet Has a Long Memory

Episode 5 September 24, 2021 00:07:39
The Internet Has a Long Memory
Launch With Words
The Internet Has a Long Memory

Sep 24 2021 | 00:07:39

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Hosted By

Bridget Willard

Show Notes

So many people are afraid of publishing on the internet because “screenshots are forever.” That’s a good mentality if you’re hesitant to start sexting with the guy you met on Tinder. However, that mentality holds you back in business. See, as small business owners, we can use this to our advantage. As we continue to publish online, we build a net part of the internet. It’s a connected network of pages and references to our names, our businesses, and our expertise. Don’t worry how many views your blog post gets. Worry about not publishing again. 

 

(00:03):
Welcome to the Launch With Words podcast, with your host, Bridget Willard. We're going to talk about all things. Content, blogging, articles, videos, whatever has words and goes on your website.

(00:21):
Hey, thanks for tuning in for the fifth episode in this first season. We're going to talk about the internet having a long memory. Now, if you are SnapChatting and sexting with the guy you met on Tinder, Bumble, Match, whatever -- or the gal -- then the internet, having a long memory should be a concern for you.

(00:45):
However, if you're building your business, don't let that mentality interfere with publishing your blog posts. It's so easy to think that it doesn't matter, but every connection you make matters when you're publishing. You're building the net part of "inter-net." It's an interworking network. Right? It's a network. It's a web. It's connections. It is a digital version of how we do business online. It's a digital version of how we do business in person. It's a representation of your expertise, of your length in business, of your personality, of your company, of your name, the personal branding of, of you.

(01:43):
So when you're hesitant to blog, because you don't think it's important, I would remind you of my favorite Chinese proverb: "The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today."

(02:03):
Start today, start writing 300 to 500 word blog posts, and then don't stop the writing. Publish. Publish those blog posts. Tell people who you are. What makes you different? Why do people want to hire you? Right? Why are you the best roofing contractor? Why should they buy a Trane air conditioning unit from you? If it's a Trane, does it matter who installs it? Why should they buy a Honda Civic from your dealership and not the one 20 miles away?

(02:48):
Why should they hire you? Why should they hire you to build a website? What makes you special? What makes you unique? Do you know a lot about a certain industry? Are you an expert in mortgages? Do you work with only financial services? This is, this is what matters.

(03:12):
We want to know who you are as customers and with the Shop Local movement, becoming more of the commonality with millennial purchasers -- who are 40, by the way -- they want their money to go to a business that recognizes their own goals. If you're not supporting a nonprofit, you should, and then blog about why you do that. These kinds of goals matter. You know?

(03:45):
So when I encourage my clients and friends to write and publish, write and publish, write and publish, I do this because it takes a long time for results to show. People said to me,when I moved to Texas, "Wow, Bridget you've really become a success overnight."

(04:08):
Or when I changed my career from being, uh, an office manager /secretary/accountant, to working at a advertising agency in the franchise development world, "wow, that's an overnight success."

(04:24):
Well, it doesn't feel like an overnight success to me when I've been doing this work since 2009. It doesn't feel like an overnight success to me when I've been working since I was 14 years old. It doesn't feel like an overnight success to me when I've made intentional decisions to lower my cost of living, to focus my mind on my health, to focus my efforts on my business, instead of dating, instead of friendships, instead of trying to keep relationships alive, that shouldn't be alive. Right? Those are my reasons for moving last year. And when I talk about it on my blog, people understand. They relate. They know who I am. They know that I care about my business, which tells them that I'm going to care about theirs. Right?

(05:19):
It seems like too personal to talk about why you moved and how you found businesses, but you're going to find a blog post on BridgetWillard.com about exactly that. It seems weird that I would talk about reading self-help books, but that's who I am. And that's the journey that I am.

(05:37):
Because people buy from other people. You want to undo the big box stores, the Sams, the Walmarts, the Amazons? You do that by revealing more of who you are. By becoming vulnerable. By showing expertise and being not, and sorry, and not being afraid of criticism. Because here's the thing. If a customer reads your blog post or sees your photo and they don't like you, or they think you need plastic surgery, or they don't like that you lease a Honda Civic like I do, then they're not your customer. It's not a good fit. Is that bad? No, we can't do work with everyone. Right?

(06:31):
So I want to know. Send me an email at [email protected]. I want to know. Say, "Bridget. I listened to episode five. I w I just wrote this blog post. Uh, will you read it? Will you give me some feedback?" I'll be happy to do that for no charge. I will be happy to do that because I want you to do what's best for your business and what's best for your business is to publish on your own blog.

(07:06):
Thanks for listening to Launch With Words, a podcast by BridgetWillard.com. If you like this podcast, why go ahead and share it with your friends, small business owners, peers, your brother. Oh, I really appreciate your attention. If you have any ideas, contact me on my website. Follow me at @BridgetMWillard on Twitter. And I hope to see you on the next episode or the next season.

 



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