You’ve been working hard to get the word out. It’s out. Now what?
I hear “getting the word out” stated as an objective all the time. We need to get the word out. How do we get the word out? What are the best ways to get the word out? New products/services or initiatives typically fall victim to the getting-the-word-out approach. Nobody knows about this amazing new gizmo, let’s get the word out, quick!
Before you dash to get the word out, ask yourself these questions first:
- What is the word saying, what is it about?
- Does anyone care, about the word or what the word is saying?
- Does anyone want or need to know what you’re saying and what you’re getting the word out about?
- Does the word you’re getting out mean anything to anyone?
- What’s the benefit of what the word is about?
- How does the word fit into other things you’re saying (sentence, paragraph, story)?
- Is what you’re saying or talking about making the world a better place? Is it necessary?
- What do you expect the word’s recipients to do once they read the word?
- How are you measuring the success of your getting-the-word-out effort?
- How will you know the word achieved its goals and objectives?
In fact, forget about getting the word out. It’s push, and you can only push so far. Create something people will want to hear because it means something to them, and they’ll pull the word out of you when and where and how they want it.
Word.
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I couldn’t agree more. As a marketing coach, I often hear people say that they just want exposure or that they consider something a success because it got them exposure. When I ask what the result of that exposure will be, they are often unsure. All they knew was they wanted exposure. At some point, the exposure has to be accountable and lead to sales.