Recently I posted one of these emailed articles on LinkedIn.
And, one of my very sharp readers messaged me on LinkedIn a couple hours later:
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Subject: Not being a hater, but I gotta ask…
Hey Coach Bru,
I found you through a colleague of mine who bought me a copy of your book Stadium Status. I see many entertainers, industry experts and media personalities have written you testimonials. Plus aren’t you an award-winning author? SO…
How the hell are there only 4 likes on this LinkedIn post? Seriously, you basically encapsulated the blueprint to success in life and business into a few short paragraphs.
I would’ve expected hundreds of likes and at least a few dozen shares. The fact that this isn’t the case really reflects poorly on you. You must have a good explanation?
Again, not hating. Love your writing but I’m SO curious what’s up with that?
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The answer:
It’s the online illusion of losing while you’re winning offline.
The fact is that social media platforms have changed. They limit the number of views in order to try to force you to pay to boost the exposure of your content. And you can’t begrudge them that. They own that real estate and they’re in the business of making money just like the rest of us.
More importantly, I don’t rely on LinkedIn or any other social media platform for that matter so I could care less how many likes, shares or views it has.
But his question brings up a very important lesson.
It’s a teachable moment about consumer psychology.
We live in the “page views era” where people care entirely too much about status and shares.
Many consumers measure the significance of things based on likes, shares, views, etc. And their buying decisions are based on that same superficial criteria. Often to a detriment, valuing style over substance.
Look at some of the most shared content, it tends to be style not substance. (Which explains the Kardashians popularity) It’s the reason the phrase tl;dr was coined (Too Long Didn’t Read).
This is also the very reason I email my readers daily and value my relationship with you FAR more than “social shares” or social media posts.
Do I need social media to grow my brand? No.
Does it help? Yes, a little.
My brand has been built in a way so that social media is simply the icing not the cake itself. If I got rid of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn tomorrow my brand wouldn’t suffer one bit. That’s because it’s been built organically.
Which is how I encourage you to grow your’s and precisely what I teach to my members in Yesterday’s Underdogs, my private online community of entrepreneurs and leaders.
To learn more about it, go here: https://coachbru.thinkific.com/courses/Underdog
P.S. Before you click the link, if you’re more worried about “who belongs” and “what their status is”… Don’t waste your time. Besides I probably wouldn’t admit you anyway. It’s only for people who value substance over style.