I am struggling to start this comment because this article has overwhelmed me with such agreement that I don't even know what to nod my head at first. I am a writer, not by profession, and potentially I never will qualify as one, but I have the heart of a writer. I have hustled creatively to make money to afford to chase stories and take the time to tell them, and right now for the first time in my life I have dropped everything and decided to dedicate my days to trying to share my stories.
I am on a one year international self-proclaimed "book tour," sitting here typing away in Vietnam as we speak. My book is a collection of travel letters that I wrote to a pen pal over the span of a decade of wandering and the first marketing thought that crossed my mind was if I wanted to promote the book to travelers then I needed to be where travelers go, which is out there in the world. Here I am, "marketing."
I have struggled with the addiction to dopamine, regretting posts that underperformed or efforts that failed to generate engagement nor ultimately sales. I told myself I didn't care what worked or didn't work as long as it was human, as long as my efforts did "good" in the world, created beauty, connected people, helped a person heal, etc.
Though the sales have been admittedly slow, I have refused to deprioritize the human-centric approach to sharing my letters and I humbly accepted that I was consciously choosing people-first over potential-profit. After reading your article, I have had faith restored that the slow burn might keep me the warmest, and I am extremely grateful for your reassuring advice. I don't love the state of modern media and the false facade of connectedness makes me feel lonelier than deleting the apps. Your post here has re-introduced some true depth on my flat computer screen.
I will read this post time and time again until my final flight home, so thank you for encouraging me to market from the heart and to the heart.
Thank you so much for taking the time to share such a thoughtful response! I relate SO much to what you’re sharing- and find it incredibly inspiring that you’re dedicated to staying true to your values and humanness in an industry that tries everything it can to rip those things away from us.
I absolutely love this. I'm always drawn to things that feel more personal, and like to create that way as well. I started following you years ago when you were posting your creative journal pages and I always looked forward to them. They were so inspiring.
For more examples of Analog Marketing, read "Unreasonable Hospitality" by Will Guidara. He talks about how going the extra mile for a client (or customer, in his case, as the manager of a Michelin-star restaurant in NYC) can keep you in their mind forever. For example, he mentions how he overheard one table talking about all the fantastic food they had all around the city but that they regret not getting a hot dog from a street vendor.
What does Will do? He runs outside, buys them a hot dog, and has the chef spice it up for them. A $2 New York hot dog became a story they told for the rest of their lives.
I love all of these ideas! I’ve been feeling pulled to more authentic and tactile content these days. It’s what I crave as a consumer and a creator. 💜
Yes!!
This.
This is so raw, so real, and what having a business should be about!!! Thank you 🙏
Thank you!! I’m so glad it resonated for you 🌈🌈🌈
I am struggling to start this comment because this article has overwhelmed me with such agreement that I don't even know what to nod my head at first. I am a writer, not by profession, and potentially I never will qualify as one, but I have the heart of a writer. I have hustled creatively to make money to afford to chase stories and take the time to tell them, and right now for the first time in my life I have dropped everything and decided to dedicate my days to trying to share my stories.
I am on a one year international self-proclaimed "book tour," sitting here typing away in Vietnam as we speak. My book is a collection of travel letters that I wrote to a pen pal over the span of a decade of wandering and the first marketing thought that crossed my mind was if I wanted to promote the book to travelers then I needed to be where travelers go, which is out there in the world. Here I am, "marketing."
I have struggled with the addiction to dopamine, regretting posts that underperformed or efforts that failed to generate engagement nor ultimately sales. I told myself I didn't care what worked or didn't work as long as it was human, as long as my efforts did "good" in the world, created beauty, connected people, helped a person heal, etc.
Though the sales have been admittedly slow, I have refused to deprioritize the human-centric approach to sharing my letters and I humbly accepted that I was consciously choosing people-first over potential-profit. After reading your article, I have had faith restored that the slow burn might keep me the warmest, and I am extremely grateful for your reassuring advice. I don't love the state of modern media and the false facade of connectedness makes me feel lonelier than deleting the apps. Your post here has re-introduced some true depth on my flat computer screen.
I will read this post time and time again until my final flight home, so thank you for encouraging me to market from the heart and to the heart.
Thank you so much for taking the time to share such a thoughtful response! I relate SO much to what you’re sharing- and find it incredibly inspiring that you’re dedicated to staying true to your values and humanness in an industry that tries everything it can to rip those things away from us.
I absolutely love this. I'm always drawn to things that feel more personal, and like to create that way as well. I started following you years ago when you were posting your creative journal pages and I always looked forward to them. They were so inspiring.
Thank you!!! I have been creating them again and plan on sharing them more frequently 😍😍
For more examples of Analog Marketing, read "Unreasonable Hospitality" by Will Guidara. He talks about how going the extra mile for a client (or customer, in his case, as the manager of a Michelin-star restaurant in NYC) can keep you in their mind forever. For example, he mentions how he overheard one table talking about all the fantastic food they had all around the city but that they regret not getting a hot dog from a street vendor.
What does Will do? He runs outside, buys them a hot dog, and has the chef spice it up for them. A $2 New York hot dog became a story they told for the rest of their lives.