These simple principles for getting attention on social media…? They work. Even I had underestimated how well, it seems.
On Monday morning, a combination of jadedness, procrastination, insomnia and poor impulse control collided in something that… I knew would work. The right “gimmick”, and a use of both social media and traditional networks… it was bound to get some traffic.
I invested ZERO dollars. 30 minutes to write up the blog post. A mutual follower on Twitter suggested the article to my friend Louise Burke at The West Australian (I am known to them, having appeared before as the so-called “Twitterati”, so… we ran with it). But, only one paper was approached by me, and that was them. No press release.
In the early hours of Wednesday morning, I went to bed, tired, happy at having achieved some local buzz for the “#iPadofLove” concept. I had applied some very simple strategies that I advise my clients to do, and was happy that I have driven 500 visitors to this website.
Done and dusted. Or so I thought…
I woke up 6 hours later, to triple the traffic, and a bunch of enquiries from local media, wanting to talk to me about the concept, including an email from a Sunrise producer saying they wanted me on.
I had my children, so… didn’t really get to digest it. Stumbled out, said “who wants breakfast?”, changed a pooey nappy (an extra special one for mothers who might let their own hype get away from them… that other parents will know, and I call “lake poo”)… and then… the phone rang. And rang. And rang.
I did Perth ABC radio. I stammered, and stumbled my way through, as it hit me what was happening and I could not stop laughing. Then 6PR. Little easier. Then, the Big Couch on 94.5 wanted to speak to me. Then… Seven News got in touch. Then… breakfast radio… and some afternoon radio booked as well. What a crazy whirlwind.
Then I found out that CultMac had posted an article. Then, MacLife in Germany… (and for any Apple geek, it’s very much a “squee!” moment :D) then… I lost track. I had some last-minute photos done by my friend @annarosephoto (see thumbnails!) I have to keep looking at the top right of my screen to know what day it is… and I am now on a blackout between calls, sitting down to deal with my actual client work… you know… the stuff that pays :)
Insanity. There have been several occasions where I have messaged friends “WHAT THE HELL DID I DO?” – and then they laugh at me and mock me and support me in that way only your closest people can. And because I have chosen to not watch or listen to myself, or read comments on the articles (because if I did the temptation would be to pull the pin… it’s a normal reaction!), but I am trying to express my thanks to those that have been… so nice :)
The result? Well… so far I think the spectacle has superseded the intent, and it can only be assessed from the outside later on. But, I have been approached a fair bit. Insanity! I don’t have any real sense of what is going on beyond the site traffic… because as an introvert/keyboard hero… well… you know… and, the traffic is holding steady. 27% bounce rate, and about 60% of people who click on the blog link are also clicking on my portfolio (which is incomplete and completely unready for this sort of exposure!)… it’s just… fun.
Men? Yes. :)
I fully expect it to end soon. I know how things like this work and it won’t be long till I fade back into obscurity. But, it’s fun. And I have been writing a book about social media and, well… looks like I need to add a chapter. LOL (anyone want to pay me to finish it? ;)). But, I will enjoy picking this experiment apart afterwards.
To those who are sick of hearing about me on the news, I apologise. I made a decision to not actively seek media, but accept all that asked… it is important that you are prepared to follow through with a promotion and I need to walk the talk. So yeah, I’ve kind of been all over the place today. LOL.
Thanks again, I am going to do a video at some point but I am so wrecked I am slurring and stuttering even more than my first radio interview! Thank you to all the media people, who really get what I am doing here, and I owe all my supporters a drink when it all dies down. Thank you :)
