There was a Woman on the Bus with a Dead Fish in her Handbag!

You've probably heard that the goal of Content Marketing is to create the "like, know and trust" factor with your audience. That's pretty much how we operate in normal life anyway. From the eyes of the man we see across the bar, to the shared snarky face as we make an emotional connection with another mum at the school gates.

But when it comes to our business and being visible online - we suddenly FREAK THE HECK OUT and sanitise ourselves.

I think it comes down to that fear of wanting to be LIKED - more than wanting to share YOUR MESSAGE. 😞

What is it they say?

"If you can't tell who's the weirdo on the bus - it's YOU!"

I think we get a bit scared of BEING that weirdo on the bus. What if it's US who's got the unwrapped trout in their handbag? (Yeh... true story! - nooooo, not my freakin' trout - but really, there WAS a woman on a London bus with an unwrapped (dead) fish in her handbag... )

But that's it. RIGHT THERE. 30 years later and I REMEMBER the fish in the handbag!

There is a reason those trashy magazines with headlines such as "Elvis took me to Mars to bear his lovechild" sell so well. Nobody, but absolutely NOBODY wants to read about your dull-as-dish-rag day where you fed the children, shouted SHOES, SHOES, SHOES 12 times, spilled coffee down the first top you've ironed in weeks and then went to work. Dull as dirt. They want Elvis. And fish in handbags.

All these things you're worrying about and scared to reveal about yourself - are the things that are going to CONNECT with people and make them FEEL something... and likely remember you for the NEXT 30 years.

We tend to criticise our "freaky side" - but truly, THAT is the connector - and SHARING your FREAKY SIDE is what's going to get you PAID by the people who totally GET YOU!

You have to choose to reveal those parts of your personality which perhaps until now you've wanted to keep hidden... because you didn't want to alienate your audience or upset people.

Thing is - unless you can turn up that Marmite factor (Vegemite and I have NO idea what the product would be in the US which makes some people fall in love and some dry heave! ) - then you're never going to truly appeal to anyone.

Because the audience who revel in bland are probably going to go to the person with the "shiniest/pushiest" marketing... and damn, you were only ever PLAYING at bland - because you're not some BORING STEPFORD BASIC!

... And you find yourself sitting there reading the content of the women who are already out there - the ones who are UNAPOLOGETIC, UNAFRAID and have already UNLEASHED their delicious flavour of crazy - and you're nodding along like a good dog... wondering why you're not doing that because you know in your heart your stories, with and observations are a million times better than the bland bishes... but away you go and spend another day "being a nice amenable & pleasing" woman on Social Media.

When exactly ARE you going to put that stinking fish in your handbag?

When you choose NOT to create content marketing YOURSELF (because you ARE the brand), you're CHOOSING not to FILL YOUR BANK ACCOUNT.

... And that's NOT acceptable!