Well, who do you think you’re talking to? When you are developing content, whether it’s a blog, a video, or any form of social media, do you fall for that little trick your mind plays on you and visualize one or two people in your head and run in that direction?

When I get a new subscriber or a comment from someone about a certain article, or inquire as to whether or not I am losing control of my faculties, it’s hard not to let those comments color your messaging. It’s like reading your own reviews, or being on stage and playing to that one person in the audience to gauge your performance. Once that image gets posted to your mind’s eye, it’s hard to shake it off.

When I am writing, I usually let whatever word or phrase that pops into my head first thing in the morning guide me and riff off of that. Who knows what my subconscious has been up to over night, but I trust it and take the bait. Caffeine and Flomax have a strange effect on me so I usually write furiously, following my train of thought or emotion without looking back.

I am in the curious position of joining the choir before the church got built in that for the last fifteen years I have been promoting content development, or whatever overused term it’s called these days and dreaming of the day when video would be used in sales, marketing and all forms of training and education.

Now that we have the weapons, we need precise targets or we will alienate whole segments of businesses and not get them back. That’s what’s missing in this new world, viewer empathy. A thorough understanding of what our message is and how it will benefit our tribes is critical before we pull the trigger.

So, who do you think you’re talking to? It’s a question you should ask yourself before starting any on-line campaign intended to educate, inform or “move” an audience.  It’s not “Ready! Shoot! Aim!”