Yes? But What’s My Motivation… Why read this article?

Do you have something online, a web site and presence, then, on reading this article you will learn one thing, something so important that if you do not make it a principal and natural part of your thinking, your marketing is doomed to mediocrity, seriously. So learn this one thing if you have never heard of it before, then make absolutely sure you make it a natural part of your actions.

I am kicking myself for not thinking that way before; in fact it really hit me hard in a place where I hardly ever hit and it hurts I can tell you. I blame my technical background, mainly because it cannot blame me back and partly because it is the truth. It is the world of facts, of science, mathematics, programming and technology and all the things that make you sound geeky. However, something out of the blue appeared…

It was like a “Eureka moment”, you know the one, where Archimedes discovers something in his bath and goes running down the street naked shouting “Eureka” (I have found it). Well current UK laws, being fully clothed in my office and never discovering anything worth shouting about in my bath prevented me from upsetting the neighbours with that reaction, but I may indeed have felt like it when it hit me.

So what is this fact? I can hear you so desperately ask. Well I didn’t hear anyone actually asking me then, or then I would be hearing voices, but I feel for you dear reader reading this, I really do.

Here we go – “Target any action you make – not for you, but to fulfil another person’s need“

OK?

There it is. Fantastic isn’t it!!

Or does it still sound just like another boring principle? Not a quote you would bring up in a seminar and impress your peers with by dropping it into conversation?

Well there it is, a universal truth, you cannot fulfil your own needs without learning how to fulfil another’s. Everything you create that will mean anything to anybody will only have any worth, if it is of actual use to somebody else.

Alright, it is little fundamental; you already knew this didn’t you? I thought I did – In principle – but not in action.

Take a look at something you have created, not through your eyes (or ears) but through someone else, just as the visitor would seeing your work for the first time. How does it help them?

Or is it something self-indulgent or just plain advertisement. Just remember how useful these things are NOT when you are looking for something on the web.

How about your blog or personal communications? Are you just being selfish? Are you truly helping the recipient of your blog, post, email, tweet or page?

I’ll confess, by really thinking about this I made a significant change to my own blog. I used to smother it with Advertisements. I would stick them everywhere, because I wanted to make money from them right? How far would I go adding additional ads to my posts? I was deluging visitors with dozens of dull ads drowning the site in noise. I was forgetting the true purpose of the blog and I don’t think anyone would have ever taken me seriously if I continued.

How far would I go with this thinking? How desperate could I get? Would I put up a picture of a puppy with a pistol pointed at it! Then put up a message in bold saying “Click!!! Or the puppy gets it!” When was I thinking about the motivation of the visitor?

Then I looked at my web sites I created so far…. Eek! … OK, I have learned a valuable lesson, some changes need to be made.

Apart from my light hearted communication of this message, it is really important. You have to imagine you are the unknown visitor and answer their question, should they ever consciously think of it – “What is my motivation?”

Or the puppy gets it!!!…