Is it me? It may just be me, but I suspect that it isn't.
Someone, somewhere, once wrote that the way to do online marketing (such as through social networking and blogging) is a little reciprocity, give and take, share and share alike. Absolutely. You will hear no argument from me on that. Helpful people will always get my vote (and my business for that matter). Not rocket science, just the basics of good customer service.
But it isn't really a new phenomenon this reciprocity thing is it? Ever heard the phrase "use a sprat to catch a mackerel"? Same idea from a different era: give a little with the hope of getting more in return. It's probably a more honest way of putting it too.
I'll get to my point...
So what's the problem then? The reciprocity idea has manifested itself in blogs everywhere, we've all seen it and many of us have done it: Ten top tips for [insert desirable but often unachievable thing here].
It's utterly logical: share a little of your knowledge for free, demonstrate your capabilities, help out a potential customer and they'll come back for some paid-for work as your reward.
However, this incarnation of the reciprocal marketing approach has become so popular that there are now marketing consultants offering 10 top tips on how to do 10 top tips. Twitter is laden with them. Blogs, websites, news sites, they're all overflowing with helpful articles proffering tips for everything from conducting successful offline networking to selecting a suitable Virtual Assistant, written by a Virtual Assistant. No hidden agenda there then... no, I mean it's absolutely not hidden, it couldn't be more overt.
Maybe it's time to concede that this ship has sailed. We're all going to have to put our thinking caps on again to come up with a more imaginative way to get our message out there.
If your social media marketing consultant is suggesting that you prepare a newsletter, blog update or tweet featuring any mention of "10 Top Tips" then they're well "behind the curve" and you should fire them immediately. Well, that may be a little harsh, but I would recommend that you at least give them a stern talking to!
Right, must dash, have just received 5 useful tips on how to rant less and the first is "Know when to stop".
