Being Remarkable: What it’s Not [1 of 3]
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I posted an article on the Updatable blog last week about Seth Godin’s book, Purple Cow, but deleted it immediately. I also posted it here on ReadScott.com for about 30 seconds before realizing that the article sucked altogether and didn’t belong anywhere. You may have seen it in your feed reader and, if so, I apologize for wasting your time with an awful article.
The book, Purple Cow, is about being remarkable and having a remarkable product/service. The concept is that something that’s remarkable is worthy of being remarked about, which means that people will talk about you. That left a big question mark hanging over my head.
I began to think about all the advertising executives, small business owners, entrepreneurs, and yes, church leaders and bloggers. I began to worry that the message Seth was trying to convey, albeit solid advice, would be misunderstood and applied improperly. I don’t think Seth made it clear enough what he wasn’t talking about, which could lead to wasted money and time.
Since my heart is for church leaders, and my drive is to help church leaders be better bloggers, my first concern is to help you avoid the pitfall lurking at the end of this book.
Being remarkable and having remarkable advertising isn’t the same thing.
Running contests on your blog with prizes for winners may get hits to your blog, but does it really make your blog remarkable? Having the longest blogroll ever might bring visitors along to thank you for the link-love, but does it really make your blog remarkable? Posting the latest funny YouTube video you saw might make your friends laugh and your loyal readers comment, but does it really make your blog remarkable?
No.
To take this one step further, when your church spends a big chunk of change on advertising with a catchy slogan that brings in a bunch of visitors, does that really make your church remarkable? When you ride a motorcycle onto the stage to make for a shocking sermon intro, does that really make your church remarkable? By the way, wearing designer clothes, paying too much for a hair stylist, hiring a full time video editor, putting yourself on TV, and using a ‘teaching table’ instead of a pulpit don’t make your church remarkable either.
The great thing is that none of the things listed above, either for your blog or your church, are wrong. In fact, they’re not bad at grabbing people’s attention, which is a good place to start. However, the true essence of being remarkable is deeper and more penetrating than any of those things. Being remarkable hinges on one reality that your visitors can smell a mile away, whether they’re visiting your blog or your church.
Come back on Friday to find out what one reality can make your blog remarkable and not forgettable. And don’t forget to subscribe to the feed to make sure you don’t miss anything.
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Great post. I have recently blogged about getting great staff for ministry (see: http://brownblog.info/?p=305 )and in it I quote Psychologist Dr Anders Ericsson who is the world’s leading expert on experts. In his opinion, what distinguishes the capacity for a first rate performance is not so much experience or raw ability but a commitment to continuous and repetitive ‘deliberate practice’ of difficult tasks and processes. I really like this idea of ‘deliberate practice’, which displays an utter determination to achieve.
And blogging is the same.. churning out great material several times a week isn’t easy; but I believe it is what is required to make a blog really stand out. Scott your blog stands out.. so big ups to you bro.
Mark Brown’s last blog post..The Four Minute Leadership Series: Focusing on Mission
good post man.
Mark, thanks for sharing. I like that concept also.
Boyd, thank you.