Over the last few days, I’ve been wondering about what we say. Admittedly that’s a wide, open-ended type statement. But think about how you say what you say. Do you actually take the time to choose the word that’s most applicable, or the most industry-pleasing? Do you ramble on and on about “music discovery” or “SMO” or “SEO” without actually saying anything? My guess is you do. Everyone, to a certain extent, does.
I watched a friend remark that she was “going off the grid” for the weekend. I (a bit impulsively…) jumped all over the statement and decided to banish it from the lexicon. It’s one of those phrases that has become so entirely overused that it suddenly lacks any serious meaning. And “de-gridded person” made a comment on my Facebook page later that weekend. Apparently Facebook is normally off-grid?
But stepping back from that example, and onto a common sore spot, too many people are SMO experts because they use Twitter and Facebook. And there are even more SEO experts that claim they can move you to the top of Google’s search. They can’t. And when you hire these charlatans, they’ll charge you all kinds of money. When they’re expected to deliver results, you’ll hear “Well, you know, we did move the needle, but Google’s search criteria are constantly evolving…” Speaking of which, the phrase “move the needle” should reside in a similar ring of Hell as “off the grid” and “music discovery sites.”
So what do you say? And how do you say it? Here’re three easy questions to answer. They come courtesy of Mr. Roger Stacey, perhaps the best English teacher in the city of Cambridge, if not the world. He taught this lesson to me about 20 years ago, and it works every single time. I pass this advice on to you at no charge.
Be able to answer these three questions, and what you’re doing is valid and applicable:
1. What?
2. Why?
3. So what – who cares?
Following the What/Why just fill in the statement of choice. Whether you’re starting a business, writing a blog post, or contemplating baking the world’s largest linzer torte, these three questions make or break you. And you can’t cheat yourself on the answers — that’s forbidden.
When I got the Boston Rock Academy started, I had no problem with the “what” statement. I knew that I was striving to create a music school which promoted not only great music and the Boston music community, but I wanted to let kids benefit in areas that music helps with. Specifically, they could gain self-confidence, and perhaps switch on parts of their brains that’d help them in science, math, and all kinds of places.
The “why” was, sadly, even more obvious. Music programs were getting cut in the school systems. Private lessons were expensive, and the result of all of this was kids not being able to study music.
So what – who cares? Well, the Boston Rock Academy works far differently from other “schools of rock.” Our bottom line exists outside the checkbook. It’s seeing kids get the opportunities they (honestly…) deserve. It’s knowing that they can’t get these opportunities without us.
The world doesn’t need another online store, another excuse why the music industry is dying, and especially a bunch of “experts” using overexposed terminology to validate their existences. Use real words, have real experiences, and experience real success.
Sounds like fun, doesn’t it?
