STRATEGY
Rich With
Ebola, Lego
and drama
queens
Don’t panic, but don’t
stick your head in the
sand either, writes
Rich With
T
his may very well be
my last column for
Talk Business. In fact,
it may very well be
the last issue of Talk
Business magazine. Bit dramatic?
Of course, but no more dramatic
than the apparent high-stakes
drama that’s unfolding in Africa,
as we stand by and watch to see
if the ebola virus is destined to
consume the planet.
Before people start accusing
me of making light of a dreadful
virus that’s claiming many lives,
it’s not that ebola isn’t serious,
it’s that our collective response
to this disease is massively
disproportionate.
Fuelled by a diet of media
analysis that reads like a cross
between “Outbreak” and “World
War Z”, panic levels have
rocketed. Ebola is the new media
panic; it’s exotic, it’s deadly and
it stems from the mystery of the
jungle. It’s also moving fast and,
at this time, there’s nothing we
can do to cure it. Compare this to
global warming, which arguably
will have (and is already having)
a far more seismic impact on the
planet, and the fatigue of being
told to drive less, eat chicken
rather than beef, and take fewer
holidays by air becomes all too
apparent. Ebola is deadly and
sexy, global warming is bloated
and oh, so boring.
Drawing parallels between this
and marketing your own content
are easy. Media outlets are keeping
their content fresh, and everybody
is hungry for more news nuggets
about ebola. It’s not even without
precedent, after all the Spanish flu
outbreak killed 50 million people
less than a hundred years ago, it’s
just that the story around a deadly
disease is repackaged and given
a fresh spin.
As small business owners,
we can bear this in mind as we
to recycle its appeal. Witness the
film recently made for Friends
of the Earth to denounce Lego’s
corporate partnership with
Shell. This well-made short uses
Lego figures to highlight the
effect drilling for oil has on the
environment and people living in
those areas. It’s highlighted that a
child-friendly business shouldn’t
really endorse an oil company
in the 21st century, and bought
about a movement for change.
Whatever the size of your
business, content management
is certainly an area that should
be embraced. There are so
look to keep our content fresh,
informative and appealing to our
audience. We don’t have to give
people something new (although
obviously that’s good too), just
put a different angle on it. We
can highlight new methodologies
or ways of working, customer
testimonials, enhanced response
times, or even opinions of
industry news.
By keeping the content fresh,
we allow the bloated and boring
many rival businesses vying for
your clients’ attention that it’s
a constant battle be heard and
seen. And therein lies not only
the problem, but the solution.
Only by publishing a stream
of regular, interesting and
informative content that inspires
our audience, can we stay in both
their eyes’ and minds.
SECTION SPONSOR
STRATEGY_TB36_richwith_47.ga.indd 47
There are so
many rival
businesses
vying for
your clients’
attention that
it’s a constant
battle be
heard and
seen
Contact:
www.justgrow.co
Simplify the Law
TM
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk 47
Do without lawyers
29/08/2014 12:18