If you don’t know Bill Bonner, he’s an extremely successful business owner and investor. Probably a quarter of a million subscribers read his financial advice, including me.
Funny thing, he likes to brag about his worst investment ever, something that is costing him every year and possibly adding grey hairs to his already wizened head.
Several years ago, he “invested” in a large tract of land in rural Argentina. He mentions it in practically every blog post, email, and newsletter. It takes hours to reach the land from anywhere, on roads that are barely passable in fair weather and reduced to mud when it rains. He talks about ungrateful tenants who not only don’t pay their rent but expect him, as a rich gringo, to pay for their healthcare, their children’s education, and sometimes their groceries.
The thing is, he loves his losing proposition and it’s fun to read about it. It probably intrigues curious readers and ultimately wins him more paying subscribers.
This brings me to a big bold marketing tool. I call it the “Tangential Post.”
Sometimes it’s useful to go off on a tangent. You don’t always have to talk about your business.
Most of the time, your clients only care about the value you can deliver for them. The trouble is, you have competitors who are probably capable of delivering value, too. That’s why it’s so helpful if your clients feel like they know you.
So if you have a blog, Twitter, a YouTube channel, a newsletter, or any other media for staying in touch with your market, go off on a tangent every now and then. Post something that’s not directly related to your business or what you can do for your clients.
If nothing else, you’ll have a little bit of fun. Share something interesting about yourself and your life. A picture of your dog. The story of how your son scored the winning goal.
Almost everyone loves dogs, kids, and a good story.
If you do something really unusual, like chariot racing or buying farmland in a foreign country, you could put this in, too.
This will be a breath of fresh air, and you might create something popular that gets shared around a lot.
Pretty soon I’m going to go off on a tangent, and tell you why I haven’t posted anything new on this blog for more than a year. It’s a long story that will probably piss a few people off. It made me angry as it happened.
But this isn’t about me. Go Tweet or blog or post something personal and interesting. Go off on a tangent, before I do.
