This is my 499th blog for Altrincham HQ
I’ll be documenting the lessons I’ve learnt from blogging next week, but I wanted to really drill down on rock & roll and how it helps me become a better marketer
I spent 14 years working in the music industry, it’s how I got into tech, blogging, online marketing and social media
Music has always been a huge passion of mine and I often think how much it influences every single aspect of my life including what I do for a business
This is How Rock & Roll inspires me to be a better marketer
1. Present Like A Rock Star
I’ve seen so many dull business presentations that want me to curl up and die that I realised when I started Altrincham HQ I would never be mediocre when it comes to presenting
It doesn’t come natural to me – I’m an introvert and getting up in front of an audience only feels natural now because I forced myself to do it so often
You need to realise that whatever subject you’re presenting on your job is to entertain as well as educate people
It might be easier that Social Media and Marketing is a “sexy subject”, but trust me when I say I’ve seen dry social media presentations over the years
Over the years every presentation I’ve aimed to make people smile, laugh and have a good time
If you can do that then you can convey serious messages that cut through the noise
2. Blog Like The Rolling Stones
When it comes to blogging experience, I’m Jagger and Richards
They have a few years on me and a few more wrinkles, but in blogging terms 20+ years is a lifetime
It’s taken 10 years to hit these 499 blogs for Altrincham HQ (around 50 blogs a year) and before that I used to be a journalist writing around 4 or 5 blogs a week on rock & roll
I blog because it helps me become a better marketer; it helps give clarity to my ideas and what I do day to day; it helps other people become better marketers for their own business
Ultimately I blog though because it gives me “Satisfaction” and once you “Start Me Up” I can’t stop 🙂
The moment I stop blogging is the moment I stop enjoying it
And like Mick and Keith I imagine I’ll be blogging in some form in my 70’s
3. Soundbites Like The Manics
All of my favourite artists have great soundbites
The Clash, The Smiths, The Manics, My Chemical Romance, Public Enemy
Nobody quite does soundbites like the Manic Street Preachers though – don’t believe me just google them
Communicating your message in the most succinct condensed form possible is vital
The old days of 140 characters of Twitter to me were just a flashback to reading through the covers of Melody Maker and NME and those big bold soundbites speaking truth to me
Soundbites lead you to long form content
Morrissey to Oscar Wilde, the Manics to Camus, Orlando to Virginia Wolf, Chuck D to Huey Newton
Choosing the right words at the right time and in the right place is important
Words Matter
4. Do It For The Fans Like Liam
Somehow I managed to bring Oasis into a recent LinkedIn training session and it’s this point that inspired this whole blog
I said
When you think of what you post on LinkedIn, you need to be more Liam Gallagher (only with less swearing)
Liam makes you stop on the scroll
But Noel despite being talented is just too boring nowadays for anyone to take notice. You’ll just scroll past Noel
Be more Liam and less Noel
Do it for the fans
5. Greatest Hits, Rarities and New Material – get the mix right
One of the worst live bands I’ve ever seen were REM
Seriously – and I saw them twice and both times they were absolutely terrible
It felt like they were only doing it for themselves rather than an audience
I’ve started saying at the beginning of most presentations now
“If you heard me say some of these things before it’s because you’ve not acted on the things I’ve said before”
When you hear me present or read a blog – they’ll be some new material, but there will also be some greatest hits. I’m always soaking up information from other marketers so there might even be some cover versions or remixes, but ultimately i’ll make it my own
As I write this now on my 499th blog I’m thinking deeply which of my blogs are my Greatest Hits and which one are rare gems that need more exposure
THIS IS MY TRUTH, TELL ME YOURS
I take rock & roll as my source of inspiration to help me become a better marketer
What is your external influence in terms of what you do – sports, movies, music or culture?
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Please call Alex on 07806774279 or email alex@altrinchamhq.co.uk
