Tonite I got a chance to hear an accomplished, best selling author speak to us “social media folks” in Nashville. Scott Stratten, the author, owner and thinker of the ideas in UnMarketing, has a pretty strong grasp on what it means to be “present and authentic” in your own universe.
He spoke a bit about viral marketing, a bit about handling hecklers and even more about the perception and reality of your “image” across electronic wires. Despite all that good stuff, the one thing that struck me was his insight into “going viral”. His experience tells him that throughout the history of time, the only things that have gone viral have been the things that struck an emotional chord.
Now here’s the crazy thing about that. Besides retweeting his great quotes (like “engagement is unscalable on an authentic level”), the thing that struck an emotional chord with me was a story he told us. After an unsettling discovery on Twitter, Scott sat on the sidelines for a couple days wondering how to handle the situation.
After words from a friend, do you know what got him back in the game? Music.
Yep. Scott’s got a playlist that gets him pumped up and ready to go. What a silly thing for me to connect with, eh? I mean you see football players and athlete’s like Lance Armstrong sporting the iPod earbuds all the time. Perhaps it’s because Scott’s not a professional athlete, or because we weren’t talking about sports. I honestly don’t know.
But I can tell you I have a playlist, too. And the idea that his playlist brought him “back to life” mirrors the value I place in mine. Whether it was new schools growing up, the trepidation that comes just before a cross-country race or just low times, I’ve relied on my playlist to get me pumped up and back in the game, too.
Keep in mind that I went to hear Scott Stratten speak about UnMarketing, but what I walked away with was an appreciation for his humanity. Scott was a great speaker, but just as he said in his “viral” insight, people pass on what they have an emotional tie to. While Scott spoke about the need to engage at the business, social and entertainment level – his anecdote about his playlist has me “spreading the word” now.
So be yourself, because it’s sometimes the little things that connect us – and keep us engaged.
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MY GET PUMPED PLAYLIST:
Go For It! – Joey B Ellis
Come Baby Come – K7
Boom Boom (Shake the Room) – Will Smith
Lose Yourself – Eminem (to which I really dig into these lyrics):
- “So here I go, this is my shot.
Feet fail me not cause this may be the only opportunity that I got
You better lose yourself in the music, the moment
You own it, you better never let it go
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime yo”
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Dude, I love that tune – and “Tap the Bottle” rocks, too.
Thanks for coming to Nashville, it was a good time. I drove home after that thinking about your playlist and how important it is to have that mental “boat anchor”. It was interesting to hear.
I wanted to relate that to businesses, and how they should consider the mental “boat anchor” in their contingency planning models. When things get low and you need to build momentum – don’t forget about warm market, or your regular cheerleaders. That made a lot of sense to me.
But in the same breath, I was thinking that I was about to share something from my experience with you that I connected with on an emotional level. Sharing the social media tips and insight is great, but that just didn’t seem like “it”. And your description of what goes viral – was exactly what drove me to write a post.
I didn’t communicate my point very well in the post, but the point is this. I got your definition of “going viral”. Not only did it make sense – but my emotional connection to that with the music thing drove it home.
Viral – it’s about connecting with people.
MAN!! “Come Baby Come – K7”
We’re almost BFF’s just from that tune! One of my faves.
Thanks so much for coming to the Nashville UnBookTour stop, means a lot to me, as does this post.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a certain tune to go listen to..
I don’t have a “de-stressing” playlist. That’s a good idea. There is one song I really like called “The First Snow of Winter” by Tom Howard that I can never find – but that is a song that’s relaxing.
I wonder if everyone has a personal “pump up” playlist.
Music is an emotional thing, it can pump you up, relax and even depress you. I have a playlist to give me energy and one that will help me de-stress. Music is a great way to connect with people.