My father recently introduced me to a set of tools that will forever change my life: Google, YouTube, and Wikipedia. My father intended to show me these websites as exploratory learning tools, but I have developed alternative visions for these them, most notably making a real prototype of Roboblasters. My father tried to manage my expectations but my imagination could not be contained. In addition to the learning aspects, my father casually noted that Google and YouTube specifically have been used by people to become famous. At that moment my father had my undivided attention (a rare feat). I pressed the topic further inquiring, “Dad, do people Google you?” “Not that I have knowledge of”, he responded. “That answer could have written itself”, I thought. I had higher ambitions; I was going to become famous using those tools to launch my celebrity career.
I peppered my father with questions on how best to launch my career. My father provided scant details, then placed me in front of a YouTube video that offered advice. My father warned, “Free advice is worth what you pay for it.” “Another classic example of my father making a statement, and I had no idea what it meant,” I thought. After watching the videos, I developed some ideas, but acknowledged I had one notable shortcoming: I didn’t have a unique skill that would garner mass attention. There was only one clear-cut way to address my shortcoming: creative marketing. My father noted there were a ton of people that had little talent but are famous. “It was how they marketed and sold their brand that got them famous”, he told me. A reoccurring thought emerged, “Dad, newsflash I haven’t attended business school. I do not know what phrases like marketed and sold their brand mean.” Rather than inquire further and be locked into an all-day business lesson, I thought I could just figure out as I go, leaning on my ambition and creativity to propel me to celebrity status. My father extolled my ambition but cautioned me on becoming famous at such a young age. “It was as if he was talking out of the both sides of his mouth”, I thought. Then he provided a follow-up statement in which he identified he was committing $0 financial backing to assist in the venture. “Shocker, my Dad is a saboteur to yet another idea,” I thought. Undeterred, I vowed to achieve greatness being financially independent. I verified with my father that I could use my already established website to drive traffic to and he reluctantly agreed, but was not on board with me developing YouTube videos.
When I centered my attention back on developing my marketing plan, I kept recalling there was one resounding phrase that my father used when explaining the tools that distinctly stuck out in my mind that I could capitalize on as the core theme of my self-made marketing theme: “Google Me.” In making the statement, “Google Me”, you were asserting that there was underlying information about you that holds sufficient value that was discoverable through Google’s search function. It was the psychology of introducing the thought that I believed would be my stepping stone to getting mass attention; the content was secondary. I was confident I could use a word of mouth campaign to create initial buzz as I didn’t have a dime to spend on official marketing. With the plan solidified I was ready to launch my initial marketing campaign.
I cannot recall a time when I took an exercise as seriously as I took my initial marketing campaign. Wherever we would go I would engage as many people as possible to get the word out. I received a variety of different reactions when I would engage a complete stranger and make the request, “Google Me.” I now know it is not commonplace for a 5 year old to make such a request; as strangers had a difficult time determining if my request was valid or I was just randomly making the request to get a reaction. Needless to say, my initial marketing campaign got off to a rocky start. I was fixated on the number of new views on my website each day. Admittedly, I had misaligned expectations, I thought within a day or two of my initial marketing campaign it would spread like wildfire, and I would amass a following of several thousand people very quickly. As the days passed I continued my marketing push, but the blockbuster numbers were not rolling in, and I became discouraged.
My father had witnessed my highs and lows and asked if he could make a recommendation. “I thought you were not interested in making me a star,” I poked back. “Your call”, he responded. “You do know free advice is worth what you pay for it,” I replied with a smile. My father shared that I needed to modify my approach when engaging people. “You have a tendency to run-up to people, which is alarming from the start, and then you literally yell, “Google Me.” These factors combined make the recipient of the request likely think you are a strung-out polemical kid that just ate 6 boxes of candy and cannot control his emotions. I believe a composed and cogent approach would yield better results.” “Dad, this is becoming a theme. I do not understand that statement. I am going to need that translated for me,” I thought. Again, knowing a lecture would follow, I just kept my thoughts to myself. The gist I took away was that I needed to calm down.
I used my father’s advice and started to see more people going to the website via Google search. While I acknowledge his advice was helpful I cannot give him 100% of the credit. I perfected the art of storytelling, which I leveraged when engage people to make my requesting people to “Google Me.” Have I been 100% truthful in my storytelling? That is a story for a different day, but nothing said insomuch to propel me to major stardom, just yet.