So it’s official, Shannon Paul has a new blog, and it’s a great first post!

http://shannonpaul.wordpress.com/

Here’s an excerpt:

“The best way I have found since then to be interesting is to be interested. Being interested in other people and the world around me not only provides others with the motivation to be interested in me, it gives me a sense of what interests them; thus ensuring a cycle of mutual interest.”

I couldn’t agree more. Especially in my industry, I think we are often really misguided in our understanding what people really are interested in hearing about. And I hope that the mission of some of the real PR and marketing folks out there is to educate any industry on how to listen to their customers more. Collaborative messaging works best when driven by customer and prospect needs… and not just their needs, but their REAL drivers and desires- THEIR wants, not just what we as “experts” THINK they want.

It’s ok to educate, but only effective as it fits into a framework of what drives our audience.

In the first train the trainer class I ever took, one of the things that has stuck with me the most is the acronym WIIFM, or What’s In It For Me? Personal relevance, whether it’s meeting a want or a need, is the only real way to effectively reach anyone.

What am I doing to stay interesting? I think you already said it – staying interested.

Congratulations on your real live blog, and your “first real live blog post”.