Breadcrumbs And Billboards

If you want people to get to really feel connected to you, leave more breadcrumbs.

Some sage-like advice from tech/marketing genius Christina Garnett, that she shared with rocksteady-eddie Vic Ruggiero on Just Press Record this week.

Vic was talking about just how connected he felt to their fans during the pandemic. It was precisely the time you would have expected to feel most DISconnected. But the opposite proved true.

Why?

He reconciled that he could finally see what everybody in the audience was thinking.

The live video chat. (!)

Instead of staring at their faces in a crowded club, he was seeing their comments on the screen. They were asking about his shirt, or what that was on the wall behind him, or… random stuff. The kind of stuff he never would think of.

That’s what was going on in their heads?

Yeah.

For a period of time, it was like he could read their minds, because they were typing it out. And as a result, they all felt more connected. They still come up to him at shows talking about it.

These were breadcrumbs. Christina repackaged them for us. She put a label on them.

People don’t always see a clear and obvious path to you. They need clues. They need things that pique there interest, and sometimes, those are things you don’t even know are interesting.

The social media post, the personal share (doesn’t even have to be THAT personal), the anecdote - these are breadcrumbs.

And breadcrumbs are different than billboards.

If you want people to feel connected to you, you need more than just billboards on the highway, all stylized and official and big. You need itty bitty breadcrumbs to leave around too.

Not everybody will get the point or pick them up, but those who will - they’re special.

Ps. There are SO MANY unintended and unexpected life and business lessons in this conversation, do have a listen: