The business of the business

The other day a friend on Facebook was chiding me for leaving a snarky remark on a story by famed conservative Brent Bozell. The same Brent Bozell whose son was nabbed raiding the Capitol building during the Trump Insurrection™. 

BTW, I'm trademarking that phrasing because that's how the events of January 6th should be described. the failed coup d'tat should always be attributed to Captain Fuckknuckle™, another phrase that I'd love to live on for the ages.

This particular friend asked why I found it necessary to leave a snarky comment on the story and thus give it unnecessary oxygen. A fair question to be sure. And I'll be the first to admit I spend more time on social media than others.

But I will also come to my own defense and argue that having a presence on Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter is a vocational necessity. It's a no-cost platform for me to self promote my product (writing). It's been the most valuable tool in my toolkit for staying on the radar of Creative Directors, Creative Resource Managers, and CEO's. 

And is directly responsible for making the phone ring.

Social media explains my modest success in the freelance writing world for more than 16 years.

I'm sure my friend George Tannenbaum, CDFTKMBCWSO of GeorgeCo, a Delaware LLC, will tell you the same thing. He, of even more advanced age than me, has mastered the broadening media landscape and has effectively farmed it for the food he puts on his table.

I had the unique privilege of working directly for Lee Clow.

I flew around the country with him, sometimes in tiny private jets with no pot to piss in, and was privy to his many marketing maxims. He schooled Steve Jobs on the matter and preached it to others as well: "every touchpoint with the consumer, from a TV commercial to an instruction manual for the AirPods, is a marketing opportunity. A chance for the brand to be the brand." 

Admittedly, there is no such thing as the Rich Siegel brand.

But there is and always will be a need to keep my name top of mind for people who need writing. Consequently, every joke or snarky political comment or half-assed badly photo-shopped meme, is an example of my capabilities, my speed, and my penchant for turning a phrase.

In essence, I'm self promoting. And it has worked. I don't want to sound immodest, but I can't tell you how many times I've entered a new gig or met the creative team and heard, "Oh you're the guy with the blog who makes all those funny comments."

Frankly, the question isn't why I spend an inordinate time on social media and use the platforms to subversively pimp my business. 

The real question should be, why aren't all copywriters and art directors doing the same?