Anti Attraction Marketing

Here is an interesting concept.  LinkedIn is a great networking and marketing tool and people share articles, updates and opinions.  There is a small number of people that post personal and/or controversial items on LinkedIn.  I call it Anti Attraction Marketing.

I have seen a lot of completely useless and non-business related posts on LinkedIn.  The interesting thing is that some of those posts are generating a lot of interest.  One woman posted a picture of a naked woman lying in the grass covering herself with her arms.  Her post was about not posting pictures like that but it created quite a stir.

Another example is there is meme floating around LinkedIn about the use of backpacks for business purposes.   It is judgmental and ridiculous and honestly has no business value to much of anyone.  Of course, that is just my opinion.  Why are we wasting our time reading, commenting and writing about the use of backpacks for business commuting and travel?  Yes this is the pot calling the kettle black.



The meme floating around on LinkedIn?  People are COMMENTING and SHARING!

The funny thing is, it creates very volatile reactions in some.  Some positive and some negative.  Actually the last person that I saw share it got such negative backlash that he actually deleted the post.  That is why I called it Anti-Attraction Marketing (this is not an official marketing term).

Some posts create almost visceral reactions.   Do those posts ad value for the person or the business?

Many people are posting things that are controversial and others just for attention.  Things like Target and the whole bathroom fiasco of course are big right now.   Of course political or religious posts are right up there.  Interestingly enough posts about professional vs non professional profile photos are getting big press.   These posts have no business value but get a LOT of comments.  The value of cold calling is another hot topic.  I will be writing a post on that soon.

People are commenting, clicking, looking, sharing.  Thousands of people.  Isn't that what social media marketing is all about?

Of course I am contributing by blogging about it too right?    You can learn a lot about people by the way they post and react on social media?  Do they have unreasonable views?  Are they hot heads?  Are they using unprofessional photos, language or content?

So I am curious about the value of such post.  Does it turn off the reader? Does it scare away a potential prospect?  Or does it build awareness of you and your company?

Personally, I believe in being genuine.  I believe in being honest.  I also believe in servicing the customer so I wouldn't try to promote myself or our brand through something that could create anger or negative emotions or responses.  You?

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Lori Hanken has been in sales and marketing for over 30 years.  She is passionate about service and providing value to her vendors, prospects and clients.  Lori is currently co-owner of Total Displays with her husband David.  They help people look great at events, trade shows, in retail, museums and develop long partnerships with customers and suppliers.  If you would like to learn more, email her at lori@totaldisplays.com.  Connect with her on LinkedIn here.

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