The Big Lebowski is a comedy classic about kidnapping, mystery, and a whole lot of bowling. We doubt the Coen Brothers had social media in mind when they released the movie in 1998, but the outrageous events do contain some unintentional lessons for the content marketer if you read between the lines. From the chilled-out “Dude” to the hot-headed Walter, the unforgettable characters of The Big Lebowski offer implicit advice on the social world, even if you aren’t unraveling a million-dollar scam.
Don A Unique Character
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Jeff Lebowski was just a regular, pot smoking, white russian drinking guy who could have lived his whole life in the shadows of an dive apartment, invisible to the world. Instead, he boldly decided to be different; he decided to stand out; he decided to become “The Dude” (or El Duderino, if you’re not into the whole brevity thing). Just as Lebowski was known for his slick talking and laid back, wise cracking personality, so too must you strive to give your social media its own unique voice.
People are tired of reading about the same topics from the same bland-sounding writer who tries to copy everyone else’s style. If you want to stand out and create a following of hungry eyes checking back multiple times a day, hoping to see something new on your blog to devour, you must create your own voice, be your own person, and own the reader’s impression of you from start to finish.
Stick To The Rules
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Perhaps you don’t have to take it as far as Walter when he pulled out his pistol at the bowling alley to stop Smokey from recoding a questionable score, but his spirit was in the right place. If you want to succeed in social media, you can’t ignore the implicit rules of the game. Breaking important convention by trying to directly sell your products in your shared content, or not focusing your blog on a specific audience, is no way to achieve strong following.
The rules you read about are in place for a reason – because years of trial and error have them to be the most effective way to approach this new skill. Don’t think for a second that you can ignore the big ones just because they conflict with your vision or make you uncomfortable.
Look For The Person Who Will Benefit Most
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The moment The Dude learned of the “kidnapping” of Mr. Lebowski’s wife, he didn’t buy it for a minute. The very next night at bowling he explained to Walter that it something wasn’t authentic about the situation. Though he wasn’t entirely sure of the truth yet, he knew he could smell a rat. “Look for the person who will benefit most,” he explained. Wise advice indeed.
When you are creating your social media campaign, think about the person who will benefit most from the information you are sharing. Visualize a single person – not a group – and understand his or her traits, thoughts, interests, and problems. This exercise will help you understand how to write content that will blow your target audience away. While that person you visualized might not exist in real life exactly as you pictured him, the majority of your audience shares a great deal of his traits, and by writing to him you arrest the interest of the group.
Go For Shock Value
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Walter is the ultimate in showiness. When a point needed to be made, you could always count on him to use outlandish behavior, screaming, and physical force to make it. (But is he wrong, though?) There is a reason why he always acted this way – it’s because shock is an effective way to deliver a message. Sure, he smashed up the wrong guys car or threw a real cripple out of his wheelchair every now and then, but that’s beside the point.
Social media is a dish best served hot. If your content is stale, unoriginal, or in any way boring, you don’t stand any chance of gaining a substantial readership. Remember that the point of your media is to be so evocative that people feel compelled to share it with their friends. If you cant shock, inspire, or touch anyone who lands on your blog, readers will simply search for something else to share.
Never Forget Your Goal
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All throughout The Big Lebowski, The Dude never forgot what he desired most – getting his rug replaced. From Maude Lebowski’s art studio to Jackie Treehorn’s Malibu lake house, The Dude held this goal in the forefront of his mind. Similarly, as you begin publishing your social media, you must always remember what your goals are, because they will forever shape the decisions you make with your campaign.
If you want to be the world’s foremost authority on a given subject, your blog is going to take on a much different form than someone who just wants a moderately sized readership and passive advertising revenue. For this reason, you cannot take your long-term goal out of your sights for a second, or you may get lost in the immediacy of short-term problems and opportunities that come your way.
Go For The “Ah-Hah!” Moment
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After helping his “Lady Friend” conceive a child, The Dude got a piece of information that finally put all the pieces of the puzzle together. In a moment of excited realization, he bolted into his living room and threatened to quit the bowling team if Walter didn’t come pick him up immediately. What The Duder experienced is known as an “Ah-Hah!” moment, and you can use these to your advantage.
An “Ah-Hah!” moment is a single example or illustration that completes a picture for someone and makes the proverbial light bulb go on in their minds. No matter what field you work in, there are no doubt areas that many people struggle to understand, or have misconceptions about. Identify these problem areas, and find a way to explain them in a totally new way that will snap a less experienced reader into a state of full understanding. When you can make a reader see the solution to his or her problems in an easy, concise way, you will gain their trust and loyalty.
Without The Value, You Don’t Get The Sales
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A crucial mistake that the nihilists made was continuing to ask for ransom money even when they had no hostage. Walter made a good point during their final stand-off, telling them “without a hostage, there is no ransom.” Put another way – without any value, there’s no compelling reason to buy.
Many social media novices get this lesson wrong. They put the carriage before the horse by using their shared content as a thin veil for an obvious sales pitch. That is not how it works. Instead, you need to provide your readers with true value before you ever ask them for a penny. By proving to them time and time again that your free content is useful and worth coming back for, you implicitly tell them that your paid products or services are worth the money.
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