Don’t be bullied by the cool kids

With a lot of marketers, intimidation has come a long way on the Internet.  Years ago, they were intimidated by the technology, then by what to say and where to say it.  Today, many marketers are being bullied by the cool kids that are acting as an anti-marketing/anti-publicity task force.

Many popular bloggers sigh and moan about being approached by publicists and marketers.  Bash them as savages. And, the way many marketers behave, it’s deserved.  The trouble is that this bashing can influence the honest folks from even starting.  Why would anyone want to be looked at as a self-promoting ass, especially by the guys they look up to?

Don’t be intimidated.  Even the most popular voices on the Internet started out with a single “Hello World” blog post or trial upload to YouTube.  You are an expert in your area, and you shouldn’t feel bad about building an audience.  You’re not one of those out-dated marketers blasting spam, or soliciting bloggers blindly.

If you don’t start, or if you quit, you’re letting down the audience you want to serve.