3 Marketing Lessons From a Six-Year-Old
It’s Sunday afternoon, and the sun shines through my office window. I should be out for a run or grabbing coffee with friends, but instead, I’m glued to my chair, unable to peel my eyes away from my computer. A social media account I’m managing is in the red.
Reach, shares, web traffic—all down. Even engagement from the most supportive audience—down. Nothing is giving me a straight answer as to why it’s happening. There are so many reasons that could be the reason why my head starts to spin.
Time for a break. I close my computer and put on my Tevas. It was Nietzsche who said, “It’s only ideas gained from walking that have any worth.” I need a new perspective - an experience that gives me a birds-eye-view.
It comes towards the end of the walk in the form of a call. Someone from my networking group asks me to teach her son photography.
It’s a welcome distraction and a quick win. After all, how hard can it be to get a kid to fall in love with photography?
We agree to meet later that week, so I put the analytic report on the back burner. Instead, I create a detailed, organized curriculum covering ISO, aperture, composition, and editing.
By the time we meet, I’m ready to wow this kid…of course, nothing goes right.
It starts raining, his Polaroid doesn’t have enough film, and I quickly realize I’ve forgotten one crucial detail: he’s six years old. I’d have a better chance of convincing a fly to be interested in what I’m doing.
Over the next few weeks, I try everything to keep his attention. I leverage his parent’s rules and expectations. I bribe him with playtime. We visit different parks and playgrounds. But nothing works, and frustration starts to build for both of us.
Finally, he tells me he doesn’t like photography. My heart sinks. Why am I struggling so much these days to get people engaged?
I ask him why, and he says it’s because he can’t “do his own thing.” I can’t help but chuckle, but I also see his point. So I ask what he usually likes to do, and he launches into an excited rant about the Megalodon, King Kong, Godzilla, and their epic battles.
The next week, I have his mom gather his favorite toys. That Saturday, we head to the park with his T-Rex, Godzilla, and Therizinosaurus to recreate different fight scenes. For the first time in our entire series, he doesn’t put the camera down for the entire hour. I finally find the solution to my problem.
We’re Not Entitled to Anything: Attention Must Be Earned
When our session ends, I rush back to my computer. The root of the problem is suddenly clear: we got complacent.
In three months, we grew this client’s LinkedIn audience by 20%. Her content was genuine, personable, and highlighted her expertise. Her network was eager to engage, thrilled to finally hear her voice. But as time passed, that initial excitement began to fade.
The same thing happened with my young photography student. During our first session, his enthusiasm was sky-high—we were riding the thrill of something new. But that excitement quickly faded. I had to get creative, tapping into what truly interested him to reignite his passion and hold his attention.
This ties back to a lesson from The 48 Laws of Power, specifically Law 6: Court Attention at All Costs. Robert Greene argues that in a world where everything is judged by appearance, you can’t afford to be ordinary or predictable. Standing out requires constant reinvention—of your message, your approach, or how you engage. The first spark of interest is just the beginning; maintaining and evolving that attention is what really counts.
I’m not suggesting you pull a Jean Cocteau [a failing French poet who faked a scandal to get back on the map], but capturing attention is an art—and attention is earned. The digital world is noisy, packed with brands vying for attention. You have to continuously earn it. Whether it’s fresh content, a new angle, or tapping into what really resonates with your audience, the key question is always, “Does this person care about what I’m saying?”
If the answer is no, the next step is to find out why—and that leads to my next lesson.
Tie Your Value to What Your Clients Are Interested In
As I scroll through months of content, I ask myself, “Do these people care about what we’re saying?”
No.
Okay, then, “How do I get them to care?”
There’s a quote that says 95% of our thoughts and behaviors are driven by our subconscious mind, shaped by our habits and memories. I failed to recognize that with my young student. To him, I was just an outlier—a distraction from playing with his toys and watching his favorite movies. But at the end of our session, he was genuinely excited about the photos and videos we captured because they connected with something he already loved.
This mirrors what happened with my B2B client. Her LinkedIn audience is likely scrolling in between meetings, performance reviews, and school pickups. That generic post we made about politics? It was more of a distraction than something that resonated with their everyday realities. We weren’t effectively tying the company’s value to what truly mattered to them.
Dale Carnegie once said, “We are interested in others when they are interested in us.” My young student wasn’t engaged because I didn’t take the time to connect with what he was already invested in. To him, I was just a brief detour from his routine of playing and watching Godzilla, the Megalodon, and King Kong. But once I tapped into that, his face lit up. Suddenly, he wanted to learn how to use the camera—how to turn on the flash, get it in focus, and review his work. He even asked if we could move our next session up. I got what I wanted, which was to ignite his passion for photography, and he got what he wanted—a chance to direct the most epic fight scene between his favorite characters.
The key is finding that intersection between what your audience cares about and the value you provide. Taking that extra step to ask, “Why would this person care about this post?” has allowed me to refine my strategies, making them more aligned with what truly drives engagement.
Patience is the key to Any Marketing Strategy
It’s a Saturday morning and I’m wrapping up my last session with my young student. For his last class, I plan a scavenger hunt: hiding toys, chalk, and candy in various spots for him to find through the lens of the camera. As we finish up, I reflect on the progress we’ve made together.
I hug him goodbye, feeling proud of his growth and looking forward to our next series of lessons in the Winter. When I ask him what he’s enjoyed most, he simply says, “the PLAYGROUND,” before running off to count the cars in the parking lot.
Kids.
While he might not grasp the full impact of our time together, I’m heartened by the spark of curiosity and enthusiasm he’s shown. Whether or not he picks up a camera tomorrow, I’ve witnessed a small but significant breakthrough—the kind that reaffirms the power of patience.
This experience reinvigorates my approach to client content strategies. Over the next few weeks, I immerse myself in understanding my client’s audience, diving into their environments, and engaging with their needs. I pitch a refreshed approach for her 2024 marketing plan, aligning it with what truly matters to her audience. As we implement these changes, the results start to show.
The key takeaway? It pays to be patient with your audience. To take the time to learn about who they are and what matters to them. Building that deep connection is transformative, but it takes time. Even when you start to see results, there’s always a new path for you both to go down.
By staying attuned to their interests and evolving your strategy accordingly, you not only capture their attention but also cultivate lasting engagement.
