What is she saying now?
My nineteen-month-old niece was crying as if her heart would break.
Her heart was fine, actually. It was her grandfather’s heart that was cracked open for a triple bypass, in a hospital an hour away. So her mother had gone to the hospital, and I was spending the day taking care of her. Alone.
“Honey, what do you want?” I pleaded with her. And I thought, “If only she could tell me what she’s thinking.”
But she could. She did tell me. And your audience is telling you too. Look and listen to what they do online, and you will find out what they want.
How does a toddler tell you what she wants?
Pointing. My niece knows the milk is in the refrigerator, the bananas are on the table, and the TV remote is on the couch. If she points at the table, you know she wants to eat a banana. If she hands you the remote, it’s time for Bubble Guppies or Sesame Street.
Your audience knows where to find what they want online. If they’re visiting your website or social media pages often, there’s something there they want. So, find out where they’re pointing! The pages, posts, or tweets they visit will tell you what will keep them coming back again and again.
Making happy noises. My niece laughs, squeals, and talks excitedly in full sentences in a language I don’t understand when something makes her happy.
Your audience likes, shares, retweets, or recommends the content they like the best. So, listen to their communications with other people to find out what kind of content will keep them gurgling with delight.
Keeping to a routine. My niece gets up around the same time each day. Five hours later, it’s time for her nap. If it’s around 2:00 or 3:00 in the afternoon and she’s rubbing her eyes, I know it’s time to take her to her crib.
Your audience is online at certain times more than others. Find out their pattern and you’ll know when to post. They like reading more serious articles at certain hours and they go for distraction at other hours. Keep track of that and you”ll know what content you should post when.
Oh, my brother-in-law is fine. Thanks for asking! And my niece is adorable–and three years old now, with an infant brother.
So I’m back to communicating with my audience: you. I post to the blog on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, at times that you have shown me you’re online. And I hope this message brightened your day a bit. If so, make happy noises: share this post with a friend!
What a great comparison Dennis!
Diana
Thanks, Diana. Have you ever tried to communicate with someone who couldn’t or wouldn’t express themselves in words? How did it go?
This was a good comparison. I have 3 toddlers and their way of communicating differs. With each child. I also work on a dementia unit at a nursing home. I am always learning to read people. And to adapt to the situation. I lived with an aunt who was mentally challenged and non verbal – other then a few choice words. It’s amazing to see how those who can not communicate verbally gets their thoughts across. How they adapt and how those around learn from them.
Jea, three toddlers! You must be a busy woman! I remember when my twin nephews and their little brother were all under three and in diapers. (the older boys refused to potty train until their little brother did.) My sister-in-law didn’t have time to read a book for two years.
We adults pride ourselves on our ability to marshal our thoughts in straight lines of type, but it’s often the meandering paths of our actions that say the most about who we are and what we desire.