The 1% own more than 40% of the world’s wealth.
The accumulation of assets in the hands of the few erodes democracy, as societal power becomes concentrated in the hands of a few.
Knowing this, anything we can do to support small businesses will not just help those entrepreneurs survive, but will support more democracy, creativity, and true livelihood in the world.
Similarly, the 1% most famous people own a huge share of the consumer’s attention.
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Watch the video here:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2548686211913259
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Influencers like Gary Vaynurchuk, Marie Forleo, Brene Brown, Joe Dispenza, and other celebrities own a disproportionate amount of our content consumption time.
The accumulation of attention in the hands of a few will erode the diversity of creativity, true livelihood, and authentic business.
Where is your attention going?
Attention, like time, is limited. We ought to be more mindful of where it goes.
I encourage us to start giving 10% or more of our attention each day to small creators: bloggers, video makers, podcasts, websites, or social media pages that get few comments on their content.
(By “small creator” I mean “small business”, not that they are small thinkers! Their hearts are much bigger than their numbers.)
You can still spend the vast majority of your media time giving attention to big influencers, thought leaders, and to Netflix and the major studios. Let’s just mindfully spend 10% of our content consumption time gifting a bit of our attention to small creators because it makes such a life-changing difference for them… for us!
When your comment is one of the only comments that a small creator gets, for them it feels like finding water in a dry desert.
It feeds their hearts and supports their passion.
Your supportive comment helps them power through the many times they experience silence (zero feedback).
On the other hand, when you “like” or comment on a popular creator’s post, it’s like a drop in the ocean, making almost no difference to them.
Let’s be more mindful content consumers, and care for our fellow small creators!
There are 3 things we can do in our 10% time…
1. Engage.
Find a small creator (blog, Facebook page, Medium page, Youtube channel, Podcast, Instagram, etc.)
Look for a post that has few comments, and be one of the only commenters for them. It makes such a difference… Your comment could make their day, and inspire weeks of energy!
What to say in your comment?
What you like about that piece of content. Even if it’s not the most brilliant thing you’ve ever seen, there’s still something good about it — call out the good. If it’s a piece of writing, highlight a sentence or paragraph. If it’s a video, say what you liked about their presence or message.
What can be improved — it’s super helpful for content creators to get feedback about how they can improve. You might want to do this privately, though. Praise publicly, critique privately. Tell them what you’d love for them to create content on… what topics interest you, that might be in their field of expertise?
If you really liked that piece of content, go the extra mile and share it forward!
2. Buy.
Each week or month, find a small creator whose products you’d like to support, and spend some money with them.
Your purchase might be the only one they have that whole week!
They put their heart and soul into creating a product, and it makes such a difference when someone votes “yes” by purchasing it.
And don’t just buy it: Use the product :)
3. Review.
Finally, you can make the biggest difference when you post a positive review of their product or service.
For your review, think about the potential buyer: what will help them make a buying decision? They want the honest opinion from someone who’s actually used the product. When you were initially looking at the product, what would you have wanted to know?
(For any negative feedback, send it to the creator privately, with a spirit of kindness and an intention to help make the product better.)
After writing your review, here are some places to post it:
Find their Facebook Business Page and if there’s a Reviews tab there, use that.
Find their profile on Linkedin and write them a recommendation. Most Linkedin profiles have no recommendations or maybe a few. Yours will make a real difference to their profile!
Search their name on Google Maps and if they have a business profile there, review them.
Search for them on Yelp and if they have a page there, review them.
Email them the review, and give them permission to use it anywhere!
They might feature your testimonial on their website and therefore, you could literally be helping their business for years to come.
Start with your friends. Are any of them trying to be consistent with their content? Engage with their content, especially the ones with few comments. Then, do the other actions if you can: Buy and Review. They will be so grateful you did!
Facebook tip: use friend lists to make your social media caring easier.
Just redirecting 10% of your content consumption time can bring gratitude and hope to fellow small creators everyday.
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