[dropcap style=”letter” size=”52″ bg_color=”#ed6d36″ txt_color=”#000000″]W[/dropcap]hile there are more channels for receiving “information” than ever — cable news, social media, satellite radio, the entire Internet — those of us searching for relevant information become frustrated by all of the “fluff” out there filling certain magazines and cable “news” programs.
Personally, there’s nothing more annoying to me (an avid reader + information junkie) to be teased by an article or news report that only gives short sound bites. The world is full of “information,” but short on quality information — and it pains me to say that as a member of the media, but I cringe when I see this happen so regularly.
The magazines that I subscribe to and love are the ones that I know will take me 1 to 2 hours to read. When I’m finished, I’m satisfied that I learned something useful. If I’ve taken the time to tune in to a special report on TV or even a Webinar, the same rule applies. If I’m not learning something new at least 15 minutes in, I’m changing the channel or logging off that Webinar or Periscope broadcast.
The same is true of the “content” that you are presenting to your target audience. Whether you are a manufacturer or a retailer, you have the opportunity to present relevant information through your Web site or social media. Pretty pictures – whether in a magazine, a catalog, or a Web site – aren’t going to hold your audience’s attention for long or add “value” to your brand.
I’m not comfortable drawing attention to my job. Now, I didn’t say I was shy — just that I’m not the type to shout, “Rah-rah, look at me and the fabulous job I’m doing!” from the rooftops. Putting this June issue together was a lot of work, but I couldn’t be happier, even while doing it. This industry is special to me. It’s a small universe, but I consider everyone in it to be friends of mine (maybe with a few frenemies thrown in). When I get news or interesting information, I want to share it — all of it, not just a teaser and not 50 pages of photographs. (Don’t we all have a friend on social media who just constantly shares photos of food or non-stop memes?) I don’t know about you, but I lose interest quickly. We’re all short on time, so I’d rather spend those 15 minutes of photo flipping on something that makes me think, inspires me, or gets my creative gears clicking. I save the articles that interest me, and I hear that many of you do the same with enLIGHTenment Magazine. I may not say it often, tweet it daily, or put it on blast via social media regularly, but your feedback makes me proud to know that we’re living up to our tagline, “The Lighting Content Leader,” and that so many in the residential lighting world agree.
