Is Your Soapbox in the Right Place?
“Believe the incredible and you can do the impossible” (Ven. Fulton Sheen).
The term “soapbox” often has a negative connotation. When we say, “Get off your soapbox, already!”, what we mean is that someone is expressing their opinion, and we don’t want to hear it anymore.
But, I actually love this term.
Here is Wikipedia’s explanation of the origin of the word:
A soapbox is a raised platform on which one stands to make an impromptu speech, often about a political subject. The term originates from the days when speakers would elevate themselves by standing on a wooden crate originally used for shipment of soap, or other dry goods, from a manufacturer to a retail store.
I imagine someone who wants to change the world by spreading a message. They grab a soapbox and go to a crowded area. They stand on the box, and they evangelize. They start selling. They are selling an idea to anyone who happens to walk by.
This is what we do in marketing. We stand on soapboxes.
We go to a place where people are, and, hopefully, we do something to stand out just a little bit. It might be posts on Instagram or Facebook ads. You might sponsor a conference. They are all like soapboxes.
You hope that you stand out enough that people notice you, and then you hope that your message is compelling enough that you can … well, you also have to decide what you want the people to do.
Do you want them to change their mind about something?
Do you want them to sign up for something?
Do you want them to talk to you?
Do you want them to buy something from you?
I think it’s easy to forget that the purpose of our digital soapboxes is to stand out in the crowd and get them to do something.
Ask yourself, “Is my soapbox even in the right place?”
Maybe you’re trying to sell hot dogs to families before Mass. That’s a terrible time.
Maybe you’re trying to help people have an emotional transformation, but you’re attempting to do it in a crowded marketplace. Probably not the best time and place.
Maybe you’re trying to sell rosaries in an anti-Catholic part of town.
It’s a lot easier to see that your soapbox is in the wrong place when you think about physical locations.
Where is your soapbox right now?
Where are you trying to stand out, and who is walking by your wooden crate? Are they the right people? Is this the right time? Maybe you have the right people and the right time but the wrong message.
I just love this thought exercise. It usually gets my clients thinking outside the box (pun intended) about where they can go to get attention and how to refine their message to capture it.
Be an evangelist for your business.
Be willing to stand on a soapbox and share your talent with the world. And, if it’s not working, be open to understanding why. Is it the wrong place, the wrong time, or the wrong message?
Be a scientist trying many experiments to figure out the best way to spread your work.
Sterling Jaquith lives in Northern Idaho and homeschools her six kiddos. She helps women build simple, holy, and profitable businesses. She teaches her clients how to rely on the Holy Spirit for business decisions and oh man, it's a much more peaceful way to run a business! Her Market Like An Evangelist workshop is very popular and is free at www.madeforgreatness.co.