I saw a blurb on the news this morning about a mortgage banker wearing a sandwich board sign that said, “Hire me!” He was standing on a NYC street corner wearing a suit and tie holding an envelope of resumes. Certainly proactive and I suppose it is more attention getting than sending out a blast mailing, but there’s one big problem.

ME!

As marketers we know but it’s all too easy to forget, it’s not about you (or the company you’re writing for)! It’s about your reader, your prospect, your customer, and in this case, the prospective employer.

Marcom writers produce a ton of content. It’s easy to fall back into our comfort zone and pump out piece after piece. We find ways to communicate messages that work. We promote products and services. And, if we’re hired by the company we’re promoting, it’s natural to want to promote the company too.

I’m not going to give you a lecture on the importance of benefits over features. You’ve all heard that before. What I will remind you to do is to watch your point of view. Stand back and step into your reader’s shoes. Ask yourself, “Why should I care?”

If you can’t answer that, go back and try again.

As for the guy on the NY street corner, he’d have better luck not only targeting his “campaign” but also addressing what he can do for you.