Fresh Start Monday #047: An increasingly cluttered digital world

I recently read the book Permission Marketing by Seth Godin. In the intro, he writes about how it's physically impossible to pay attention to all the marketing messages we see daily. Something is constantly trying to grab our attention.

We have endless options at our disposal.

Sometimes I'll read a book, and then something happens in my life to hit the point home even further.

I saw a post in a local Boulder Facebook group. Someone was looking for recommendations for an artist to paint a mural for their outdoor patio.

I initially thought, wow, this is a great way for a local artist specializing in murals to get a referral. I also thought it was niche enough to only receive a few responses.

I checked back a couple of days later. The post had 88 comments! Who knows how many more DMs they received.

I've noticed it across many areas. It’s hard to get chosen when someone has dozens of options to choose from. Not only is it harder to differentiate yourself from others, but the original poster also has an impossible decision.

This applies to job search. Anyone can put together a resume from a template and click apply. It’s created a cluttered pool of candidates, making it nearly impossible to filter out the good from the bad. As a career coach, it's rare to see candidates find a job through a cold online application.

This applies to Rover. I often reply to an owner five minutes after they've reached out, only for them to let me know I was too slow. This applies to Upwork. Most projects receive over 50 proposals. And dating, where we can swipe all day long.

Thinking through these different areas, the common theme that emerges is the ease of doing. On that FB group, anyone can post a link to their website. Or anyone can upload a resume, and click apply. Or how quickly you can set up a Rover or Upwork account.

I don't bring this up to make you feel discouraged but rather, show opportunity. It's created a standard minimum effort level that makes you feel like you're making progress, but it's not as productive as it once was. For example, how many online job applications you've sent.

A journal prompt to reflect on:

What are you willing to do that no one else will?

P.S. The book, Permission Marketing was written in 1999 :)