Should Stevie Wonder Do Keyword Research?
February 27, 2009 by Bonnie Boots
Filed under General, Product Creation
I don’t see much television, but last night I was delighted to shut off the computer and turn on the TV to watch cool come back to the White House.
It was thrilling to see possibly the greatest cover band ever assembled paying tribute to the art of singer/songwriter Stevie Wonder–all under the watchful gaze of George Washington’s formal portrait.
I almost typed "Little" Stevie Wonder, because that’s what he was called when he first appeared on the music scene at the age of 12, a small, black, blind boy playing huge riffs on a harmonica.
When Stevie Wonder was "Little," being black was not cool in a lot of communities. Some people would have let that stop them from even trying to accomplish anything.
And when Stevie Wonder was "Little," you seldom saw blind people out in the world. People with blindness, like people with other handicaps, were mostly hidden away. Some people would have let that stop them from even trying to accomplish anything.
As the assembled stars played and sang his songs, Stevie Wonder tapped in rhythm, clearly enjoying the performance of his music right along with the audience. In that, I believe, lies the secret of why being black and blind in a bigoted world didn’t stop him. It’s this—
Stevie Wonder does what he loves. Always did. Always will. Stevie Wonder didn’t calculate his career and his success. He simply opened up his heart and let his creative spirit fly free.
I work every day with people who want to accomplish something on the internet. All of them are intelligent, talented and creative. Many of them are disabled by a terrible handicap–an overdose of internet marketing information. Too often, they’ve taken to heart advice that simply should not be applied to them. That misplaced advice can cripple creativity.
Recently, I’ve been encouraging a friend to take his expertise in living off the grid and put it online. He ’s been countering my advice by saying "But I’ve done the keyword research and I don’t find many people searching for living off the grid."
Watching the concert tonight, I wondered what would have happened to Stevie Wonder if he’d done keyword research. What if he’d discovered that no one was searching Google for "little blind boys playing harmonica"? Would he have gone on to be a dishwasher? A shoeshine boy?
What would happen to his music if he did keyword research before he wrote a song? Would "I Just Called To Say I Love Yahoo" be a huge hit? Would "That’s What MySpace Friends Are For" have won a Grammy? My guess is no
. I don’t want creative, intelligent and talented people cutting short their dreams and ideas because of marketing concepts like "keyword research." I want them to follow Stevie Wonder’s example and soar to whatever heights their creativity can take them no matter what the "internet marketers" are proclaiming.
Internet marketing is a huge subject. It covers professionals working at Manhattan advertising agencies just as it covers high-school dropouts trying to make money in affiliate sales. Not everything written about internet marketing will apply equally to these two.
Not everything written about internet marketing will apply to you.
There are always people to whom the so-called rules do not apply. The rules generally do not apply to people inspired enough, creative enough and brave enough to let their own nature define their destiny.
The rule "If you’re black, get back" did not apply to toe-tapping Stevie Wonder. The rule "Only perfect people can be supermodels" did not apply to gap-toothed Lauren Hutton. The rule "Men make careers. Women make beds," did not apply to Martha Stewart. These people didn’t break the rules purely for the sake of breaking them. They broke the rules because rules do not apply to people who let their light shine. Put on your favorite Stevie Wonder record and think about that.
Stevie Wonder – The Definitive Collection
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If you want to spread your creative wings and make stuff to market on the web, my book, "Tapping Into Trends To Create An Endless Stream Of High-Profit Products" will inspire you to be your most creative, successful self by showing you just some of the many ways I use the internet to make creative cash. Bonnie Boots publishes The Internet Wizards for people who want to discover their passion, make their own products and market on the internet.
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Wish you had smileys here, so I could post a BIG Smiling Face in the comment box!
Sorry I missed the concert!
Coooool Article! Thanks!
Kathi
Hi Bonnie. I’ve been sitting for the last two hours battling with keyword research. It is a thing I loathe and detest and you’re right, it does indeed stunt not only my creativity but also my productivity. I could have written at least 3 articles now on the subject I’m passionate about but alas, google and other keyword research tools just continue to chalenge me. I stumbled on your article by chance after researching whether or not it was possible for blind people to do keyword research. It was a breath of fresh air. Maybe I’ll just write my content and to heck with google. Thanks.
Good for you, Kerryanne. Just write it! I maintain blogs for several professionals whose target group is extremely difficult to categorize in one or two keywords. But by consistently posting well-written articles containing solid information those target groups would want to read, these blogs have all managed to attract the type of people my clients need.