What do four men do when they have spare time on their hands? They stand on a Melbourne street in the crisp morning air at 7:18 and wait for a parking meter. Not a parking space, a parking meter.

I was one of them. We’d all parked our cars and were waiting for the parking meter to click over to 7:30 before it would accept our money.

For me, my meeting was at 7:30. So I texted my colleague to say I would be late because I had to wait for a parking meter. I’m sure he thought I was an idiot!

The car park only required payment from 7:30. And, obviously the smart and efficient programmer of this device decided in a moment of madness that no one could pay early and walk away. So, we all had to wait.

My good natured colleague upon receiving my text came over to see what was going on. Now there were five men waiting on a Melbourne street. When I asked my fellow waiters for a photo to mark the occasion they baulked at the idea. Instead, I have this photo of the time-stealing parking meter.

The Most Ridiculous Thing

I was left shaking my head. That’s one of the most ridiculous things I’ve experienced in quite a while. And, it raises an interesting question:

Where are you stealing someone’s time by serving your own needs and not your customers?

Ten Content Marketing Examples

Here’s ten examples that relate to Content Marketing…

1. Are you writing a book/blog post/similar that is longer than it should be?
2. Is the intro on your podcast longer than 15 seconds?
3. Are you editing your live recordings or just getting them out the door as quickly as possible?
4. Are you starting and finishing your webinars on time?
5. Is your registration form for your mailing list, event or product purchase, quick and easy?
6. Is the layout of your blog a whole page of words or is it formatted with headings and lists so I can scan read it?
7. Are you sharing your big idea in a quick grab format? Eg: A tweet? In a one-minute version? In a five minute version?
8. Are your product or software instructions clear and concise AND written by a beginner?
9. Are your marketing messages self-serving or customer serving?
10. Are you writing short sharp sentences or waffling on?

Can you add to this list? Where else might you be stealing someone’s time?