Gumby didn’t have a lot of bells and whistles, but he lasted forever.
I had one of the green rubber toys as a child.
- It would bend
- It would not break
Gumby even had his own film and TV show with an orange pony, named Pokey. I was bummed I didn’t own Pokey.
Gumby and Pokey were the shining stars of stop motion clay animation.
In the strange way my mind works, the simple toy had me thinking of business blogs.
Business blogs are the Gumby of your business communication.
Few Bells & Whistles
Even in the olden days of my childhood, there were other toys with more bells and whistles.
- Chatty Cathy – no, I was not the prototype – but I owned one
- Rock ’em Sock ’em Robots – hey, I have four brothers
- Etch-A-Sketch – my all-time favorite
You may have podcasts and videos on your business blog, but I would bet the bulk of your blog does not have a lot of bells and whistles.
It’s you chatting with your readers.
Business blogs encourage basic communication.
A Lot of Flexibility
Gumby may not have motorized parts, but he’s aces in the flexibility department.
So is your business blog.
- You can redirect your communication
- You can make changes at a moment’s notice
- You can adjust your form of communication
You can be as flexible as you want and still keep your basic shape – your brand.
Business blogs offer the flexibility for responding to change.
You Control the Action
Art Clokey, the creator of Gumby, was a pioneer of stop motion clay animation.
The painstaking process is the godfather of suffering for your art. Fortunately, your blog is not nearly as painful.
Like Gumby, the best feature of a business blog is you control the action.
- You set the timing
- You choose the message
Social media platforms, like Facebook, offer many marketing options, but the ultimate control is in the hands of others.
You control your message by making your business site the focal point of communication.
A business blog is your center of control.
In Its Simplest Form
We have more communication tools than ever before, but you need a strong foundation at the center of it all.
Your business blog is your Gumby.
- You can add bells & whistles
- You have plenty of flexibility
- But, best of all – you control the action
Are you making the most of it?
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Helping you Keep it simple, clear & uniquely yours – contact me for help with your business writing needs.
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I love these types of analogies. It’s so much fun to take something dear to our hearts and nostalgic and turn it into a lesson that we can relate to and remember. I owned every toy you mentioned… except for the Gumby! I don’t know how that happened, but I most certainly knew Gumby.
And you are so right – it’s not the bells and whistles that matter. It’s just the “real” stuff and the connection. We connected to toys like Gumby because they didn’t “do” anything and so we could inject our own thoughts and ideas and personalities into them. My favorite toy as a kid was play-do. It didn’t do anything at all, just sat there in the can, until YOU did something with it. Very much like a business blog. It can sit there forever, but it’s not until you play with it – talk to your readers, show your personality, get your ideas across – that it becomes something unique and engaging.
I enjoyed this analogy and now I suddenly want to play with some toys…
Carol: It’s so great to hear from a kindred soul. 😀 I loved Play-doh, too!
Love your It can sit there forever analogy – an excellent addition. I think that earned you playtime with your toys. 🙂
Thanks for cruising down memory lane with us, Carol.
Hmm. I always found Gumby to be rather stilted. I would hope that this would not be the model for my blog and its visitors
On the other hand, I would not mind to amass the gross revenue Gumby did for my blog 🙂
LOL, Roy! You and me both. 🙂
Ah Roy, I’d love my blog to be as simple as Gumby… not the content, but the tech stuff in background.
Lots of fun, Cathy, and a point well made.
Anne…
The issue with Gumby is that there was NO tech in the background. Nowadays, it would be more sophisticated. Then, it was simply the invention AND hard work Clokey and his minions effected
Thanks, Anne. We like fun. 🙂
Roy – NO tech sounds fun, too. 🙂
I remember when toys required imagination. Reading books required imagination. And yes, even writing blogs requires imagination. Good post, Cathy. Play dough was fun, but Bendy Wendy was, too.
Hi Cathy, I loved Gumby as a kid. So many people are ego-centered and try to create buzz instead of delivering valuable content. One of my mentors always says “substance carries more weight than style”. Great message we all must check in with ourselves on from time to time.
Kristoffer
Hi Ann: That’s what I remember most about my childhood-the imagination. Whether it was playing with our toys or just running around outside.
Thanks for sharing your memories and thoughts.
I like that analogy, Kristoffer. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by and sharing your view.
Great post, Cathy. I’m a Gumby-fan, too. Didn’t have the toy, but couldn’t get enough of the show. Why? It was the stories! They didn’t have special effects so they had to rely on good stories. If we all added a few of those to our blogs every once in awhile, we’d go all the way to the Mooon! http://youtu.be/CWYYkF6DOnk (<– Gumby on the Moon episode)
Thanks, Tea. Cracking up at the Moon video-thanks for sharing that, Tea. I’m with you-it’s all about the story-telling. 🙂
I used to love gumby! After long bouts of homework that involved writing, my tip of my middle finger would become slanted like gumby’s head and I always made a face on it. Used to make homework so much fun 😀
I’ve always been attracted to businesses and blogs that keep it simple. My own wasn’t that way for the longest time but I’ve been working hard to change that this year.
Great post Cathy!
Now that paints a picture, Samar-your finger looking like Gumby’s head. 😀
Thanks for the nice words and for stopping by, Samar.