The Real Estate Tomato:

Jawbone-TMJ-ouch I believe I have developed TMJ.

For the last month I have had frequent headaches and a persistent clicking in my right ear. The sensation varies from an annoying pop to a painful snap. I have been doing light research on the issue since it began, and am now really ready to find remedy.

What does this have to do with Real Estate Blogging?

Other than the fact that I can't be the only blogger out there suffering from TMJ and any solution I find will be much appreciated, I'm sure... the following post is a documentation of how I used the internet for research, found a potential solution, and yet the source failed to engage me as a reader/subscriber/potential-client.

The mistake: Although I did find useful information on relief of TMJ, it was at the most critical moment that he failed to engage me. This mistake can be applied to any and all business blogging, hence the article.

The search for relief from the pain of TMJ:

I went to Twitter (I'm always there anyhow) and typed "TMJ" in the search.
I also chose twitter because I believe that my TMJ is a result of my extended computer usage, and wanted to find advice from others that may be experiencing this disorder from a similar cause. Aren't all Twitter freaks computer over-users?
Right away I found a tweet from @DrFrankKaden that said:

New gentle treatment for headaches, neck pain, vertigo, tinnitus and tmj pain: http://bit.ly/XDV7p

This linked me to a short, somewhat informative YouTube hosted video of Dr. Frank explaining the treatment's application. Basically, he's recommending relieving the pressure on the top 2 verts that connect the skull to the spine. He conveniently suggests that we visit his website for more on this treatment.

I click the link in the description sidebar on the YouTube video page and land on his homepage: http://kadenchiropractic.com/

Everything up to this point has been executed quite well, from a social media marketing standpoint.
1. Twitter post offering a solution to a challenge I have
2. Short video allowing me to watch/hear from Dr. Kaden on the topic - and a call to action to visit the (all informative) site.
Now, I'm at his homepage...and this is where it all falls apart.

The website is professional and well organized.
The website covers an enormous amount of information on his services, FAQs, wellness, rehab, etc.
The website even has clear call to action to subscribe to a newsletter on 9 general topics.

Where the experience for me goes wrong, however, is that there was nothing specific regarding the reason I was brought there.
There was no call-to-action that spoke to me, given the concerns and challenges I have.
Normally I wouldn't be so concerned that a website I visited didn't 'speak' to me, specifically (I can't expect websites that cover general topics to be able to clearly engage every concern under their umbrella, from the homepage) but, in this case, I was led to believe that it would.

Dr. Kaden took the time to attract me because of a very specific concern: TMJ.
He tweeted and he recorded a video on the topic.
I am ready to be engaged.
I'd have signed up to receive more information on TMJ relief, recovery and rehab, had there been such a thing. There wasn't. Not immediately anyhow. Not satisfied, I used his search site feature, typed in TMJ and found 2 links; 1 dead link, and 1 marketing advertisement of the good doctor (catchy tune and all, using animoto - more props!). The TMJ ad was actually not bad, and did create a call-to-action to contact the offices for a consultation. But, I would have never discovered it had I not known to use his site search.

After having done so many things correctly, he missed the final element that makes it all worth it. The clear Call-To-Action that speaks to your inbound traffic. I know not all of his traffic is suffering TMJ, but the traffic coming from the avenues that he put in place that I found are. In order to make the most of those efforts, he needs a specific CTA connected to them, even if it means creating a separate landing page (with clear to call-to-action) for that traffic.

The lesson here is clear.

If you are going to take the time to use the tools of social media (or any effective marketing for that matter), in order for it to be worth the effort, you need to engage the traffic you generate. If you are blogging/updating/tweeting/recording about a topic that is more specific than the umbrella itself, you need to have a call-to-action in place that speaks to the interested.

In the case of Dr. Kaden, I clicked away, and wrote this post.

Back to my search for relief.

(Dr, Kaden, if you are reading: I am sorry for picking on you. I was just so struck with how effectively you were engaging me just to lose me at the end).

What have I learned from all the searching?

Non Serious TMJ symptoms can be relieved with
– Better desk posture; sit up straight, good lumbar support and monitors located at or above eye-level
– Massage therapy
– Chiropractic Adjustments
– Supported jaw when sleeping on one’s side
– Avoid: chewing gum, grinding teeth

Now to test it out.