A recent post on Facebook took me back to when my boys were little.   Gillian Lotter had spied a book by Andy Griffiths called “The Day My Bum Went Psycho” and her comment was “wtf?”

Of course, being a mum of boys I remember the series well.  So did Amanda Cox of Real Mums, who is mum to three boys.

The conversation went like this:

Amanda – Got that one – and Bummageddon and some other one. Captain Underpants is also much fun! 😀

Me -Captain Underpants and the Wicked Wedgie Woman?  Hehe

Amanda -Captain underpants and Professor Poopy Pants, Super Diaper Baby … can’t remember the rest LOL

Amanda -Zombie Bums of Uranus??? Was that one? Something like that, anyway 🙂

Me – Along with matching sound effects and assorted smells….

Me – All those bum books were funny.  His books are actually really good for boys who, typically, don’t like to sit and read.  If they are going to read a book it might as well be about bums, farts and other disgusting stuff that they’ll love

Amanda –  I nearly turned into a ten year old boy a few years back … it was touch and go there for a while 🙂

Me – Gotta love boys.  Big, smelly, loving and enthusiastic like labradors.

It’s true that there is a stage in every boys life where the power of the bum and it’s associated products does rule their minds.  Andy Griffiths has either figured it out or remembers that stage very vividly.  (Do men grow out of it?)  Either way, he knows exactly what to write to appeal to the age group and gender he is targeting.

Gillian and some of the other commentators on the post are mothers of girls so they had never been exposed to this kind of writing before.  Amanda and I clearly remember how our boys reacted to it.  Those books hit the spot like no other books did.  Getting your boys to read isn’t always easy but if it’s a topic that appeals to them, they will do it.

It occurred to me that this was a really good lesson for us all.  As business owners we don’t have to write about bums (unless bums are our business) but we do have to write about the things our ideal client wants to read.  If that means using bum references, then do it.

They don’t always want to read, either, especially if it looks or smells like advertising or promotions, but they will stop to read something that appeals to them.

Now use your imagination. What kind of topics would appeal to your ideal client?   How could you use that to help you in your business writing?

You never know.  You could become the Andy Griffiths of your world.