Marketing = impact

I wish I could convey this one thing about marketing.

MARKETING = IMPACT
MARKETING = IMPACT
MARKETING = IMPACT

Posting isn't marketing if it doesn't open someone's thinking, influence a new behaviour, or challenge an old behaviour. Marketing is marketing when it has an impact on someone's life, and you become associated with that impact. 

If we can get someone's attention, get them to pay attention to us, and share something that truly changes their life, then we're marketing. For this reason, simply posting isn't marketing. Marketing is more about building a connection between your brand and value that your clients want.

Examples of things clients might say about your content are:

• "I follow them because they inspire me"
• "I follow them because they tell the truth about [XXX]"
• "I follow them because they're funny and help me tune out of my life"
• "I follow them because they share technical details on how to [XXX}"
• "I follow them because they're helping me to face the truth about how I [XXX]"

When you think about your marketing, what do you want clients to say about you; why do they follow you; what do you give them? Put another way, we can ask about the impact we're having on someone's life. I think when someone comes across your content for the first time, they don't actually want to follow you. They're following too many people already. To get the follow, you've got to share something novel, new, insightful, truly helpful.

When I challenge people on their marketing, I often ask them if they're posting what it really takes or a more palatable version. Are they really running the steps they're sharing in their own lives, or are they doing something different? In my marketing, I've always told the truth about how hard business is, about how much time it takes to build a brand, about the steps required up front to make sales.

There was a fear for me that the process was too hard for people and they'd not do it, so not follow me. But honestly, I couldn't see another way? I had to tell people the truth because I had to get them turned on to the real work as quickly as possible. I therefore focused on a mix of 'how to' marketing content and the mindset work needed to do that difficult work in the first place.

As you watch (or listen to) today's episode, I want you to consider seven key questions:

1. What is the real problem I solve - not just the surface symptom, but the deeper challenge they're facing?
2. What does it truly take to solve this problem - and what honest content can I make around this?
3. What questions are my high calibre clients searching out and how can I make content to answer those questions?
4. How can I 'show' more of my expertise, rather than just talk about it?
5. What's the emotional shift you want your content to create in someone - from stuck to hopeful, from confused to clear, from overwhelmed to decisive?
6. What's one truth you've been holding back from sharing because you're afraid it's too much — and what would happen if you shared it anyway?
7. If someone binge-watched your last 10 pieces of content, what would they say your brand stands for?

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