Happy Independence Day!!
It has now been an entire year since I started sending out this newsletter! I do want to share a heartfelt ‘Thank You’ to everyone who has been a part of this group and read along during the year.
I wanted to start one for a while, but let other things take the focus away.
Interestingly, in the earlier parts of the Covid-19 shutdown, I realized that we usually find a way to do the things we want to do (and find plenty of reasons not to do the things we don’t want to do).
Considering that, I had to decide whether writing like this was something that I really wanted to do.
Once I determined that it was, it was then the decision to commit to it!
Again, I want to say ‘Thanks’ to you & I hope you’ve gotten value out of it because I know that I have.
I appreciate you more than you know & if there are things that you’d like to see or ask, please don’t hesitate.
Added Note
If you would like to start something like this of your own, I republished a blog post recently where I shared details for how I started this one (Starting An Email Newsletter With Zero Subscribers).
If it is a goal of your list to which you’ve never gotten, I definitely recommend it!
Someone that I know is interested in Journalism and I have considered what advice I might share if asked. As I thought about it, the idea above came to mind. When you are just getting started, it is daunting to be heard when no one is listening.
So…what changes have I seen in my life that might help?
There are really two “changes” that have occurred:
- There is more content than ever before.
- With the expansion of platforms and viewing options, the demand for content (especially targeted and/or specialized content) has never been greater.
Unfortunately for content producers, having more content than ever before means more noise in the market. It is ironically true that it is both easier and harder to get your content noticed by an audience. Keeping one has never been more difficult.
The proliferation of channels means that there is a place for almost every appetite. If you can find the congregation space for your audience, there will be a platform dedicated to serving them. If there is not a platform, you can become very successful in creating one for them.
At the same time, platforms need an audience and your value to the platforms is directly proportional to the audience that you can bring. They are both curators of an audience as well as a market needing growth in one.
The challenge comes from the fact that creators and audiences need something from the other in the earliest stages of platforms.
While we may not have understood, it has always been this way.
In the creator’s mind, getting mentioned on Oprah’s Book Club is exposure to a wide audience that could consume your content.
in the audience’s mind, they want to know where they can spend their reading time to be entertained.
In the platform’s mind, they want good recommendations to share with their audience.
This story often overlooked the work done by a girl from Mississippi who served as a local news anchor in Nashville and Baltimore before moving to Chicago to host a morning talk show.
Similarly, Gary Vaynerchuk is internationally recognized today but was not so in 2006 when he started filming wine reviews to be published on YouTube.
The main advice I can give anyone trying to start as a content creator, influencer, or curator of content/audiences is to commit to providing two sets of value (instead of one)!
- Start small when it seems no one is listening.
- Be consistent in interacting with those who are.
In this way, you will eventually attract the parties who will set you on a path to exponential growth. Like rockets on takeoff, the most energy is being expended when the changes in position are least observable. Once you’ve “cleared the tower”, the journey is just beginning.
For those checking out the book reviews, I reviewed E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber. You can check out my notes at this link.
Keep a lookout as I just finished One Million Followers by Brendan Kane and will be posting my notes for that one soon.
Other Links
How To Have More Effective Virtual Meetings
It seems as if virtual meetings are one reality that will stick with us for quite some time. The rise of remote work meant that more of our interactions were virtual before Covid-19, but they are downright commonplace now (even in sales & training situations where face-to-face meetings were expected in the past).
Use these ideas to make your meetings more valuable (and shorter)! 🙂
Workers quitting jobs
A lot of attention is being paid to the longer-term economic impacts following on the heels of a pandemic & policies put in place to ease its consequences. The staffing shortages in some industries are noticeable. They are frankly felt in both the numbers and quality of people that businesses employ. It is simply tough to attract and keep good talent.
Note: In Edition 49, I shared my opinion that companies should now be focusing on marketing for employees in the same way that they are marketing for customers. I think it is a requirement for business growth in the foreseeable future!
Clever Ways To Grow Your Email List
Hubspot posted this article with some interesting & unique ways to grow your email list. As a provider used by Marketers, the ideas and audience are more focused toward that goal set, but the ideas translate well no matter your objective. If you started with my post about starting a newsletter, this provides more ideas to grow your audience.
SEO: The Basics
The folks at Reliable published this guide to SEO fundamentals. If you’re looking for a good starting point, definitely check it out.
Auditing Your Site With Google Search Console
There are a number of tools within Google Search Console that help you analyze and improve your website. This article walks you through a number of them.
If you’d like to discuss your options between having in-house staff versus an agency handle this on your behalf, let me know. If there is a way we can help (either strategically or from an implementation standpoint), we’d love to chat with you.