Every 3 weeks, I publish deep dives into B2B thought leaders, breaking down their journey from unknown consultant to top tier personality.
I was wrong, and it's time to come clean ...
I was wrong on repurposing, and if I want to emulate the thought leaders I admire, I'm gonna have to come clean ...
Why do so many smart experts 'fail' with content?
I've worked with a lot of smart experts who write good content but struggle to get any traction or positive business outcomes as a result. Often, it's down to one fundamental error.
Free advice is outrageously expensive
How do you figure out good advice from bad?
The secret behind fast-growth B2B socials
I grew an audience of 17,500 followers, in three months, then quit...
Ignore Trends
This is the special ingredient missing from 99% of content strategies...
Can content help you sell a 5-figure client engagement?
Sure it can help you sell a $150 course, but can it really help you sell a high-ticket consulting gig?
Why are Tigers Orange?
They're just like marketers. Here's why...
A Lesson from Spotify
The music business model has changed, and that change is making it's way to every B2B market.
Is 'Just speak with Customers' BS?
You hear 'just speak with customers' all the time as an antidote to solve all marketing problems. Is it really the solution to all problems?
Putting it all together: Marketing Fundamentals 7 of 7
How do all these marketing fundamentals connect to one another?
Subconscious Calculations: Marketing Fundamentals 6 of 7
You need trust to win the engagement, but is it something you should be trying to earn?
Narrative Instinct: Marketing Fundamentals 5 of 7
If storytelling is an innate human ability, why would anyone need help building one?
Principle of Least Effort: Marketing Fundamentals 4 of 7
The ability to pay attention isn’t the problem. That's a myth. We pay attention to stuff we care about all the time.
Relativity: Marketing Fundamentals 3 of 7
We’re all programmed to incorporate bias, based on our existing worldviews, into our thinking. And at the same time, we each overestimate our ability to empathise.
Desirable Contrast: Marketing Fundamentals 2 of 7
When it comes to growing a business beyond your network, every expert consultant and founder is faced with the same challenge: how do I get new buyers to notice me?
Are you an Unsung Expert? Marketing Fundamentals 1 of 7
Every customer you've ever worked with loves what you do. But, for some reason, that’s not coming across in your marketing copy. Why?
What are Aesthetics for?
Sure, you want your brand to look great. But what are aesthetics really for?
Telling your Story: Act 5 - Connect the Dots
This is the part of the story that, when you execute it just right, will have your reader yearning to take the next step forward to working with you.
Telling your Story: Act 4 - The Process
Now they'll start to see what you see.
Telling your Story: Act 3 - The Twist
Here's the critical part in your story. The moment you share the twist. The reason why your prospect has been failing all along.
Telling your Story: Act 2 - The Nightmare
They'll try, they'll fail, and things will seem worse than ever.
Telling your Story: Act 1 - The Destination
What happened when you quit a TV show 2 minutes in?
Finding your Story
In the previous article, I covered the core story ingredients. Here, I'll show you how to find your own.
Your Core Story Ingredients
Before you start building this sales story, you need to gather your core ingredients.
Story to Sell or Story that Sells?
What are you working on? A story to sell or a story that sells? There's a big difference!
Selling Squirrels to dogs
How do you sell an old idea that's already been done before?
The Underlying Power of Familiarity
Why is it that we're drawn to familiar concepts, and how do you sell familiarity with a highly innovative product?
Packaging New Ideas
You're selling something new, but do prospects buy new-looking things?
A Tight Niche isn't Permanent
As a startup, it's easier to build momentum on a budget with a tight niche, but a tight niche doesn't have to be permanent.
The One Why
What happens when you stop asking questions after the first why?
Telling your story, drip by drip
Stories sell ideas, but how do you fully share your story when you have little time to tell it?
Dialogue
When dialogue seems real, the story feels authentic, and the audience gets lost in the film. Your copy is your dialogue.
The Supermarket Aisle
If you were creating a new product to sell at a supermarket, you have several (literal) positioning considerations...
Positioning 5 of 5: 5 tactics to communicate your brand positioning
Without communicating effectively, having a positioning is useless. Here are 5 of our favourite tactics when it comes to positioning.
Positioning 4 of 5: What makes you different?
Their Perception of You is Based on What You Tell Them Like it or not, your communication today is your positioning.
Positioning 3 of 5: My business cheat code
To solve the positioning puzzle, we’ll have to put on our detective hats and explore the 3Ws:
Positioning 2 of 5: The core principle of positioning
Life is constantly asking us to make decisions. And it gives us a plethora of options to choose from.
Positioning 1 of 5: Don't be afraid of closing doors
How is it that someone less capable, less smart, and less knowledgeable than you can come along and crushes it at the thing you've been working away at for years?