At any given second, during any day of the year, people are reading, watching, or talking about something I have written, recorded, or said.
This is not my ego talking.
I am not some all-powerful-all-knowing human of any relative worldly significance.
It is not because what I have to say is necessarily more important than the next person.
Or that my ideas are better than others’.
We all have a unique and valuable story to tell.
But there’s a difference between the average Joe and me.
I write. I record. I publish.
I am an active participant in the 1% of the internet.
In the new economy, it’s not just who you know, but what other people know about you. What you think. How you think. Why you think.
Creating Awareness
A few months ago I was on a call with a customer and he informed me that he started a juice fast because he read my blog post and that it changed his diet. Our call was about building his web agency…but I couldn’t help but think my health advice had provided more tangible benefit (juicing can be that good for you).
This past week a long time friend of mine was in town helping us produce a program and he told me that he loved my post onfatherhood. That he had meant to write some early notes on the same subject a year and a half ago as a new father.
I know people hear what I say because they bring it up to me in every conversation they have with me.
“I was watching that video you did on pricing…”
“I have to re-read that post you wrote on Speckyboy…”
“I loved that podcast with Simon…”
You have enough content out in the inter-webs and eventually it starts catching up with you.
Why does this all matter?
Because your story is important. Back in cave-times, information traveled slowly. It was hard to tell my friend in another camp that a viscous Tyrannosaurus Rex was on the move and ready to eat him. Unless I could run faster than the T-Rex, my friend was screwed. Predators had the upper hand.
But now they don’t.
You owe it to yourself and your fellow comrades to share your knowledge with others. These days, I can write a blog post and my entire network gets wind of it in seconds.
I can say:
“Hey! Share some knowledge, produce some content!”
And someone will actually take action. I promise you. And then they will call me, write me, tweet me, or whatever that my little ripple helped them get over that writers block, or clear that obstacle holding them back, or maybe just spark an idea.
Command a Niche
The power of the internet combined with all of the various free apps, platforms, and plethora of low-cost recording devices means that you can be CNN if you want. Whatever your passion is, you can become the Oprah of your niche.
Last week I hosted a four hour Livestream (live broadcast on the internet) and had over eight hundred people viewing our program. I have never had eight hundred people in my office at the same time, but on Thursday I did.
They listened to me, engaged with our brand over chat, connected with each other, and created sweet chatter on Facebook and Twitter.
Sure, it cost some money to put that show together, but nothing compared to the expense it would have been even five years ago.
Then, I share. Not just through my Facebook or Twitter feeds, but through Marketing Automation.
I have built (with the insanely amazing work of my team at uGurus) dozens of funnels (as we call them in the Internet Marketing world) that exchange high value content for an email address. My automation tools are then built to follow up with people through email, social, and call flows to get my audience to engage with them.
We then use this marketing wizardry to ask people to buy our products.
At any given moment I am sending out a ton of email (some days only hundreds, others thousands of messages). But I’m not really. I’m really on a walk with my wife. Or probably these days bouncing up and down on an exercise ball holding my five-week-old-bundle-of-joy.
So not only does publishing a heap of content online make me very visible in my market and network, but combine that with tools to communicate on my behalf and you get a very potent combination:
I’m in demand.
You Want That Right?
Isn’t that the point in business and in life? For others to want to have a piece of you?
Well, maybe.
I’ve been able to successfully channel that demand into a thriving business which helps others also build thriving businesses. I think that’s a virtuous cycle worth pursuing.
It’s not just about the demand though. I love that I have the opportunity to get right down to business when I talk with someone. Like today I had a call with a new student of mine that I had never met or talked with before. But she knew a lot about me and my platform. We didn’t need a lot of “get to know you” stuff. I could get into the meat and potatoes without much huff.
We live in an age where the only thing it takes for someone to publish content like the big boys is a little time and your authentic self. But few know it.
There is no secret to writing a blog post except to write one.
No magic trick to making a video except to record one.
Little mystery to hosting a webinar or podcast or Livestream, just gotta stand up and start speaking.
I don’t care what business or hobby you love, the world wants to hear your perspective on it. At least I do.
So start publishing. Just make sure you hit the share button and let me know about it.
Hit me up on twitter when you do.