3 factors for standing out in a noisy market

Yesterday I was having a little chat with a subscriber via Facebook Messenger.

(BTW, I have much to say about the use of Messenger in your business. Some of the “cool kids” are doing it, but I definitely have some stuff to share on this. We’ll talk about that later in the Daily).

Anyway… he was curious about my starting up these daily emails. He had been on my list for 3 years already, but said these daily emails were likely going to re-ignite his involvement in The Lab (specifically the Roadmap). He said he was distracted by stuff other people were putting out there.

I know.

It is REALLY easy to get distracted when you pay attention to this world of online business.

So many blogs to read. So many podcasts, “gurus”, tactics, hacks, list posts, tips…. bleh.

And the thing about THIS space is that much of that content is GOOD! I mean, if you’re going to have people talking about content marketing, obviously most of them will be pretty good at it!

Problem is, it becomes an addiction to readers. And it is an addiction which doesn’t help them! It is like each blog post becomes a little hit of dopamine because it carries with it that little promise of instant fulfillment. Of secrets. But, readers constantly searching for dopamine hits aren’t the kind who will do the necessary foundational work to build their business.

When’s the last time you saw a crack addict build a meaningful business? Usually their life is going nowhere and they’re in constant search for the next hit.

It is easy to get like that when monitoring the world of “blogs about blogging” and online marketing.

(Hence, a big reason I am creating The Roadmap…. specifically to try to help my Lab members with the foundational work and keep them out of the weeds).

But also… this is an attention business we’re in here. Those who command the attention win.

Why do you think Kim Kardashian makes the big bucks? Because of her contributions to the world?

..

(sorry, had to laugh for a minute there, I’m back).

No, it is because she commands attention. Enough attention where she can literally put out a book about selfies and people will buy it. (And no, I’m not kidding. Google it.)

It has been said many times (starting with Kevin Kelly) that if you can build an audience of 1,000 true fans, you can make a living.

Those true fans will be the people who pay attention to you. They care what you are saying.

How can you go about doing that in a world where so many people are putting out awesome content?

Being frequent, relevant and personal.

And hence…

One of my big reasons for starting up this Academy Daily email.

First of all… frequency. To the best of my ability, this email will be daily. Every weekday. I’m not going to do weekends because that’s usually when I’m doing stuff outside my office (like our current home remodeling project). When you’re frequent, you remain top of mind. Your true fans will come to expect to hear from you as a matter of habit.

Next…. relevancy. You’ve got to be talking to them about stuff they’re interested in otherwise frequency won’t matter.

Lastly… personal. In terms of online content of all forms, it is hard to get much more personal than one’s email inbox. Facebook Messenger can surpass it (again, we’ll be talking about that), but email is the thing and won’t be replaced. It is way more personal than a blog or any social media platform.

Also, because it is email, it can be written in a more conversational, entertaining way.

So… those are the big 3.

Frequency, relevancy and being personal.

Do that well and you’re well on your way to 1,000 true fans.

I happen to look at daily emails as an awesome way to do that.

And the cool thing is… most people won’t do it. It is a lot of work. It sounds insane, actually.

But, when they’re all zigging… you zag.

See ya tomorrow. 🙂