If we want to create positive change in the world, it will take strong ideas expressed with clarity and empathy. To that end, I’m launching a new project called “Consider the Source” that audits the way we consume, share, and produce media.
How to Attract an Agent, Publisher, or Label
An agent, producer, or publisher has to make decisions based on money. If they invest in you, will they get that investment back? Will they make a profit? If the answer to these questions is, “I’m not sure,” then you are not going to get picked. It’s as simple as that. Let’s remedy that.
How to Market Your Book: A Complete Strategy in 5 Stages
Today’s successful writers are entrepreneurs. While this may seem intimidating at first, the good news is that building a business around your writing doesn’t have to happen all at once. It can be built little by little, in stages. Here’s a blueprint to get your content strategy in order, connect with the right people, and form a supportive community.
Why Your Author Platform Is So Important to Publishers
Today’s publishing industry takes fewer chances on new authors. Having a strong author platform is one way to show that you are a low-risk investment. Why has this gotten even more important to publishers? Let’s take a look at the shift in power dynamics and what it means for authors trying to get signed.
The Customer Journey: Five Common Waypoints
The interaction between you and your customer is unique to your business. But the “customer journey” has some common waypoints as we go from attracting that initial set of customers to developing a stable of loyal advocates.
Growing Your Audience: Taking Your Talent to the Next Level
The best way to showcase your talent is by activating word-of-mouth marketing. Your message will travel further and faster in the hands of others. Growing your audience is not a passive process though. It requires a strategy, one that can seem counterintuitive at first glance.
Creativity in Business and the Business of Creativity
There’s a myth that creativity and business don’t mix. In fact, the opposite is true: It’s never been more important to bring creativity into business, and there’s never been a better time to turn your creativity into a business. Here are 4 strategies to break down the myths that limit our potential.
The New Business Mindset
Why does business need to be a ruthless, zero-sum game? It doesn’t. You can still be successful by being nice – and in point of fact, I think that you can be even more successful if you unlearn some of the awful lessons that the corporate world teaches.
The New Marketing and Sales
Ethical marketing is not an oxymoron. Respectful, soft-touch marketing not only feels better, but in light of today’s consumer behavior, it’s also more effective too. But it requires a mindset shift, and that we unlearn some of the “conventional wisdom” about marketing.
The New Customer Relationship
Customers expect more now, which presents an opportunity for small businesses to surpass their larger competitors. Let’s look at what it takes to earn a customer in this new environment, the evolving criteria of a sales transaction, and what makes a customer loyal now.
How to Create a Marketing Quiz for Lead Generation
People like to find out about themselves. A quiz can be a fun and useful way to introduce people to your product or service, in a much more indirect way. It’s your opportunity to show that you understand their needs, and to start building enough trust to earn a transaction. Let’s go over the principles of designing the perfect marketing quiz.
Most Downloaded Episodes of 2017: Marketing Without the Marketing
Marketing Without the Marketing is a podcast about using content strategy to build an audience. Here’s a list of the episodes that listeners downloaded the most in 2017. If you’re new to the podcast, this is a great place to start!