Make Your Mark: The Creative's Guide to Building a Business with Impact (The 99U Book Series) by Jocelyn K. Glei & 99U

Author:Jocelyn K. Glei & 99U
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Amazon Publishing
Published: 2014-11-18T00:00:00+00:00

Answering these questions—in word and deed—is crucial for the ongoing care and feeding of your army. For the past five years I’ve traveled the world, meeting people who identify with the message of nonconformity and unconventional living. Along the way, I’ve been inspired by hearing many of their stories. It’s a continuous cycle of communication and connection, fueled by the belonging that comes from a common message.

STEP 2: IN TURN, SERVE YOUR ARMY

Years ago I heard someone use a phrase that’s stuck with me ever since: “My marketing plan is strategic giving.” That person, Megan Hunt, meant it in the context of her work as a blogger and fashion designer—her primary strategy for growth was relying on other bloggers to spread the word, and she often sent out free product in hopes of endorsements. But the lesson goes far beyond packaging up product and not including an invoice.

When you make the focus of your work what you can do for people instead of what they can do for you, you’re not only being a good person; you’re also building the loyalty of your small army.

Like relationships, loyalty isn’t created in a single conversation or transaction. Instead, it’s built over time. One of the best ways you can establish loyalty is through a series of touchstones—small things you repeatedly do that create a positive impact in someone’s life. A few examples:

Make your expertise available to the community at regular intervals. Pamela Slim, a coach and author, hosts a monthly “Ask Pam Anything” call-in session. She also does paid coaching calls, but the monthly session allows her to engage with people through a more informal channel. It builds trust in her expertise with the broader community and, no doubt, drives sales of paid sessions. But it’s not just solopreneurs who can do this; businesses small and large have domain expertise that can be shared freely.

Share your paid content with users for free on different channels. Attending the TED Conference, for example, comes at a premium ticket cost (and an invitation to boot), but TED also posts all the talks from the event for free online afterward. Enabling the talks to be freely shared allows brand awareness to grow and, ultimately, drives demand for tickets to the flagship live events.

Look around and be generally helpful wherever you can. When in doubt, just ask what you can do. A year ago I initiated an experiment where I’d frequently go online (to Twitter, usually) and ask, “How can I help you?” Every time I posed this question I received a variety of responses. Some were silly or unreasonable, but I also learned a lot about my audience. It wasn’t an academic exercise; whenever I conducted the experiment, I tried to do at least a few small things to actually help someone.

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