In these uncertain times of the 2020 Covid 19 World Wide Pandemy it’s easy to fall into the trap of doing mindless work only to make the time get a bye in an ever-increasing cycle of anxiety. Hoping that when you wake up tomorrow it will be gone and you can resume your life. Instead, I propose a different solution: focus on creating, focus on building value for your audience. If you think that your business is not in the industry where you can build an audience around your service and products, please think again. More then ever people will come to the point of realizing that what matters most is what they have to offer from within themselves. When you are forced to start from 0 because of the changing business landscape that will remain after this Covid 19 Pandemy you will soon find out that your value comes from your expertise, from your knowledge, from what you are really good at and nobody else can do it like you are doing it. People will trust you more and want to do business with you when they will see you as the go-to guide for solving their pains for their specific problems. They will reward you with their trust and money. Trust will change the place with money and will be the new capital of the 21 st century. You will gain more and more trust as your audience will grow and your problem-solving tips will help your audience. So FOCUS on HELPING them!
How can you do that Best?
Start teaching!
Imagine that you are launching your new software product or your new book, or that you just created a new web service, app, startup idea, social project, a new school, your new podcast channel, or everything else that you can think of. The most important skill that you will need today and in our near future is not related to marketing, management or finding the best financing options. It is also not knowledge, programming or HR. It’s also not about design, usability, UX or accounting, and stock management.
The most important skill that you will need is TEACHING! Learn how to teach your audience!
Why Teaching?
You will need another way to reliably get attention and turn that attention into customers. Oddly enough the answer was sitting in front of me, it just took me some time to realize it was the solution to your sales problem.
Whatever it is you’re launching is probably not in short supply, and there’s always someone who’s doing it better, faster, and cheaper (or will be within weeks). Most of us marketers, bloggers, authors, non-profit evangelists, indie software developers, small start-ups can barely afford to pay taxes, keep the lights on and a decent broadband connection let alone a “marketing/ad campaign”. A start-up will never have the resources to outspend a Google or a Microsoft in promoting itself. We can’t hire a publicist. We aren’t going to be on TV tomorrow. But you’re not interested in using deception and other ideas to manipulate someone into buying a product, membership, or idea that you don’t believe in yourself. And that’s your big advantage over even the biggest and best-funded competitors: your belief.
Because what you believe in, you can teach. And teaching is your no.1 advantage, your “killer app” for a newer, more ethical approach to marketing. An approach with whom you are building memorable experiences for your audience and create a long-lasting relationship where trust is the new capital, more valuable than money. While in the past, those who out-spent (on ads, and big promotions) would often win, that’s becoming less and less true today for a lot of things–especially the things designed for a younger, more-likely-to-be-online user community.
Start teaching!
I read articles and blog posts by the experts in my industry. I clicked through from those articles to their books and software products. Often purchasing both.
For project management I use Trello. Without their popular blog, I never would have heard of the product.
For invoicing I use Smartbill, also from reading their blog giving advice on how to invoice my clients.
For managing my research and notes I use Evernote. They have a great blog and they share valuable information on how to best make use of their product.
All these companies used free teaching to gain attention, then turned that attention towards their related products.
The habits that generate the sale are in constant change. People want to be more connected to the brands they offer their trust, to know more about them, to be informed of what those brands stand for. They will make their buying decision later based on those values. People know that they have power and Millenials in special are the ones changing the landscape and making a place for love marks. Instead of focusing to buy prospects in the short term it is more important to build trust with your audience, build lasting relationships that are based on the value you offer.
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