You Can’t Build a Brand Around Everything You Love
Sometimes I feel really bad about the advice I give people. Like the LinkedIn follower who commented on my post about focusing your content around one thing to build a brand. “It’s not that I can’t pick one thing. It’s that I don’t want to,” he explained. “I want to be the go-to person people
continue readingWhy Your Audience Isn’t Listening to Your Valuable Content
A few weeks ago, I took my son and three of his friends to an escape room. The plan was for them to go in, have fun, and I’d pick them up later. But it turns out, you can’t just leave four 13-year-olds at the escape room. They need an adult in there with them.
continue reading3 Content Mistakes New Creators Make (and How to Avoid Them)
Know what really bugs me? (Honestly, the first thing that comes to mind is dirty dishes left on the counter when the sink and dishwasher are RIGHT THERE.) But a close second is chirpy guru types who toss out lines like, “Make content!” like it’s a quick fix you can do in a weekend and
continue readingDon’t Be Boring: Make Memorable Content
A couple of years ago, Edelman asked about 3,000 business leaders to rate the content they read, watched, and listened to for work. Almost 3/4 of them said most of the stuff had no value. It was fluff. And not even fun fluff, like cotton candy. Dry, itchy fluff like fiberglass insulation. (OK, I may
continue readingContent Creation for Introverts: Build Authority Without Being the Loudest in the Room
Introverts make great content creators, if we can just get out of our own heads long enough to share our thoughts. Introverted people are often uncomfortable with the idea of content creation because it feels like it will make us the center of attention. So we avoid it and let the extroverts dominate the conversation
continue readingThe Downside to Being a Thought Leader
Not everyone who says they want to be a thought leader really means it. What they really mean is they want the benefits of being a thought leader. They want people to look up to them. They want to be a recognized authority. They want their name to be a deal closer. Maybe they even
continue readingThought leadership is not just a hot take
You can’t be a thought leader without an opinion. That’s not how this works. A thought leader leads thoughts. They shift the way people think. You can’t do that with how-to content. A thought leader takes a stand. BUT. A thought leader also has to be trustworthy. You think everyone should work a 20-hour week
continue readingAuthentic Brands: If You Have to Say You Are, You’re Not
If you have to say you are, you’re not. I was a young marketer working at a membership association when a salesman came in selling swag. He was trying to provide giveaway items for our members – branded coffee mugs, sunglasses, that sort of thing. He also had a business card carrier we could engrave
continue readingContent Consistency Is Not Just Posting the Same Day Each Week
The ice cream truck’s days are numbered. Labor Day is behind us, and we have just a few more weeks of hearing the approaching strains of “La Cucaracha” and “Jingle Bells.” (I don’t know about your local ice cream truck, but mine exclusively plays “La Cucaracha,” a Spanish song about a little cockroach, and royalty-free
continue readingBranding That’s Clear, Consistent, Uncomplicated: The True Story Behind My Orange
People ask on a semi-regular basis about my visual branding. As much as I love my logo, it’s a conversation I usually try to skim over. Because the truth is, it’s complicated. Take the orange. Long ago, when my business was still a side hustle, I was experimenting with the concept of comparing apples to
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