Creativity is everywhere improving the world's most valuable asset. Playing with Legos–whenever kids see them, they feel inspired, creative, and ready to start again. It's like a Birthday or Christmas celebration when the parent brings the yellow Lego bag home.
We encounter inspiration in many forms. It might be as simple as a stunning view. Standing on a balcony of a mountain home or the oceanfront view–an expanse of the sea and sky, unlike that of any other place in the world. There's a reason why nature in all corners of the Earth attracts painters such as Matisse and Bonnard. Experiences in nature may be very tiny compared to time spent on screens, but they can stick for quite some time to change destiny. Accessing nature can be simple, revelatory, and visceral. It replaces the digital with analog–inspirational in slowing down the passage of time, recalibrating our senses, and deeply noticing the details in the world around us.
1) Get specific with the audience
Titles and industry aren't enough. You need to uncover what your audience truly loves, hates, and what exactly prevents them from reaching their goals. Go granular on the demographic. Who they are? What are their preferences? Even how they live. I would pick and define one audience and win them over.
2) Create a unique POV for the problem your business is solving
Many companies say they want to stand out, but aren't ready for their customers' attention. If you want to be considered in your ideal customers' mind you need to offer them something completely different that solves their challenges, not something that's only incrementally better.
3) Set strategic goals
If you stop at MQLs, you're not going to get the conversion you truly seek. Set up meetings with the CEO, head of product, head of revenue, and CMO to truly understand what the leaders care about, then build a plan to support their vision.
4) Pick one channel and dominate
As you strategize, you do not need to be everywhere all at once. Better to build in one arena, then scale. Where the key audience or customer is today is where you should start the build.
5) Produce research driven content
Reconsider a full SEO strategy to begin. Certainly there is some high intent traffic worth capturing right away, but it may be better to earn attention with original thoughts and research using internal product data, surveys, and frameworks from SMEs.
6) Analyze audience signals
You have to keep the pulse on the audience and know what they are craving before they do. There are signals everywhere telling you what they want. Make sure you are analyzing content, campaigns, social, and trends constantly. Then go in the the direction of content that is performing.
7) Scale your strategy
Once you've got momentum going along with steady growth in the first channel, it is time to scale to a new channel using insights of what's valuable to the prospect or customer.
Apply these 7 steps to achieve remarkable results.
Congratulations to Pat Okens for his amazing book Blues Before Sunrise. The book’s first batch in print is completely sold out. Pat’s donating half the fiscal proceeds to U of T varsity rowing program which equates to $355,000 in just one week. Here's high praise from notable rowers:
“Patrick Okens’ delightful, mesmerizing tales of rowing at the U of T bring so many memories of what life was like as student rowers.” – Roger Jackson, 1964 Olympic Gold Medalist “I am so grateful to Patrick Okens for putting together this history of a program we all love so much.” – Kay Worthington, two-time 1992 Olympic Gold Medalist Thank you Pat for all you’ve put into this amazing book
