Connecting
It isn’t enough to do your initial research and then disappear into a back room. Though consuming gives you foundational knowledge, it can’t build your business. You’ll need to be connected. Conversations with people are crucial for sharpening your knowledge and skills. Besides, how else will prospects know that you can help them?
Connection is the most powerful form of marketing. If you nurture your connections, your customers and peers will refer people to you, talk about you, and become walking billboards for your company. Lose your connections, and you’ll waste the momentum you’ve gained.
Don’t forget to be human.
Strive to have a one-on-one conversation each day (five a week). You can message people on social media, hop on the phone, or organize a video conference. The method of connection isn’t as important as the connections themselves.
The three types of relationships you should form are:
Customers
Experts
Partners
Let’s look at each.
Connecting with Customers
Customers are the foundation of your business. Keeping the pulse on what is going on with your customer base is vital; your customers give you feedback and critique, and they’ll spot things you’ve missed. They might point out opportunities you haven’t seen.
Don’t take them for granted. When someone asks you about your topic, take time to answer. Strike up a conversation. Provide value beyond their expectation, and they’ll give you invaluable insight.
By helping people, you’ll help yourself.
Connecting with Experts
If you aim to get ahead, you’ll want to talk to the big guys. But they typically won’t bother with startup leprechauns like you. You’ll have to earn their attention.
How?
Talk everywhere about your topic, and reach out to those of similar “status.” In the meantime, attempt to develop relationships with those a step or two ahead of you. Try to develop friendships and be valuable to the other person.
Do this by commenting on their social media posts. I’m not talking about trolling them; I’m talking about boosting their content with quality conversations. Not just to get more eyeballs on their content but to demonstrate your care and knowledge to them and their audience.
You’ll slowly engage yourself up the ladder of influence.
Connecting with Partners
A wise man once said, “Two are better than one.” Whether you need a manufacturer for your products or an industry leader to promote you to his audience, partnerships move the needle.
Your online business hinges on the people you know—especially those who share your audience. Tend these relationships with all the care you can muster.
Your partners don’t have to solve the same customer problem. They need to serve the same people. If you are helping men in their twenties journal their thoughts, you could find partners that help college grads transition to a career.
There will be a crossover between your audiences, but each of you helps solve a different customer problem.
Creating
If you dive into your niche by doing the things you’re talking about, you’ll stay fresh and engaging. Consuming knowledge and fostering connections are important aspects of your business, but if you don’t practice what you preach—or create content around your topic—you’ll stale in a hurry.
If your niche is journaling, you better journal every day. Be in your topic. Do it.
I’ve found it helpful to break this up into three steps:
Try
Document
Teach
You do the thing, document how you did it, and then teach someone else.
Those who know, do. Those who understand, teach. - Aristotle
If you want to understand, teaching is the way to go. You’ll refine your process and create solid connections in your brain. Yes, you’ll help others learn, but more than that, you yourself will gain mastery of the topic.
When you consume, connect, and create, you crank a powerful flywheel and build momentum.
You learn new things from experts.
You talk about these things with peers and customers.
You then put the ideas into practice and share the results with others.
And that brings us to the next chapter, Marketing Your Learning.
Table of Contents
(click on the lesson titles to go there)
Introduction
S - Select Your Niche
I - Investigate Your Niche Daily
M - Market Your Expertise
P - Package Your Knowledge Into Lead Magnets
L - Lever Your Email List
E - Educate Your Customers With Digital Products & Services
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