Publishing Regularly Is The Single Greatest Tool You Can Leverage To Grow Any Business, & It’s Easier Than You Think
In most of our previous posts we talked more about the psychology behind running a business. What it takes mentally to start and grow a business. Answering honestly, “Why” you’re doing this. “What’s your number…?”, and more.
Now I want to take a few minutes to talk about what the actual tools you’ll need to either take your business digital for the first time, or expand your digital fingerprint to make your business run more efficiently through automation.
Tool #1: Publish, Publish, Publish
For centuries the term “Publish” meant writing some sort of newspaper or magazine article, or an entire book, then groveling at the feet of “publishers” in hopes they would print and distribute the work.
Then, something magical appeared – The Internet.
The Internet has proven to be the single greatest tool for innovation in the publishing industry since the printing press rolled out in Germany in 1440. That’s over 500 years of industry stagnation. Sure, new tools and techniques came about, and things like printing in color were amazing. However, nothing was as disruptive as the Internet.
In fact, the Internet was so disruptive it put hundreds, if not thousands, of news organizations out of business because they weren’t willing to adapt to the changing publishing landscape.
“Print Is Dead, Long Live Print!”
One “small” example of this is the Washington Post. This publication was once considered a “Gold Standard” in delivering news across the United States. Then, in the early 2010’s they fell on hard times because no one wanted to read physical newspapers anymore. In 2013, Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, bought the struggling outlet for a cool $250M. To put that into perspective, Jeff Bezos spending $250,000,000 is the equivalent of the average American spending $250.00. Yeah, he’s that rich.
Jeff wasn’t done there either. Amazon’s DKP’s self-publishing has enabled millions of authors, me included, to get their work out to the masses without sending countless “Submission Letters” to publishers, only to have them either completely ignored, or rejected. Not sure which is worse?
News outlets have also gone almost entirely online with their content, and segmented it far beyond the old News, Sports, Finance, and Classifieds sections. That means these outlets are thirsty for valuable, free content they can deliver to their audience. This also opens the door to more writers looking to get published.
Although, by now you’re probably saying: “Thanks for the lesson, but how does all this affect my business?” Glad you asked.
These days, consumers are accustomed to having the answers to almost every single question they can ask at their fingertips. Want to know how to explain Einstein’s theory of relativity to a 5 year old? Ask Google. Curious where the best pizza in town is? Ask Google. Wondering which body shop won’t screw you over in your neighborhood? Ask Google.
The point is, no matter what line of business you’re in, someone at some point will be searching for it on Google. More importantly, Google wants to ensure their customers (people searching for things) have the best experience possible. Therefore, Google’s search results will only show the people at the top who are proven experts in their field.
How do you position yourself as the expert Google will show? Publish, publish, publish free, relevant content on your website. That way when someone is searching for something you do, Google will know to deliver that customer directly to your (digital) doorstep.
That folks, is the definition of Search Engine Optimization, also known as SEO. The more relevant and useful information you publish, the more Google, and Bing, and Yahoo will find your content, show it to customers, and help you grow your business organically (aka for FREE).
Don’t get me wrong, this is not an overnight “get rich quick” scheme. However, this is one of the most powerful and cost-effective ways of sustainably growing your business and making an impact on the world.
That’s great, Thomas, but I’m not an author. How can I publish anything?
Publishing Strategies In 2021
No worries, as there are thousands of tools out there to help you get your word out to the world. Before that though, let’s talk about the 3 main content publishing strategies available today:
Blogs
We’ve talked in depth about getting your thoughts out and connecting with an audience by writing up to now, so I won’t take up much more time with this. What I will say though is one of the most traditional ways of connecting with your audience is through the written word.
To get your thoughts out to the world in a blog I suggest using two main tools. #1 being a WordPress website, like the one you’re on right now. WordPress was originally developed as a purely blogging website, and has morphed into powering nearly half of the 1.5 BILLION websites available on the Internet today.
Another great blogging resource, and one that’s FAR easier to set up and use is Medium.com. Medium allows you to quickly jot down your thoughts and publish them everywhere, including all of your social media accounts, and even your WordPress site. How cool is that?
Pro Tip: Before you write a single word, use Google’s Keyword Planner to see which words are getting action online. I once wrote an entire book called “ePayment Secrets”. Turns out, I was the only one talking about “ePayments”, but 100,000 people were searching for “Digital Payments”. See the difference? Also, the ideal length of blog post is around 1,500 words. Try writing posts in Microsoft Word first to take advantage of the word counter. Finally, be sure to include relevant images in your post to make it more engaging for readers and the search engines.
Podcasts
Maybe writing isn’t your thing but you have a “face for radio”? If you get that reference you’ll be dating yourself as much as I just did. Either way, podcasting is an incredibly powerful tool for engaging with an audience. People love podcasts because they can take them on the go. Similar to audiobooks, podcasts give listeners the ability to get up and move while listening.
Think of the time it takes the average person to drive to and from work. They pop on your podcast, listen as a nice distraction from the fact they’re driving to work, and just as they pull up, the podcast ends, and they get a little dump of dopamine (the pleasure drug) in their brain as the podcast brings it all home at the end.
If you don’t think people are still listening to podcasts, think again. In fact, the average podcaster listens to 7 podcasts regularly. Seven! Joe Rogan’s podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience” just got bought by Spotify for $100M+. A 9-figure business just by him chatting with others into a microphone. That’s real power, and there are millions of people consuming podcasts every single day. All you have to shoot for is being one of the Seven your audience is listening to.
Pro Tip: When starting off, be sure to share with the audience your “Why” and the big ideas that’ll be the focus of the show. It’ll give them a good footing when they’re new, or something to refer to when they enter your world later in the growth. Also, ideal lengths for each episode range from 12-30 minutes, but as long as the content is engaging, keep it going. Your audience will appreciate the commitment. Finally, look for the main problem, or problems, your audience is dealing with and become the solution provider they want to turn to. It’s not imperative to have all the right answers on the spot, but take notes, read people’s comments, then research the issues, and come back later with solid insights they can get value from.
Vlogs
Whether it’s a YouTube Channel, Vimeo, or any other streaming service you can tap into, video has become one of the most effective tools for reaching and connecting with an audience. Today, people consume roughly 1 BILLION hours of video on YouTube every day. That’s a staggering number and give just an idea of how hungry folks are for video content. Tap into that.
If you have a Google account you already have the ability to launch a channel. From there, just record videos with your smartphone and upload them to your account. Next, make sure the headline and sub-heading are relevant to the video, and be sure to tag the video with relevant keywords. That’s it!
Pro Tip: Be yourself on camera. Authenticity is key to reaching and connecting with your audience. Pretending to be someone else will ensure people change the “channel”, but being raw with viewers is a sure fire way to win more eyeballs hitting your spot.
A Simple Strategy For Creating Content Regularly
Ok, so that some history on publishing, plus the 3 main ways to get your content out there, but what should you be talking about?
Well, start by telling people about the one thing they’re most curious about – You! That’s right, consumers today want to connect with people, not faceless corporations. They seek identities, not products. So, give them insights into who you are, “Why” you’re doing this, and allow them to know who they’re dealing with.
Outside of that, if you have ideas on specific topics you find fascinating in your field then write about those. Previously we discussed the concept of Google’s Keyword Planner. Use that to hone in on the words your intended audience is using to discuss the same topics, and it’ll help move the process along faster.
Remember, publishing is also your way to get ideas out that maybe weren’t allowed to discuss anywhere else. This is your world, and it should be designed to help you attract more like-minded people who’ll bring their friends. Own the space, plant flags of opinions, and be an unapologetic Marketer and defender for who you are.
As people start following and commenting on your posts, casts, or videos listen to what they’re saying. Take the time to respond with those folks personally. The audience will in turn reward you with an endless stream of ideas for the next piece of content that needs to be made, and tips they’re looking for.
Finally, feel free to ask them what they’d like to hear about next, too. People love to be heard, and even though many of the audience members may be too scared to ask questions, the ones who do are probably speaking for the rest. In other words, many in the audience may be experiencing the same issues, so take the time to answer them in follow-up posts, and the rewards will come. may not be willing to speak up are probably having similar issues to those in the group.
In the end, publishing is all about content creation, and content creation is all about providing true value for those you want to serve. Tony Robbins always says, “Give more than you ever expect in return, and you’ll win [in life and business].”
I write this blog in hopes it’ll help you and everyone else reading it find new ways to automate parts of their businesses, so we can all enjoy more freedom in our lives. Hopefully we’re getting there, and if not, you better be the first one to tell me.
Talk soon!
Sincerely,
Thomas Buttino – Blogger
