MicroFamous

In the last episode, I had a conversation with Jay Campbell who shared how he built his authority in a specialized niche, and is now pivoting that authority into a larger space. 

There’s a ton of lessons we can learn from Jay’s experience and apply to our MicroFamous strategy. How does an engaged and savvy audience help us ramp up our authority? 

What do we do when the thing we are currently known for won’t take us to the next level? How do we determine the language around what we want to be known for next? 

In this episode, I talk about the key takeaways from my conversation with Jay Campbell and how we can implement them in our businesses. 

In this time of uncertainty, it's more important than ever to build real, enduring influence with the right people.

Here are 3 reasons this is so important right NOW.

The larger and more general the audience, the harder it is to come up with a Clear & Compelling Idea. People want to follow leaders who deeply understand them and their problems. So they naturally gravitate towards leaders who speak more specifically and offer more specific solutions. To find a Clear & Compelling Idea with mass appeal, it must be both authentic to you AND right for the times. Aligned with the zeitgeist, the spirit of the times. That's a very tall order and few people pull it off. Even fewer find an idea with mass appeal that doesn't end up being a fad. Example: for every Tom Peters who writes a book like In Search of Excellence which ends up being a business buzzword for 30+ years, there are dozens or hundreds of other consultants who wrote books that were forgotten as soon as they were published.

The larger the audience you try to speak to, the harder it is to hit the tipping point of influence. It takes 7-15 exposures to a new brand name for people to even remember the brand name. If I was constantly speaking to a bunch of different types of people across many social platforms, promoting different messages and ideas and concepts, I would never get the repetition necessary for people to see me, notice me and link me to MicroFamous. Example: Aaron Ross, author of Predictable Revenue. That book was a landmark book in some B2B circles. But what if he tried to bring that approach to entrepreneurs and individual salespeople all at the same time? He would have had to massively water down the content of his books, removing many of the concepts and examples that made the book so great. The result would have been a book that lacked a clear and Compelling Idea for a very specific group of readers. But because he didn't water it down, he was able to build a successful 7 figure consulting business off a sales book that wasn't aimed at salespeople.

Attention doesn't translate to sales automatically. So even if I attracted millions of followers, if I gave them a call to action, and they ignored me and went about their business, what impact have I really made? I'd rather be well known and well respected within a limited group of people, but when I give a call to action, people listen and take action. That's real enduring influence. Example: the podcast host who does nothing but interviews and then tries to sell business coaching when they haven't built a successful business themselves, they're just good at attracting attention. So they struggle to turn that attention into sales.

Lead People Visibly 

Examples: 

Go live on social media daily

Offer a webinar or live Zoom call

Release solo episodes of your podcast to deliver your message straight to your audience

Key Question: How can I visibly lead my audience to better RESULTS in this time?

The mentality you’re going for is that you put your clients first, and your primary concern is their RESULTS.

Not their comfort or their emotions or their fear- they’re getting enough of that from friends, family, TV and social media. 

You are the voice that speaks for their RESULTS.

When their best option for results is to buy from you, say so honestly.

Provided that when the best option is NOT to buy from you, you are JUST as honest.

You are the voice that speaks for their RESULTS.

Maximize the People Already in Your World

Example: 

Reconnect with the influencers, thought leaders and referral partners who can send you clients

Look for opportunities for strategic introductions

Offer quick connect calls with people to learn more about their needs and learn about their goals for this year

Key Question: How can I strengthen and maximize existing relationships to increase referrals and repeat business?

Maximize Your Existing Business

Example: 

Look for ways to squeeze out costs and inefficiencies that build up in the good times - make your business model more scalable

Document the systems that make up your Unique Process and intellectual capital

Revisit every commitment - Now is a great time to reevaluate all your commitments inside your business and reduce down to the things you truly care deeply about. 

Key Question: What have I been putting off in the business?

Maximize Your Sales Process

Example: 

Create sales micro-content - Videos, podcast episodes, lead magnets and giveaways, success stories and case studies

Revisit your Ideal Client - do you have a client avatar?

Create an FAQ page - include questions and objections that will come up in the next 2-3 months

Key Question: What content could I create that would overcome objections, build trust and draw leads closer to making a decision to buy?

Experiment with Ways to Combine Productivity and Activity

Examples: 

Shift some video calls to phone calls and Walk-and-Talk. Get some sunshine.

Try out different workspaces for different purposes

Take a walk and listen to business or personal development podcasts

Key Question: What am I experimenting with today that could make me more productive well after things go back to normal?

What makes a podcast an incubator for ideal clients?

I believe a podcast has much more potential than simply attracting attention or keeping us visible. Those are merely low hanging fruit.

In fact, if we are visible and attract attention by talking about all kinds of different and unrelated things, we actually undercut demand for our service by confusing the market. So all visibility is not equal. All visibility does not build influence or cultivate ideal clients.

So in this stripped-down solo episode of the podcast, we cover three critical elements to turn our podcast into an incubator for ideal clients.

If you're a coach, consultant or thought leader, and you're looking to launch a podcast, we'd love to talk. We offer a complete done-for-you service which includes everything from booking influential guests all the way to email and social media promotion, completely turnkey.