Lost in Transmission

You’re writing your content as if someone’s going to read it. And that’s the wrong approach.

Huh? Here’s why…

If you’ve ever written long-form content, you’ve likely labored over structure, an outline, and the dramatic conclusion with the big-idea takeaway you’re leaving the reader with at the end.

Sure, you’re sitting down and carefully proofreading your work…word for word…from beginning to end. You’re proud of the finished product. You might even be satisfied with the case you’ve made and the “closing argument” in the conclusion.

The problem is, nobody will read it that way.

Readers Don’t Read Anymore

Few readers these days will pore over your piece and parse each and every word the way you’ve written and proofread it.

So the goal is not to write an article that someone will read in its entirety at first exposure to it.

The goal is to get them to click a link. The next goal is to get the clicker to read beyond the headline. The goal after that is to give them enough in the opening paragraph to read through the next several sentences…and skim ahead to see if the rest is worth it.

So if you’re burying the big-idea takeaway at the bottom of your piece, few may ever get there to see it.

Don’t create content with the notion that you expect busy audiences to read, view or listen to it in its entirety. They will eventually, but only if you earn their attention — early and often.

Instead, structure your content so that it begs a scan or skim, and promises more and more the longer someone spends time with it.

Give the goods away early, and don’t save the best for last.

Remember: the choice a reader is faced with first and foremost is this: Skim or skip?

What happens after that is entirely in your control.

What if you could do fewer things, that look less time, and actually have more success building your business and selling your services?

That’s the premise behind my new book, Do Less. Sell More.: How Entrepreneurs are Building Seven-Figure Businesses without Breaking the Bank, Working Like Dogs, or Losing their $#@%!

For practitioners at large professional services firms—such as law firms, accounting firms, consulting firms, and others—the constraints on time are equally real. For service professionals, the conundrum is circular: We need to develop new business to earn a living, drive revenue into the firm, and create value. We also need to bill our time and serve the clients we have—which also drives revenue, creates value and supports our living. Since we are still limited by the finite resource of hours in the week, we struggle to “find time” to do business development activity effectively and to the extent required to generate results.

In Do Less. Sell More., I lay out a mindset and methodology to give you permission to do fewer things—maybe just one!—as well as a roadmap/worksheet for you to discover and define what those things should be for your marketing and sales plan.

Here’s one five-star review:

This book is a must read for anyone looking to simplify their marketing and business development, by cutting through the noise and getting to the heart of what matters. As an entrepreneur, I found many useful tips and takeaways and will be referencing this book as I work to build my business. -Shari Belitz

Want to learn more? Check out tomnixonbooks.com

It might be hard to believe looking at me now, but a full-time music career and pursuit of rock-and-roll stardom preceded my foray into marketing and public relations. That’s me in the center down there…looking too cool for school.

But what I learned as a starving artist back in the early 90s taught me the basics of nearly everything I do today as a marcom professional. In order for us to survive, it was all about promotion…and I mean, literally, “survive.” Here, then, are the 11 lessons I look back on and draw upon even today (musicians always “go to 11”):

1.) Video killed the radio star. The birth of MTV in the early 80s totally reshaped the music industry. Video gave adoring fans instant access to the personalities behind the music, and labels had to rethink the way they packaged their artists. It was not enough to sound good anymore, you had to visually appeal to your fans, and give them a side of you the music couldn’t otherwise convey. Brands and B2B marketers need to do the same. Video conveys personality, passion and persona far better than the written word, yet many businesses are slow to leverage the power of what can be extremely affordable video communications.

2.) Nothing travels faster than word of mouth. Good or bad, word of mouth will travel faster than your ability to control the message. If your band had a lousy live performance, people would scorch you. If you rocked live, your following would quickly grow. The same goes for social media today. People are talking about brands all day on social media. Are you listening? Are you engaging with the conversants? Are you keeping up with word of mouth?

3.) Publicity is platinum. Record reviews, live show write-ups and artist profiles were invaluable to the indie artist (in an era before the emergence of social media). Get your band in the press, and you would gain instant credibility and raised recognition. No one needed to know that you as the artist peddled your CD around with free pizzas to get access to the reporter…and no one needs to know a PR firm is behind the scenes generating your company’s publicity today.

4.) Constant contact. Third-party and indirect communications are clever and vital, and all…but never discard the power of direct communications. Back then, it was the periodic mailing with upcoming tour dates, sent via postcard to our database. Today, this can take many forms, from e-blasts and newsletters to compelling print communications artfully designed and packaged…all of which will serve to keep your company top-of-mind among current and prospective customers.

5.) You’re nothing without a database. Pursuant to the above, you simply MUST maintain a current database of vital contacts, including customers, prospects, referral sources, vendors, associates and friends of the firm. It sounds simple and self-evident, but you’d be shocked how many companies we talk to who have absolutely no database established. This is like planning a concert and not telling anyone about it. Or sending out a show announcement without mailing labels. (I would know…my keyboardist tried it once.)

6.) Advertising works. That is, if you have a measurable call to action. (Image advertising also works, but is a lot more difficult to measure.) The grunt work of being in a band performing at college towns in the early 90s included the exhaustive process of “flyering the gig.” This meant illegally adorning every tree, streetlight, kiosk and powerline pole on campus with flyers promoting the gig at the local bar. How did we know they work? On the flyers, we asked people to mention the “free shots” at the bar upon arrival. The bar owner didn’t care much for the tactic, but we knew the flyers were working.

7.) Your fans will do your bidding for you. If truly engaged, your fans become your greatest asset. They aren’t afraid to tell their friends how awesome your band is, but you might be. Brands, by the same token, need to empower their “fans.” Give them a place to gather (social media communities like Facebook and LinkedIn), let them engage with you so that they feel like part of a movement (Twitter and other social media), give them tools to spread the word on your behalf (sharable content on your website and public content communities such as SlideShare, YouTube and Flickr). Most small companies today ignore social media as a marketing strategy. Big mistake.

8.) If you can’t get signed, put out your own CD. The barrier to entry for a local band was the ever-elusive record contract. Without it, no one could get to the music, at least not on a large scale. So many local bands simply recorded their own CDs, distributed them independently, and grew their followings organically. Today, companies perceive a barrier to mass communications being the difficulty in engaging a mass media outlet to spread the word about an event or other news story. But content communities like YouTube, Flickr…and the sheer breadth of the Internet’s reach allow any brand to be a mass communicator. They have the option of simply creating the content themselves and using the available online channels to spread the word. Like the local indie artists, nothing is stopping them but their own imaginations, budgets and level of commitment.

9.) Not all bands should toot horns. All of the marketing in the world won’t work if you’re not honest about what you’re selling. Marketing is often spin, but it can’t be spun out of control. Social media is keeping brands more and more honest these days. Keep that in mind when you’re communicating your product’s or service’s strengths to your key audiences. It’s like the band that uses studio tricks and effects to make their album sound masterfully polished…but then can’t pull it off live. You WILL get found out.

10.) Grow your hair out and wear second-hand clothes. Brands need to be known for something—big brands and small businesses alike. In music-artist terms, you need to have an “image.” Do some in-depth soul searching to discover what yours is—and what you want it to be—then carefully craft that message for all to behold. Preach that message internally, and live it always externally. Be consistent, and be recognizable.

11.) Have fun. Life’s too short to sweat the small stuff. In other words, “Rock on!”

(For those who are interested, and for those who don’t believe me, see more about Jes Gru, the band that was, here, here, here and here.)