You have come up with a brilliant idea for a brand new product, service or message that you know can make you rich or make a serious difference. Or maybe you currently own a business that pays the bills, and your dream is to become fabulously successful and retire a millionaire. Or perhaps you have a worthy cause that needs airing. But how? Building a list is a perfect way to start.
The game has changed significantly thanks to all things online.
As a consequence normal everyday folk with a valuable service, product or message can position themselves and use the techniques that were once the sole domain of the big players.
In order for you to be successful in today’s environment, you need two things: a compelling product and a significant following. It is just not sufficient to build a cool product, craft a compelling message, compose a beautiful piece of music, write a scintillating novel, or champion an important cause. This is true now more than ever. Building a list of followers is an essential ingredient.
Why?
Two reasons:
1. Competition has never been greater. Have you shopped online recently? I was looking at studio lighting on Amazon the other day, and there were 3,000 plus results from my search! That’s ludicrous, but it’s the reality you are facing if you’re trying to get your message across about something you’re trying to sell.
2. People are more distracted than ever. It’s not just that we have more products available. We have more of every kind of media available. More movies. More television channels. More apps, radio stations, podcasts, and video games. More news sites, blogs, and, of course, Facebook and Twitter. In other words, people’s attention is a finite resource, and you’re in competition against every other media that wants a slice of your prospective follower’s attention.
A person looking to market 24-7 knows that building a list of dedicated followers will provide these three benefits:
1. A following provides visibility. When you produce something of consequence all you need do is promote it via your platform to your followers to gain immediate traction. This is especially important in our noisy world, where more and more people and organisations are screaming for our attention. By having crafted a relationship with your followers and an expectation, they are more likely to interrupt their busy newsfeed to dedicate some time to your crafted message.
2. A following provides amplification. It enables you to be heard above the roar of the crowd. The noise. Today, modern media— especially social media— provides an opportunity for you to extend your reach not only to your followers but even further by providing a reason and a mechanism to easily refer and share your message.
3. A following provides connection. Traditional media make possible a kind of unilateral intimacy. You “know” the talk show host, the performing artist, or the conference speaker. But social media has taken this to a whole new level. It makes possible bilateral intimacy— engagement. The result is that you can be more connected to your fans, customers, and supporters than ever before.
Building a list is an asset that will keep repaying you time and time again.
