Too many marketers today are focusing on best practices, case studies to follow or “shortcuts” instead of finding ways to deliver real value.
How do you deliver value?
- 1. Read a lot.
- 2. Ask questions.
- 3. Deeply understand the needs and pain points of your customers and prospects.
- 4. Be willing to run experiments.
- 5. Fail often, get back up and try again.
***
Here are eight things that I thought were worth sharing this month.
- “Value is tied to scarcity, and scarcity on social networks derives from proof of work.” This is a quote from a long, but fascinating read on how social networks really operate.
- Is the email newsletter – the original social network? Regardless of whether or not you agree with this piece, Ann shares some great tips for improving your email game.
- Pick an industry – any industry. Who is the frontrunner in that space? I bet they got there not by saying new things but by saying things in a fresh, distinctive way. It is a subtle but very important marketing lesson.
- Service is the new selling. This cheesy work training video has been making the rounds for years, it illustrates this point better than most.
- Hard work compounds like interest, and the earlier you do it, the more time you have for the benefits to pay off.
- Let’s be real. I love watching Shark Tank as much as the next person but it doesn’t portray the reality of entrepreneurship. Tweets like this one are much more relatable.
Just For Kicks
- Remember Miss Cleo? I bet you haven’t thought about psychics in a while. I know I haven’t until I stumbled across this segment on Last Week Tonight. This video is worth watching for the psychic fails alone, but it is also an in-depth look at an incredibly shady business model.
- To end this month’s newsletter on a more positive note, this might be the cutest animal video you’ll see this month.
An earlier version of this post went out to my email subscribers. If you want to get first dibs on what I’m reading and the occasional update (I never send more than 2 emails per month), sign up here.
