The other day, I was listening to a podcast by Andrew Huberman—an expert on how the brain works.
It turns out, our brains are wired to spot new and different things. But we quickly learn to tune things out that become too familiar.
For example, if you walk into a new room with a distinct smell, you’ll notice it right away. An hour or two later, you can’t smell it.
If your marketing looks the same every time—same structure, style, and ideas—people will notice it less.
The best thing you can do is keep switching up your style. Try new things. Keep it fresh so people notice.
Below are a few ways to do that.
1. Teardowns
Teardown isn’t a great name for this. It’s more of an outsider’s “analysis” of a company’s website, email, or general marketing practice in your niche.
Pick someone successful, it works better.
Talk about all the things they’re doing well so others in your target market can learn from them. People will associate those great ideas with you and trust you have the skills and expertise to help them do something similar.
They’ll also get a sample of how you think.
Here’s a recent example I recorded for members and then shared to Twitter.
2. Podcast
Podcasts are a great way to reach people with different mediums.
Even if it’s just you riffing on things or interviewing someone every few weeks, publishing podcasts gives the audio learners a chance to connect with you on a deeper level.
Even within your own episodes, switch it up! Bring guests on some weeks and do solo episodes others.
Or, be super consistent with your structure and mix it up elsewhere—whatever you want.
3. Video
YouTube is considered the second-largest search engine in the world. Google is the first.
Not only is it a good way to build awareness about what you do, it also helps you build relationships with your audience.
It’s hard for people to hire you without getting a sense of your vibe. That’s why video is so powerful. It builds trust and familiarity.
Your vibe attracts your tribe, as they say.
4. Email
I prefer letter-style emails written in my own voice. One email, one topic, one purpose.
But you might prefer to round up resources or ideas you uncovered that week.
Either way, building your email list is one of the most valuable way you can spend your time.
It’s algorithm-proof and will last much longer than the latest social media platform.
The money is in the list, as they say. Keep playing with the format.
6. Resources
Every so often, try giving people a free training or template.
Package it up like a product but give it away for free. Show people how in-depth your work is.
If you can help people get a win or two for free, you better believe they’ll come back for more.
7. Live training
Nothing beats a live webinar on a highly valuable and specific topic.
Some people won’t attend live, so you can provide a recording for those folks.
Avoid topics that are too general or generic. Get specific by tapping into the things your clients value most from your engagements.
Try to end the webinar with a template people can use to implement what you taught.
It’s a great way to collect emails and also show people how you think and what you know.
7. Engage on social media
Engage with people on social media!
Even if you don’t connect with your actual potential clients, you could easily drum up referrals or have people notice you in the comments.
When you play in traffic, good things happen.
8. Reach out
Reach out to past clients, industry peers, people who engage with you, or even your ideal clients.
You don’t need a reason other than to see how people are doing. Be curious, be a connector, make intros, or offer a little free help to whoever needs it.
You never know what good things come from just talking to people around you.
9. Dabble in SEO
My friend Tsavo did a great workshop for membership on how to rank your website in search engines.
He converted me to thinking more in terms of search engines (I mostly ignored it before).
SEO can work—and for a long time—if you hit on the right veins.
I still get leads from my old agency website several years later.
10. Golden Goose/Traveling Roadshow
This one is more advanced, but it works super well.
Instead of trying to get in front of prospects one by one (Golden Eggs), look for ways to get in front of your target audience where they already aggregate (Golden Goose).
One method of this is to use what I call the Traveling Roadshow Strategy.
It works like this:
- Align yourself with people who have an audience of your target market
- Offer to teach a specific topic that participants can implement without needing to hire you
- Give them free templates/resources they can use to make that process easier
- Some percentage will likely convert to hiring you – all you need is one!
I have an entire training on this strategy in the membership, including 15+ places this tactic works.
What else?
This is by no means an exhaustive list. The point I’m making is to diversify your tactics a little.
It’s too easy to get into a rut doing the things that are comfortable. But your marketing will often be a lot more effective if you blend it with other approaches to keep people engaged.
Keep doing what works, but don’t forget to switch it up to keep things fresh.
—kw