Kevin C. Whelan

Marketing Strategy Advisor and Mentor

A secret to coming up with good content ideas when you’re stuck

I was sitting here, thinking about what I wanted to write about today. I was stumped for ideas.

In cases like this, I usually reference my list of ideas, notes from my client calls, or even my research document.

But this time was different. I asked myself, “who am I trying to reach with this post?”

And then it hit me: write for my ideal client. Duh!

By the way, this is a real person, not an avatar. Someone who already pays me well, refers me to others, enjoys what I offer, and complains the least.

As soon as I thought about one specific person I could write to, the ideas came flooding in. I knew exactly what to say.

If your writing resonates with your ideal clients, it will likely also resonate with many more like them.

To me, this is an idea worth using often.

How to attract more clients

Imagine your prospective clients are aiming for a target in the distance with a bow and arrow.

One target is the size of a house, the other is the size of a penny.

Which one are they more likely to hit?

The one with the biggest surface area, of course.

And it’s the same with your marketing. The more of it you do, the larger your “surface area” becomes and the easier it is for your clients to find you.

Yes, you want the highest quality possible at every touch point. But it doesn’t need to be perfect for it to be effective.

When given the choice, I’d rather a large dartboard with low points than a single bullseye that nobody can hit.

Make your target big enough, then optimize for higher points per square inch.

P.S. Do your like this content? Check out my audio mentorship and community for marketing consultants here: mindshare.fm.

Being too busy is not only risky, it’s unethical

You can’t be a world-class consultant if you’re too busy.

When you’re too busy, your work suffers. Your communication suffers. You drop balls and make mistakes.

You run out of energy. You burn out. You become unhappy, no matter how much money you make.

Slowly, your clients start to attrition. You don’t get testimonials nor referrals. Your case studies are weak. Or worse, you don’t have them.

To be a world-class consultant, you need to build in time to sharpen the saw.

To learn, practice, and improve your skills. To market yourself and work on your business—not just your clients’.

Give yourself time to actually think. Because that’s what your clients are paying for.

They want you to apply your mind to their situation so you can actually help them get results. It’s unethical to do otherwise.

In many cases, they would rather pay you even more if it meant having more of your time, energy, and attention applied to their situation.

Yes, it’s hard to say no to opportunities, but think of it as an investment in being world-class.

Your clients deserve it and so do you. And the best part is, it will pay off more in the long run.

My audio recording setup in late 2020

Someone on Twitter asked me what my audio setup was after sharing this monstrosity of a wire management “system”.

I’ve been asked this before, so I thought I’d just write it here to make it easy to reference later.

Here’s what I use currently:

1. Shure SM7B

I use this any time I’m recording audio for a podcast or my Mindshare.fm recordings.

The sound quality excellent and it’s used by many of the biggest podcasters out there.

But it definitely costs more than your average USB mic and requires the pre-amp and Cloudlifter to get it sounding right on your computer.

Details on that are below.

2. Rode PSA1 Boom Arm

I originally bought this when I started out with the Rode NT-USB (listed below), but I’ve since added the Shure SM7B to it instead and use a little stand that came with the Rode NT-USB for that mic.

It’s a good boom arm and I’d recommend it to just about anyone who needs one.

3. Scarlett 6i6 pre-amp

A friend of mine sold me his used Scarlett 6i6 pre-amp interface. Since the mic used an XLR cable, not USB, you need this to send the sound data to your computer’s USB port. It’s the middle man.

The only problem is, the Shure SM7B is quiet, so you need something to boost the sound without creating lots of hiss. Another downside to the mic, but that’s the cost of having good sound!

I use the Cloudlifter CL-2 Mic Activator for that, which seems to be the most popular choice on the internet.

Both the Cloudlifter CL-2 and Scarlett 6i6 come with two XLR ports, so I could do in-person interviews with separate mics, if I wanted. Since I had the 6i6 from a friend already, I figured I might as well get the CL-2 to go with it.

If you only need one audio input port, I think the 3i3 and CL-1 would work just fine and would save you a little bit of money. But I’m not an expert on any of this stuff.

4. Cloudlifter CL-2 Mic Activator

As mentioned above, the Cloudlifter boosts the sound without creating added background noise.

If you have a USB mic you wouldn’t need the Cloudlifter OR the Scarlett since it would connect right into your computer.

But you do lose a little bit in the sound quality, if that matters to you.

5. Rode NT-USB (with Shure SM7B’s backup wind guard)

The Rode NT-USB was my first external microphone and works very well. I use it for my Zoom calls instead of the Shure SM7B which can be a bit finicky to get to the right volume on Zoom.

I added the Shure SM7B wind guard to the mic since my pop filter that came with the Rode mic broke off when I knocked it over (I had set up the stand backwards so it wasn’t balanced).

6. Microphones for when I’m travelling 

I also use a Samson Go mic when I’m on the road and it comes with me in my little tech kit. It connects via USB and creates surprisingly decent sound in a pinch.

Lastly, I use anAltson Ultra-Compact Clip Omnidirectional iPhone Microphone for quick iPhone audio recordings. It plugs into the lightening port on my phone directly. The sound ion this is also decent, surprisingly.

7. Sony MDR-7506 Headphones

I bought these after seeing several people recommend them. I’ve heard they last for years (decades).

I’m a big believer in buying right not twice, so I grabbed them.

The big benefit is they plug directly into the pre-amp so you can hear yourself in the monitor in real time vs. a slight lag you hear when plugging into the computer. The lag makes you hear yourself too much and it’s distracting.

They also have an adaptable size output so you can plug them into standard audio ports or larger ones like the pre-amp has.

8. Garage Band

Where would we be without Garage Band? I don’t do robust editing, so Garage Band works well for me when editing podcasts or audio for Mindshare.

It was super easy to learn, so once I reach my technical limits with it, I’ll try other things.

If you’re on PC, you might look into Audacity which is free.

9. HyperDrive GEN2: Next Generation USB-C Hub

This is the magic box that pulls it all together. I bought it off a Kickstarter campaign and lets me plug all my things into one box, which then plugs into my Macbook’s USB-C port.

Simple, clean, easy to grab my laptop quickly to go, or plug things back in with one wire.

If I were to buy it again, I’d get the one with 18 or more ports because I’m already using up most of my USB/USB-C ports. But for now it works.

You can buy one here if you want (not an affiliate link).

So that’s my audio setup. Perhaps in the future I’ll do a full rundown of the rest of my tech if anyone is curious.

How to reach busy people with educational content

We’re all inundated with information.

Blogs, podcasts, social media, books, courses, you name it.

So, if you want to reach busy people with educational content, cutting through the noise will be your biggest challenge.

The things I’m most drawn to these are:

  1. Audio content
  2. Short articles/emails
  3. Twitter

The common thread is the ease in which these ideas are consumed.

Give me too much to read at once, I won’t do it (unless it’s an actual book or course).

Write me a newsletter with too many ideas, I’ll start to ignore it because it feels overwhelming.

But give me a single piece of short-form wisdom at a time or put it into audio format? I am very interested.

Why? Because I apply my brain continuously all day and it can only handle so much input.

When I consume content, I want it to be as easy to consume as possible—unless it’s a deep-dive course or book. In that case, I will invest my energy.

And if this is how I feel, there are many more busy professionals like me out there.

So, if you’re trying to reach busy people with educational content, my advice to you is this:

Create content you would want to consume and do it as efficiently as you can.

There is a time and place for deep-dive content.

But if you’re focused on reaching busy professionals, it might not be the right way to have your message consumed.

How marketing really works

Today, I received a number of flyers in the mail. I ignored most of them but one in particular stood out: a local real estate market data newsletter.

It was sent on behalf of a local real estate brokerage, with whom I’ve come into contact before.

The first time was when I was looking for a house in the area last year. They had a representative doing an open house at one of the places we looked at.

He was knowledgeable and courteous, and came prepared with a mini booklet to showcase the features of the house.

It was more than your average one-sheet—it stood out for its quality. Which makes sense given the house costs several hundred thousands of dollars.

He also offered to send us listings that fit our profile since our realtor was located out of town and he regularly got early access to houses coming onto the market locally.

Since then, I’ve noticed their distinct signs outside of houses for sale nearby. They are an independent brokerage, so their branding stood out with its unique colour and appearance.

And today, probably my sixth or seventh impression of their brand, I saw their flyer amidst all the other materials that came with the mail.

While I ignored the rest, I noticed theirs immediately. My wife did, too. We talked about them for a minute, too.

Marketing doesn’t work by a lucky single encounter with your brand. It happens by having multiple positive touch-points over time. That’s why people who look for short-term wins aren’t thinking about marketing the right way.

Marketing is a long game. The key is showing up frequently and consistently, ideally with a visual identity and messaging that stands out.

If you want results today, try doing sales outreach.

If you want opportunities to come to you instead, think long term and build your marketing with the aim of earning repeat exposure in a quality and unique way.

You can be specialized and a generalist at the same time

Tonight, I went to mop the floor and realized I was fresh out of Lysol.

So I dug into my cleaning supplies cabinet and found two options: an all-purpose cleaner and a floor cleaner.

The all-purpose cleaner label said it cleans floors and many other things. The other one was just for floors.

Which one did I pick? The floor cleaner, of course.

But if you analyze the situation closely, note that I own an all-purpose AND a floor-specific cleaner. Plus, I had just run out of a bottle of Lysol (all-purpose).

When given a choice, people will usually pick the product that solves their specific problem.

Which means if you’re not specialized and someone who is comes along, you’ll lose the competition more often than not.

But there’s also a big demand for more general products and services.

That’s why I suggest many people take the generalized and specialized approach. At least for as long as it serves them.

It’s not conventional wisdom, so do what you will.

But as long as you keep them on separate websites and focus most of your energy marketing just one business, it can be totally effective.

The systematic approach

SpaceX successfully launched a rocket on Monday with four astronauts aboard. 

And while I’m no space expert, I imagine they followed a series of systems and processes to do it.

No doubt, the system would include a series of countless checklists performed by countless professionals, developed through years of scientific breakthroughs and iterative refinements.

Sounds simple, right? Of course it isn’t. But the idea that you can reduce even the most complex feats down to a system is simple enough to understand—at least in theory.

If you can send a rocket to space using systems and checklists, what’s stopping you from creating a simple system for your own marketing program?

Or, better yet, turning what you do into a proven system you can use from one client to the next that gets results with reasonable predictability?

If they can send rockets to space with a checklist, I’m pretty sure you can create systems for yourself and your clients.

And I’m pretty sure you can refine that system and master it in less time than you think.

The question is, are you doing it?

The incentives behind your advice matters

My furnace was not working properly today, so I’ve asked a company to come by and look at it tomorrow.

The last time I had someone look at my air conditioning unit, they told me I needed to replace it. They then sent their salesman by to pitch a new unit.

This time, they might be able to fix my furnace. Or, more likely due to its age, they will advise me to replace it. And if they do, I won’t know whether to trust their advice.

Why? Because they are financially incentivized to sell me a new furnace.

It’s almost impossible to be neutral (although, I am not suspecting them of lying to me) when there’s a big fat paycheque behind the option to replace it.

So I need to be at least a little bit critical.

Contrast that to the firefighter who tells you to replace your smoke alarms every few years. Unless you have doubts about their intelligence or they are heavily invested in fire alarm stocks, you can assume their advice is good.

Or, at very least, it’s not motivated by any financial incentive.

The point is, when taking advice from someone who’s financially incentivized by the implementation, you’re forced to educate yourself and consider whether the advice you’re getting is right for you or not.

In other words, the advice is and should be taken as a sales consultation.

That doesn’t mean you can’t trust people who sell advice and implementation. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with it in practice.

But it’s not the highest form of advisory work you can do. It puts you in a sales position because you must constantly balance the incentives of your clients and your own.

To be a truly trusted advisor, you need to maintain a fiduciary standard, which usually means not selling the advice AND the implementation of that advice.

Removing the financial interest makes you more neutral, which is subtle but a big difference in how it feels to to buy your advice.

Growing and de-risking are two sides of the same coin

Many people mistake entrepreneurs for risk-takers. And while they may take more risk than others, the successful ones tend to be excellent risk managers.

Here’s a quote by Jason Fried at 37 Signals back in 2003.

We’re not designers, or programmers, or information architects, or copywriters, or customer experience consultants, or whatever else people want to call themselves these days… Bottom line: We’re risk managers. Designers who sell “design,” programmers who sell “code,” information architects who sell “diagrams” are selling the wrong thing. The thing to sell is reduced risk for the client. That’s what people want.

Yes, people want growth in their business. If you’re in marketing, that’s what they will ask you for, too.

But more often than you might realize, people are hiring you to de-risk their situation. After all, fear of loss is a more powerful motivator than the desire for gain.

This year’s panemic has only amplified this fact, and it isn’t over yet.

So, whether you’re in marketing or any other field, the message you put out to your prospects might be as much about helping them not fail as it is to help them grow.

Because for entrepreneurs, growing and de-risking are two sides of the same coin.