Adam Street's Blog
The spiritual and practical path to freedom to do your art

The Marketing Secret No One Talks About

When it comes to marketing ‘secrets’ tactics always get mentioned.  They have their place but they’re a bit over-rated.  

It’s better to understand principles.  Like, WHY you do what you do.  Your story is SO important.  It’s what holds it all together like Gorilla Glue.  

If you don’t pump your why into your story you risk being generic.  It’s like baking a cake with no sugar.  You can call it cake it but…almost no one will want to eat it.

In 2009 Simon Sinek introduced us to what he calls the Golden Cirlce.  And no, it’s not a new James Bond movie.  

I love Sinek’s work.  And when I first saw his TED talk video it hit me like a brick to my chest.  His philosophy works like this.  Most leaders (and successful companies) market and talk about WHAT they do.

• We deliver sandwiches the fastest.  

• We unlock your greatest potential  

• Our pizza is the best tasting.

 

These things are Unique Selling Propositions (USPs).  They work for a while until someone does what you do better.  You have an alternative though…

WHY.

If you talk about WHY you do what you do, now you are a original story.  People know what you stand for.  They know why they should care or why they should have nothing to do with you.  

Many pros think they need a story like Brendon Burchard who almost died in a car accident to find his why.   It makes a for a cool story but you don’t need ALL that drama.

There’s a book called Save The Cat.  According to the author Blake Synder  there’s only 10 genres to EVERY movie ever made!  Ten!  And just about every song ever written was made with 7 notes.  

Don’t fear simplicity, embrace it.

Focusing on and marketing with your why is the real secret sauce of standing out.   

John Carpenter said, “Movies are about making mental things physical”.  That’s what we do too.  A person wants a change in their life and they hire you to help them make waves.

But none of that happens if you keep freaking out looking for great headlines and SEO rankings.

Adam

Writing Copy isn’t Just about Spacing

“Now, listen up. When a person first looks at something you have written it should be something that looks inviting to read. Easy-to-read. When he looks at your page of copy he should be drawn to your copy like a convict is to a Penthouse Magazine.”

Gary Halbert, The Boron Letters

Gary Halbert was never one for subtleties…  So how do we apply this advice from one of the best copywriters that ever lived?  

A lot of website design is done for us.  LeadPages, Wix, Click Funnels, they make our lives easier.  E-mail is another story.

I understood this in the beginning but Neville Medhora really helped this point hit home when I took his Copywriting Course.  Good spacing is a thing but don’t forget extras like using different colors, underlining, and using bold and italic text.   

Take a look at one of his e-mails.  

Neville uses a headline, sub-headlines, bold letters, and little arrow thingies (and this is one of his more simple e-mails).  He regularly uses a lot of little fun cartoon drawings, graphics, photos, and he plays with paragraph alignment.  These are all tips that make your e-mails more inviting.

If you don’t follow Gary’s advice the opposite will happen.  Instead of drawing in your readers you will repel them. 

Adam

Why posting on social was like a staph infection

Originally I never did social media for my art business.  I couldn’t stand it.  No matter what Gary V or the gurus I love said.  I enjoyed posting on social about as much as a staph infection.

It’s because I was doing what everyone else was doing.  By posting my art and saying how cool it was or how excited I was making it, it bored me to tears.  

And worse.

There was no ROI to justify the time I spent.  I may as well been brushing my daughter’s cat.

What changed?  I added more of me.  My art became secondary.  I talked about my inspiration behind each drawing and what drove me to make it.  

My thought was, art is everywhere.  Why should someone watch my page?  To get the story.  The story is what connected people to me.

The same is true for you.  

I get you want to talk about your transformations and sales stats.  That’s cool.  But most people don’t care and they won’t know you any better than the next guy.  

And there’s a lot of guys out there…

Market however you want but don’t be afraid to talk about you.  YOU is what makes YOU unique.  YOU is why I should want to hire you.  

Leaving YOU out is like watching Rocky or The Empire Strikes Back with all the good parts taken out.

My Illusion of Being My Own Boss

When I escaped from my insurance job to art for Marvel Comics my inner entrepreneur was gleaming.  I was self employed again and doing entrepreneurial stuff.  I was excited.  

After a couple of years the glitter and shininess of ‘being my own boss’ wore off and i stumbled upon a Tony Robbins interview.  He said most business owners don’t have a business.  They  have a well paid job.  

That one stung a little.

I thought I had security in this own my future thing but it was an illusion.  I was freelancing and I had ONE client.  Shit got real that week…

I shifted my long term goals and started looking for better clients. I found them. I started earning more and working less.

If you need to up your game I suggest that’s what you do too.  Better clients are lower maintenance, pay more, and talk about you more often.

But on the flip side you create a bigger impact with your work and serve more people.  And ain’t that your goal?

Adam

Thanos? Give Me a Break

France beat the US men’s basketball team and the media has lost it’s mind.  USA didn’t get blown out, they lost by six points.  that’s two 3-pointers!  Give me a break.  

I get it.  That loss ended Team USA’s 25-game Olympic winning streak that dates back to when George W. Bush was still president (2004).  That’s a long time ago…but give me a break.

Coach Popovich said it best, ”When you lose a game, you’re not surprised, you’re disappointed. I don’t understand the word surprise. That sort of disses the French team, so to speak, as if we were supposed to beat them by 30 or something.”

This reminded me of some businesses. Too many are jaded.  Airlines think the moment people stop traveling they’re entitled to a bail-out.  Restaurants think because their food is good they should always have a hungry crowd.  Give me a break…  

If a business doesn’t make it you shouldn’t be a surprise.  Businesses tank everyday.  Though it’s certainly disappointing. 

Like our Olympic athletes we need to train.  Pushups wouldn’t hurt but maybe it’s reading books or listening to a good podcast on marketing.  

The marketplace is big and ever changing like the weather in California.  Your “fitness” is what’s going to see you through the storms of disappointment.  

Keep watching videos, reading blogs, taking courses, and attending events.  Have so much ‘business’ strength and endurance you whoop the market with a snap of your fingers like Thanos.