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

The Jaywalker

I just left my house for the gym and I saw a late teen guy in the middle of a major street.  He looked a bit challenged.  Rightfully so, there were cars coming in both directions.  I could see his brain working and his posture was familiar.

He reminded me of my son (we call him Peanut).  He is nine and he has autism.  I’ve been around Peanut his whole life and dozens of other special needs kids and adults.  Growing up can be tough for these kiddos.  Biting or hurting themselves is common but there’s an even darker side..  

When kids on the autism spectrum or Asperger’s lose control they’ve been beat down and even shot.  

I watched my J-walker for a couple of blocks in my rearview mirror until I saw him make it safely across the street.  I’m glad he made it but I was ready to turn around and help him.

All too often we think about our BIG altruistic charity.  Raising funds, volunteering during the holidays, curing cancer.  All those things are great but don’t forget about the little things.  Sometimes it’s just as important to make sure a kid makes it across the street safely.

Adam

A Market of One

If you have a marketing problem, you probably have a storytelling problem.  Marketers talk about storytelling.  A lot.  Musicians talk about it.  Screenwriters talk about it.  It’s important.  I even give away a free book showing you how to do it better.  

Something is missing though.  It’s missing in your google search.  It’s missing in my PDF, and it’s probably missing from your website.

It’s YOU.  

Instead of telling people the glamour and glitz as to why you’re better tell them why you care instead.  Tell them what drives you and what made you who you are today.  

I received a 3×8 inch flyer on my house door.  It was black text on yellow paper and it had no pictures.  I have no idea if the flyer is a winner but I thought it was brilliant because it was so different.  The text began like this:

THERE’S A “HANDYMAN” IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

My name is Brandon.  My wife, family and I have lived in Surprise for the past few years.  For a number of years I have been a part of the residential remodeling and repair industry.  I now operate “My Neighborhood Handyman….

Within a  few sentences you know what he does, who he is, his background, and where he lives.  Immediately he has rapport with me and I imagine many others in my neighborhood too.  Yet, this little flyer shatters most marketing wisdom…

Where’s his compelling headline?  Where is the problem?  Why isn’t he agitating it?  Where’s the visuals?  You can’t market with just text?

Yes, you can.  When it’s you.  When you become a market of one you can ignore many of the rules.  Why?  Because sales happen when your audience knows, likes, and trusts you.  What can do that more than telling them who you are?

The Intention Behind Your Work

When I left my day job to be a full-time artist I created an intention.  I vowed that my art would make a difference in the lives of people.  At first I didn’t really even know what that truly meant.  

All I knew is that maybe after seeing one of my sketches online or comic books, it might make someone’s day just a little brighter.  

I didn’t think in terms of creating an intention back then I just knew in my soul that my art was about more than #2 pencils or what brush I used in Photoshop.

When I started helping business people I just wanted to “give back”.  Even though I never said it out loud I basically used the same intention from before.  How could the lessons that I’ve learned make a difference in the lives of people? 

I remember Oprah did this when she moved her talk show from tabloid content worthy of the National Enquirer to doing work that mattered.  She said she asked her producers for the intention behind each show they pitched her.  If it didn’t align with her values she wouldn’t do it.

What is your intention behind who you serve?

Marketing Impossible to Ignore

“To become more fascinating, you don’t have to change who you are. You have to become more of who you are.”   

-Sally Hogshead

If I could summarize my biggest shift in marketing over the last year it would be becoming more of who I am.  I admit I do have an interesting story as a comic book artist turned marketing guy but that just scratches the surface.  Why should you care?

Marketers promote their secret sauce nowadays, but too many miss showing empathy and understanding.  It’s so easy to get caught up into tactics, systems, and great subject lines.  When everyone is doing and saying the same stuff we all become easy to ignore.  

What’s near impossible to ignore?  Understanding.  When you speak to your ideal customer with empathy they think, ‘he gets me.’  And from then on you’ll have a person who WANTS to hear from you, read your emails, and look at your ads.  

Fishing Out Writer’s Block

Blank screen.  What do you write?

Coming up with good ideas to talk about can be tough sometimes.  

Holidays are usually my cop out.  Especially if you use a website like Holiday Insights.  You can find all sorts of outrageous ‘days’ to talk about like Hammock Day and National Marshmallow Toasting Day.  

Bill Veeck was a baseball team owner who knew how to get butts in seats.  In 1941 he bought the cash-strapped and last-place Milwaukee Brewers and turned them around.  He invented wild new concepts like ladies night and shooting off fireworks after the team scored.  These things are normal now but back then they were revolutionary.

I’m not suggesting you need to reinvent the wheel by the way…   Look at Shark Week on the Discovery Channel.  How easy was that?  Lets take one of the most terrifying fish in the ocean and let’s talk about it for a week!  Sounds simple to me…

In picking your subject my only caveat is, talk about something you enjoy or find interesting.  Chat about it and anchor your business goals to it.