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