How digital Publishing can raise (dramatically) entrepreneurs’ Success Rates? The fantastic story of Phil Friedman

How digital Publishing can raise (dramatically) entrepreneurs’ Success Rates?
The fantastic story of Phil Friedman

 

I remember sitting at one of the most fascinating (that, with time was found as a life-changing) speaking event at the Social Media Marketing World conference of 2017. Mark Schafer presented his new book Known. I wrote here a few times about the idea of how any expert can become known in their field of expertise.:

“When I wrote my last book, Known, it was about how creating an effective, powerful personal brand is really the only sustainable, competitive advantage we can have. I was addressing the question: Could anybody become known?”

I thought about this book when I interviewed my latest podcast’s guest Phil Friedman.

Phil decided to stop being frustrated as a university professor teaching philosophy and made a career shift, studied yacht design and basic structural and mechanical engineering. He then entered the marine industry as a yacht builder, boat and shipyard manager, small-business and start-up advisor, and yachting writer and editor.

But the most exciting parts of this story is how Phil managed to make this shift.

I asked Phil which marketing or sales tool helped him most to establish his expertise and become a Yacht and Marine consultant; his answer was very clear:

Phil’s recommended tool for marketing and sales

• Digital Publishing!! On social media, on business networking platforms, on your website and the websites of others, and email or other direct digital campaigns.
• I believe digital publishing gives you the opportunity to share your thoughts and samples of your prior work with a much bigger audience of potential clients than had ever been possible before.
• I can’t overemphasize how important it’s been in building my own business by writing and putting information out there.
• I’m not talking about content as a commodity; I’m talking about genuinely engaging with people across digital media and through digital publishing.

Digital publishing

• By digital publishing, I’m talking about valuable content that provides information and advice and interest for people. I published probably over 1,200 feature articles in print and digital media. I have written a couple of books and content for websites; my own website as well as for others.
• I have an extensive library of articles on yachts, on yacht construction, design, and related subjects such as marine business management. And I have an extensive library on platforms such as LinkedIn, Bebee and more. What it’s done for me is it put me in front of people that what I’m writing about is valuable for them. So, whe I publish something, they will read it, they will share it, and they will pass it on.
• I believe that my own experience fits closely with the ideal engagement (while talking about social media). I work at genuinely engaging with people around yachting related topics.

 

What entrepreneurs should do

• Entrepreneurs should stop thinking of content as something that fills up a page. Content should have value, independent value for the reader about the subject in the field that you are trying to market a product or services.
• It has to be written either by yourself or by an expert as an explanation of the field. Because it’s not just the content that you publish but what happened afterward when people ask questions and when you answer them.
• You engage with people who turn out to become prospective clients. You don’t know who may be a prospective client. For example, let’s say I write something about diesel engines for yachts, and then, if somebody asks a question, I could answer them.
• Too often I have talked to entrepreneurs or business owners who believe that they need content, so they hire somebody to write content for them, the person who wrote it for them can’t answer those questions because they don’t have enough background.
• You don’t get the kind of engagement that you are looking for, with your audience, if you are not being authentic and genuine with what you publish and if you don’t have the expertise to back it up.

 

How to become the leading expert of your new market?

Become the voice of your new category

One of the most important parts of establishing any new product or service is to decide, based on research and market overview, what market category you can lead and take ownership of, in order to become the voice of this category.

You should make sure to speak “in the name” of the new category and not to promote your product. People became more and more skeptical towards advertising and promotion.

The equation here is simple; people want to be updated and learn about a new category and solution that is relevant for them. However, I always say that people love to buy but hate “to be sold to”.

The practical steps

Now, you should start producing content, to teach and educate your target audience

Examples for contact creation:

• The story of the new category; how it has developed and what does it do.
• Strong presence on social networks.
• Consider creating a company podcast about the new market category you represent.
• Create a blog that focuses on and covers the market category.
• Create the formal home page for the category.
• Open groups in Facebook and LinkedIn, named after the new category.
• ”How To’s” tips for potential customers.

The second part of becoming the expert of your new field, after creating the content is the consistency.

When I talk about consistency, I refer to two elements – the first is the importance of creating some kind of similarity between the different content. If we want to create an impact, people need to be able to recognize you. 

The other kind of consistency is the kind Mark Schaefer talks about and this is the ability of keep going.

• “It was one of the most profound lessons I have learned; consistency is more important than genius. I never would have made it if I had quit. You have to find a way to keep going.”

Becoming the leading expert in your field is a great opportunity to multiply your chances to succeed.