Page 108 - The Content Code: Six essential strategies to ignite your content, your marketing, and your business - PDFDrive.com

“Your tone is similar to mine. You’re firm in your beliefs and
teachings, but fair when others comment and disagree. You simply add
another layer to the lesson. This helps me share your content because I
trust you. I know my audience will learn something, they won’t be
scolded for having a different viewpoint, and they will be encouraged
to elaborate when they have questions or want to know more. Your
willingness to respond to comments on your posts helps people
connect to you in a meaningful and personal way.”

Nearly every expert I interviewed for this book mentioned the importance of
honesty, trust, and congruity as the centerpiece of their brand strategy.
Remember that a decision to share content isn’t trivial. It’s an extension of self-
identity. We feel better sharing content from those we know and trust. The only
way to establish that through your content is to have the courage to reveal
yourself and connect to people in an authentic and meaningful way.

2. Be prepared to do the work.
If you study many of the great heroes in business, sports, entertainment, or any
other field, you’ll find that they put in an incredible amount of work. If you’re a
business that wants to rise above and capture the hearts of a passionate audience,
you’re going to have to exert the effort to get there.

If you want to be at the top of your field, you can’t dabble in it. You have to
approach this with an Olympian’s dedication. Olympic athletes practice their
sports for hours every day without fail. Are you willing to put in the work?

3. Find your It Factor.
It’s improbable that you’re a true celebrity. If you are, I would certainly like to
hear about it so I can tell my mother. It’s also improbable that you’ll ever
become a true celebrity. However, it’s certainly possible for you to have a heroic
brand within your industry niche.

It’s hard for people to talk about this and perhaps even harder to define it, but
great leaders in every field stay ahead by doing things differently. How can you
own an area by applying new and creative ideas to tired ways of doing business?

In the movies, our favorite heroes have abundant courage. We love them
even more if we see them overcoming adversity to achieve their status (Batman,
Superman, and Spiderman were all orphans!). There is an important link
between content, brand, and courage.

To stand out on the web you need to be original … and to be original you
have only one choice—find the courage to dig down deep and infuse your