Page 86 - The Content Code: Six essential strategies to ignite your content, your marketing, and your business - PDFDrive.com

You build a referral network.
And you build relationships with human beings who will not only buy from
you, but will become your biggest advocates.
Think about it from this perspective: Just like you, prospects, candidates,
customers, journalists, and bloggers want to be noticed. They want to know their
comments or content resonates. They want you to acknowledge it, share it, and
help their voices be heard. Help them do that.

“Be real.”

– Joyce Cherrier, health and wellness writer

I look for ways that I can actively be supportive and encouraging to the people in
my audience, while providing a positive, not-so-conventional picture of what
healthy living is all about. I like to use my own photos, and my personal
experiences to create content, as well as share the content of others that I feel
will be of benefit. Making my content as personal and applicable to life as
possible makes my core audience feel more like old friends who I live and grow
with, and I believe that’s a key element for any brand.

“Establish a common dream.”

– Guy Kawasaki, digital evangelist and author15

Want to change the world? Upset the status quo? This takes more than run-of-
the-mill relationships. You need to make people dream the same dream that you
do.

“Aim for allies, not fans.”

– Chris Brogan, CEO of Owner Media Group

Every content creator has a core group of passionate people who are the ones
who will buy your books and share your content faithfully. What do you do that
attracts and nurtures that core audience of fans?

First, I try not to have fans. I seek allies. Fans are great insofar as they spend
money or something, but allies advance the cause. My goal is service, and to be
able to serve the folks I have the pleasure to serve, I had to attract them to me.
How did I do that? I created information and ideas that resonated with their
interests, goals, and desires. In my case, I believe that sharing what I believe
draws others who believe similarly to find me. It’s like shining the Bat Signal.
My goal is to serve, so I have to show “serving suggestions.” Once people