Here's the secret lesson from this week's podcast
And it's not in the show notes or the broadcast.
Hello hello,
If you’ve not had a chance to listen yet, in this week’s podcast I talk to Lottie Unwin. She’s flippin’ awesome. As the Head of Marketing at Nix and Kix - one of my all-time favourite drinks - and the founder of The Copy Club, I’m very much in awe of her achievements.
We chatted a lot about the community over at The Copy Club and how great it is for marketing freelancers.
But there’s a secret lesson in this week’s podcast. One I didn’t point out.
Lottie has built her own business on the basis of answering one question: how do I find out if I’m doing my job right?
Quite near the start of our conversation, she talks about how she bought coffee from other Marketing Heads to quiz them on her job to make sure she was doing it right. And what she found was those other people felt relief at the conversations too.
And it built up from there.
But the important part here is this:
She answered a question and solved a problem
Now, of course, it takes a lot of time and effort to build your own business. There are lots of incremental steps to get there. But… what you sell has to answer a question and solve a problem. The content you create has to do the same thing.
And here’s a funny thing - when you look at fiction, the books that make best sellers answer one single question. They answer a question about the main characters fatal flaw. Will they overcome and learn from it or suffer the consequences of not doing so?
As humans, stories help us make sense of the world. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that what makes a book a success can also make a business a success.
Think of the narratives that have endured through the centuries. They are stories that have a character arc - an event disrupts their world and they have to rise to the challenge.
It’s the same for business, content, marketing, everything.
Do this one thing:
Before you put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard) ask yourself if this content you’re creating ANSWERS a question your audience is asking or solves their PROBLEM.
If not, plan it out again.
Work out what that question or problem is before you begin and you’ll have something better and brighter at the end.
Now go listen to this week’s episode if you’ve not done so yet. I promise it is jam-packed with really helpful marketing tips.