Your Content Isn’t Broken. The Way You’re Using It Is.
For a while now, something has felt off.
You’re publishing consistently. You’re showing up on LinkedIn. The blog still gets written. The newsletter still goes out. On paper, everything looks fine.
And yet the returns feel thinner. Engagement feels flatter. Meaningful conversations feel harder to come by.
Most teams respond to this moment the same way: more content, more frequency, more volume. That instinct made sense once. It doesn’t anymore.
Because the problem isn’t that brands stopped publishing. It’s that publishing itself has lost meaning.
In this episode of Bullhorns and Bullseyes, Tom Nixon and Curtis Hays geek out (in the way that only true geeks dare!) on three powerful marketing models that shape how they plan campaigns, create content, and measure success.
If you’ve ever wondered why some campaigns flop while others convert like magic, this episode is your masterclass in doing it the Bullhorns and Bullseyes way—from the top of the funnel to the flip at the end.
That is the art of effective communication.
What I learned in sixth grade holds true today. If you’re using your marketing content and messaging to TELL people why they should engage with you, nobody will relate.
But if you SHOW them—through storytelling, testimonial, metaphorical allusions, emotional connection—your story will resonate. And be remembered.
Allow me to show you how…
If I told you my life story, would you care?
What if I asked you tell me your life story?
Eugene M. Schwartz’s The Brilliance Breakthrough: How to Talk and Write So That People Will Never Forget You should be (and often is) considered to be the “bible” of effective copywriting and storytelling. One of the many tenets Schwartz embraces is the notion of making the reader (or the customer) the hero of the story you’re trying to tell.
Too often, we put the capes on our own backs. And that’s where the writing falls short.
Adrian Lurssen tells the story of when he went to see Nelson Mandela deliver an address in his home country of South Africa. He still draws upon the experience today, but in the most unusual context.
As Adrian has recounted this tale to Jay Harrington and me on an episode of The Thought Leadership Project podcast, he likens this notion of a praise singer to how we considers thought leadership content to work on behalf of the expert that shares it.
See how…
If you are producing a podcast to grow your business—and not be the next internet celebrity—you don’t need to appeal to everybody. You only need to serve a very distinct and defined core audience. Unless you’re the next Joe Rogan or Howard Stern, you’re not going to amass an audience of millions. But that’s not the point.
Here’s how business owners and professional service providers can take advantage of the fastest-growing form of media out there today…and have a little fun doing it.
Anyone who knows me knows my love and admiration for #podcasting. I find it fun, effective, immersive and rewarding for so many reasons.
Imagine my joy when Jay Harrington wrote me to tell me we were going to be hosting Jonah Perlin on our Thought Leadership Project podcast to talk about podcasting!
In the most recent episode of The Thought Leadership Project podcast, Tom and Jay provide their take on AI and its impact on service professional careers and content marketing. They define and share tips on building a powerful personal brand. And they address the importance of being interested in and excited by the subject matter of the content you create in order to make content creation a sustainable effort.
In the latest episode of the Thought Leadership Project podcast, Tom Nixon and Jay Harrington describe the new paradigm of thought leadership content marketing for business-to-business professional services, known as the 95:5 Rule of marketing. It’s all about building trust with an audience when they don’t have an immediate need for your services, so that when they do they naturally think of you.
"You need to build your content strategy on rented land. In fact, you have no choice."
This somewhat unconventional wisdom sparked some interesting thought and conversation between Jay Harrington and me on a recent episode of The Thought Leadership Project podcast.
At issue: Should you be putting your content on your website and placing it behind “gates,” or sharing it freely on social media and elsewhere?
The most common question I received when launching The Fix "news"letter is why. Why are you (me) providing free tips and best practices, and how can I (that's you) put them into practice? The answer is simple: FOMO.
No, not fear of missing out.
When I'm talking about "FOMO," I'm actually describing the most common mistake I see marketers and business owners make when it comes to marketing their products and services. And I want to help people avoid these costly errors…
The Fix is a free (forever!) monthly "news"letter published by Tom Nixon to curate the best available content and resources for anyone looking to build a business, grow a practice, or increase a network online. Peak inside to see what comes in each issue, and how it will cure your Marketing FOMO forever!
Everywhere you look, research and data keep pointing to the same new reality: Decision makers are increasingly turning to audio formats to consume content and mine expertise. If consultants, professionals and business owners are not claiming their seats at the table, there is a good chance their competitors are. Consider this, then, your roadmap to get you from positing to podcasting...from production to promotion.
