Thought Leadership
Tom Nixon
Content Marketing in the Age of AI, Algorithms ...

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.

Content Marketing in the Age of AI, Algorithms and Attention Deficit
Thought Leadership, Creative Services
Tom Nixon
Why Ask Why?

Model Behavior

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.

Why Ask Why?
Creative Services, Thought Leadership
Tom Nixon
The Power of Storytelling

"Show me, don't tell me."

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…

The Power of Storytelling
Thought Leadership, Creative Services
Tom Nixon
Don't Be a Hero

Who Is the Hero In Your Story?

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.

Don't Be a Hero
Thought Leadership, Podcasting
Tom Nixon
Let Content Be Your Praise Singer

You Don’t Have to Be in the Room to Gain Influence

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…

Let Content Be Your Praise Singer

Thought Leadership

Sale at Scale

Sale at Scale

How Content Allows a Company to Make Sales Calls, As if By Artificial Intelligence

A veteran salesperson knows that look. That tone of voice. That one question for clarification uttered by a prospect that indicates a buying signal.

And that’s when the sale begins to become final.

A good sales agent knows what to do when that signal reveals itself. Soon, the seller becomes the closer, and the prospect becomes a client or customer.

The only disappointing thing about that promise of future success is that they are hard to come by. By that, I mean: those opportunities…those moments…those qualified, veteran sales team that can detect the aroma of opportunity and know how to respond to it.

If only you could clone that qualified sales person. If only those opportunities would arise in greater numbers. If only artificial intelligence could scrape the internet for you, uncovering prospects and revealing sales opportunities.

That’s where content comes in.

Don't Fake It. Make It.

Don't Fake It. Make It.

People aren’t interested in your words. They want your ideas.

Anyone can produce words. Even artificial intelligence can kick out fairly convincing-sounding words. But those aren’t ideas. At least not yours.

Ideas are the synthesis of available information, filtered through the prism of your unique perspectives and lived experiences, and delivered with proscriptive advice and personalized guidance. And the best ideas belong to the thought leaders among us.

Are your best ideas worthy of broader recognition? Let’s find out…

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Why Start a Podcast?

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Why Start a Podcast?

Why start a podcast?

For fame? Fortune? Celebrity? Unlikely…

If the question were reframed as "Why establish a content marketing platform that isn't about writing and reading, doesn't require video, isn't about SEO...but during which you can captivate the undivided attention of a listener for 30-45 minutes — and at the same time, yield enough content for multiple blog posts, a newsletter, several short videos and one long one, plus the naturally generated text that will improve your website's search engine visibility?"...

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Why?

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Why?

Marketing: For All Intents and Purposes

Why?

It's a simple question. So why do so many ignore it?

The Power of Why is no longer just a clever title for an impactful TEDTalk delivered by Simon Sinek...it's an obligation.

Curtis Hays and I dive deep into the importance of "intent" this week on the Bullhorns and Bullseyes #podcast — both from a messaging standpoint but, importantly, also from a search engine perspective.

So, if you've been ignoring my pleas to "LEAD WITH THE WHY" up until now, that is no longer just evasive procrastination...it's putting you behind your competitors in the all-important search engine competition.

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Podcast: LinkedIn Mastery

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Podcast: LinkedIn Mastery

Jay Harrington is president of the HARRINGTON agency and is one of the country’s leading consultants and strategists in the areas of legal marketing, PR and business development. His particular passion and profound area of expertise is building a network and growing an audience on LinkedIn to generate more and better new business opportunities.

In this podcast crossover event — Tom and Jay also separately co-host the Thought Leadership Project podcast — Curtis and they discuss tips for publishing thought leadership and content marketing on LinkedIn.Together, they explore the engagement metrics on the platform and the effectiveness of using LinkedIn as an advertising platform. They also highlight the importance of understanding your audience and narrowing your niche, as well as the need for sustained effort and consistency in creating thought leadership content on LinkedIn.

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Podcasting: Your 2024 New Year's Resolution

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Podcasting: Your 2024 New Year's Resolution

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.

Notification: You Have Notifications Pending.

Notification: You Have Notifications Pending.

You’ve Got Maelstroms

Everything's a notification these days.

Are you finding it annoying?

Check in on virtually any social media platform, and you'll be bombarded with notifications, badges and prompts. About...well, just about anything.

It used to be that you'd only receive timely, important and relevant notifications, specific to your own behaviors and actions on any given platform. Now, if some random connection posts something, comments on something, or so much as bats an eyelash emoji online, rest assured, you'll get a notification.

Here’s how you can start taking some of your time and attention back…