Who doesn’t like a good Top 5 list?
I haven’t created one since joining The Juice and it seemed like a good time for one.
This isn’t a listicle.
That’s what the status quo content marketer is creating and not something that we want to do here.
I’m talking about those unhelpful lists that people put together to link back to other things and feed the search engine machines.
Not here. Not on my watch.
This list is going to be a tribute to David Letterman’s Top 10 lists, but cut in half.
When I was thinking about this post I was trying to shoot for 10, but felt it might get watered down.
I’ll eventually round this out. The second 5 will come post launch. Hold me accountable.
Dave is a fellow Hoosier (that means he’s from Indiana) and seems like a good opportunity to tip the cap to his legendary legacy.
I use nostalgia as a tactic to drive connection home with you as the reader.
If I was still up and Letterman was on TV that meant it was a good night.
The Late Show would come on way past my mandated bedtime during my adolescence.
I was captivated by the show because Dave always delivered a monologue that was a little off color and had great guests.
The Late Show was an institution at my house because it was entertaining, topical, and most of all funny.
Dave had jokes and I laughed.
The Late Show worked because much like it’s contemporaries it wasn’t just about the host, but more importantly it was about the revolving door of guests that came on each week.
Sure they all came to promote something, but it was the substance before the plugs that always had me deciding if I wanted to be a fan of these people or not.
I write this post and I reflect on a show that I watched decades ago and it oddly reminds me of how we are doing marketing at The Juice.
I don’t have the zingers or one-liners in my arsenal that made The Late Show one of the most watched shows in America during its run. I compare our marketing to the Late Show because of the emphasis that we’ve put on having guests on our show.
When I use the word “show” I don’t necessarily mean The 3C Podcast.
That’s a part of the broader program that we are developing.
When I use the word “show” I’m referring to our entire platform, ideas, and other work brewing that we will be bringing to life and sharing with you.
I think it’s really important for B2B marketers to reverse roles and put yourself in the shoes of the content consumer.
The content consumer is likely waking up and reading the headlines from Apple News, listening to their favorite podcast on Spotify when they are going for a walk, and binging their favorite series on Netflix when the work laptop is closed for the evening.
I am thinking about this consumer experience a lot as I am building out the marketing programs at The Juice.
The most important thing that I am focusing on is making sure that our show has good guests much like the Late Show.
Now on with the list….
Top 5 Reasons I’m Building The Juice’s Marketing with Great Guests:
- Social Proof is everything
Have you ever heard another marketer say that you’ve got to “punch above your weight class” to start getting real traction?
Forget about traction.
Let’s talk about attention.
I’ve heard it a lot and the message has never been more true than being a marketer in a company of 5 that hasn’t launched our product yet.
It can be lonely out here.
Networking in public and using these relationships in our marketing has been a game changer.
Start a podcast. Invite people on your show.
Ride the waves from the ripple effect.
- I’m a marketer marketing a marketing product and no one wants to just hear from me
The ability to build a platform that hosts a diversity of perspectives is powerful.
Many companies in B2B marketing are unable to cut through the noise because they are constantly shoving their point of view down their audience's throat with no support from others.
We all have customers. Tap into them.
We all know industry peers. Use them.
The modern day marketer should be the facilitator of thought and use existing channels to distribute their messages.
The most effective way to build and develop trust with our audiences is to do more listening than talking.
Grab a marketing friend and pass the mic.
- 1 conversation can lead to 5 new ones
There’s that whole 7 degrees of Kevin Bacon thing, ya know?
Take that concept and apply it to the B2B marketing space and start shattering ceilings.
I’ve found that you can find successful outcomes to networking in public by putting in the work, providing value to those that you are meeting, and being clear with your requests.
Marketers want to help out other marketers. I’ve been amazed at how quickly my network has expanded over the last few months.
B2B marketers love to share their point of view on what’s happening in the industry.
If you allow them to do this on your show and ask if they know anyone else who would be good to meet with they will make the introductions.
The word of mouth referral rules everything around me.
It’s like that Wu Tang Clan track, but for marketers.
- 30-45 minutes of free consultation
This is something that I heard from Ben Sailer who runs inbound marketing at CoSchedule and hosts an awesome show, Actionable Marketing Podcast.
Everyone that I bring onto our show is someone that I think can help benefit our audience and is someone that I think I am going to learn something from.
The fast pass to free learning is having a deep understanding of the subject matter expertise from your guests and learning from them when you hit record.
It’s not only free consultation, but also the start of a long term relationship if managed the right way.
- It’s more than the show
Great guests offer a whole lot more than just amazing content. These people are your industry peers and likely the buyers of your product.
I’ve received game changing feedback on the product, positioning, messaging, and so much more from taking 30 minutes and meeting with people that I want to be on our show.
I’ve used the words from these calls as email subject lines and copy from blog posts like this.
This is way easier and more effective than writing things that I think the market might want to hear about.
The modern day B2B marketer does much more than market a SaaS product.
The modern day B2B marketer is the facilitator of relationships, feedback, content, and so much more.
We all have an incredible opportunity to create shows that people want to watch on a regular basis, much like the Late Show for me when I was growing up.
Make your audience think, entertain them, and make them laugh if you can.
It’s not all on you.
Tap into your network and get your marketing buddies to help out. 💯
