Making Ideas Happen (19 page)

Effective Self-Marketing Builds Respect
Not surprisingly, the serial idea makers who I have met are, across the board, focused on marketing themselves and their brands. In essence, each has developed a program for the purpose of self-promotion, but not in the way you would think. As Sara Horowitz pointed out in our conversation, there’s something about marketing that sounds, or at least seems, inherently “fake.” This is perhaps why the most successful marketing is not conducted as a cooked-up, one-off campaign, but as an ongoing aspect of brand development that stems from an authentic place. Rather than coming off as distaste-ful y self-promotional, the best marketing builds respect.

Take, for example, Noah Brier, the New York City marketing strategist who created Brand Tags, Likemind, and was included in
Fast Company’
s 2009 list of the 100 Most Creative People in Business. Brier has maintained a blog at NoahBrier.com since 2004.

Here, Brier records his thoughts on a wide range of subjects that interest him —everything from neuroscience and life hacks to business, economics, and creativity. In short, he doesn’t write just about marketing, nor does he see his blog as a marketing tool. Rather, it’s a sandbox for sharing and commenting on current events, proposing ideas and projects, and so forth. Because he is a strategist, the product that Brier has to market is his thinking, and that’s what his blog does. Over the years, it has become a magnet for those at the forefront of digital media because of Brier’s insights and interests.

Brier’s blog is only one of many ways that Brier engages his audience. Many people have met or learned about Brier through their participation in Likemind. Every few weeks, creative people in cities around the world gather for an early coffee before the workday begins. These Likemind gatherings are coordinated on a Web site that Brier developed after teaching himself the programming language PHP. (The concept for the get-togethers emerged from Brier’s habit of grabbing an early breakfast with people he wanted to keep in touch with.) Brier’s blog and his network of thousands of creative people gathering for coffee have garnered him much respect, and deservedly so. That respect, in turn, fuels a valuable brand cal ed Noah Brier.

Brier says that people often ask him if he’s made any money off his blog or Likemind over the years. He has not. Money is not the point. However, he attributes many of his achievements and connections throughout his life to these projects. Over coffee, Brier went through the chain: he met Piers Fawkes, the trend forecaster behind PSFK .com, through his blog; he and Piers got Likemind off the ground; Likemind led to his being hired by Naked Communications; he met his longtime girlfriend while working at Naked; he met Benjamin Palmer (cofounder and CEO of Barbarian Group) through Likemind, and now Brier is a lead strategist at Barbarian Group.

Clearly, Brier’s career has been fueled by the many projects he works on that engage people, increase their awareness of his skil set, and build respect. Brier’s non-revenue-producing self-marketing initiatives have been—and continue to be—the catalysts for his career.

As Brier reflected on the interconnectedness of it al , he shared what he sees as a big problem in the media world. “People don’t understand that ‘monetization’ doesn’t happen directly,” he explained. “But if you get people to visit you, and they find that they like the experience, other opportunities wil arise.” Brier wholeheartedly believes that people can visit you—and come to respect you—only if you put yourself out there in an authentic way.

A good self-marketing strategy should start with intrinsic interests that can become personal projects—projects that demonstrate your strengths. As your strengths become utilized, people wil start to respect you for something that is real—something that is earned.

For the designers, photographers, and other visual creative professionals of the world, portfolios serve as an engine for respect. The ability to gather and present your past accomplishments visual y in a “show, don’t tel ” framework is much more effective than having a list of clients or distributing a resumé. But the portfolio becomes an even more powerful means for presenting oneself when the work within it is not confined to a static personal Web site or traditional portfolio site. More modern network utilities like Vimeo, YouTube, Flickr, and our own Behance Network now serve as a way to stream your creative work to other Web sites and other people who choose to fol ow your work.

The concept of amassing a group of “fol owers” on the Web—whether via Twitter, Facebook, or on some niche online community—is something I have come to cal “respect-based self-marketing.” People choose to fol ow you and your work because they respect you or something you have done. Once they choose to fol ow you, they have invited you to push information and updates to them. The same approach should be taken offline. We should al be showcasing our strengths to amass respect and fol owers.

As you develop and launch your respect-based self-marketing campaign, consider the fol owing steps:

Identify your differentiating attributes.
Self-marketing should start with identifying the strengths that differentiate you from others. Are you a designer who has a unique background in computer science or some other unrelated field? Did you spend time in other countries or develop certain skil s while working with a wel -known client? Are you particularly young—or old—relative to your peers? Make a list of your most differentiating attributes without judging how they might be perceived. Remember that unique features can be regarded as strengths or weaknesses depending on how they are communicated.

Develop a communications strategy.
Once you have identified your differentiating attributes, you wil want to identify the reasons they can serve as strengths. How does your background in computer science help you as a designer? How is the time that you spent in other countries helpful in your work? Why do you find your age—or any other attribute—to be an advantage in your field? Be introspective and advocate for the unique perspective that you bring to every project and problem.

Execute your communications strategy.
Now that you have your list of differentiating attributes—and the storyline around how they serve as strengths—you must find ways to share with others. You might want to start a blog or Twitter account in which you share your musings and ideas. Your candid posts about projects you’re working on, articles you read, or ideas you have—and how your unique strengths play into it al —wil engage others. People wil likely respect the efforts you take and the decisions you make when they understand the source of your strengths and ambitions.

While at work, you might consider volunteering for internal or side projects that wil best showcase your strengths and take ful advantage of your differentiating attributes.

For Noah Brier, this involved a continuing series of breakfasts and a few quick side projects that shared his perspective and talent with the world. For others, it may involve setting up a dynamic portfolio site, doing pro bono work for a nonprofit, or writing freelance articles for local newspapers.

Once you have a strategy in place for reaching out to the many constituents of your brand and your ideas, you wil want to fine-tune this outreach for particular groups of constituents. After al , everyone has his or her own self-interests and sensitivities.

Find Your Own Frequency, Then Tune in to

Engage Others

As we have learned, ideas are unlikely to happen without the participation of others: partners, potential customers and clients, critics, the press, marketing partners—the list goes on. The one sure thing about these disparate constituencies is that they are al truly different. They al have different needs, preferences, and insecurities. Clients are focused on one thing while critics, the press, and your creative-minded peers are focused on others. A chal enge arises as passionate creatives attempt to connect across the spectrum. Your ability to connect with each constituency wil determine the traction you gain for your ideas.

Consider, for a moment, the old-fashioned FM car radio, with its little knob for tuning into stations across a spectrum from 88.0 to 107.9. Each station has its own frequency, and as you drive along, you scan different frequencies to find your taste in music.

Now think of your favorite radio station. Whatever station that is, it has an exact frequency that you can tune in to for your listening pleasure. If your station is 106.7, you have little to no reception for this station at either 106.3 or 106.9, and perhaps only a subpar, static-ridden reception at 106.6 and 106.8. Needless to say, you would find any inexact tuning unfavorable. Static gets in the way of real y listening and connecting to the music and the message.

“Frequency theory” suggests that we al emit our own unique frequency in our everyday lives. A creative mind intoxicated on the merits of a particular idea emits a stronger but narrower set of signals. Similarly, we are receptive to a smal er spectrum when our minds are focused on particular ideas. Bril iant creative minds become a single spot on the spectrum—102.3 or 98.5—and unless you’re right there with them, you’re unlikely to connect. Our frequency determines the other people to whom we are most receptive and connected to. As we stretch to connect with people at other frequencies, we must adjust how we communicate, present our ideas, and engage others.

Think about the many people you know and work with. There are some people, perhaps your closest friends and associates, with whom you are very receptive and feel an inherent connection. You can even connect with these people nonverbal y. And then there are others with whom you share a more subtle connection. You can connect, but there is some static—something that limits the degree of mutual understanding. Final y, there are those with whom you sense no connection—you just don’t feel any click.

Perhaps you attribute this lack of connection to different values or having nothing in common.

It is no surprise that we prefer to gravitate toward people with similar interests and a shared understanding and appreciation for our ideas. We’re simply more in tune with some folks than others, and hanging out at our own frequency is comfortable. We get lots of agreement and take solace in shared values and motivations. However, by doing so exclusively, we miss out on the ful force that our community has to offer. It is only by connecting across the spectrum that we wil find a diverse audience and a sustainable market.

One of the best things you can do for your ideas is develop the capacity to tune in to the perspectives of others—and to help others tune in to yours. Interaction, whether it is with an individual or an audience, can be maximized by understanding who you are talking to. What excites them? What are they worried about? Just synthesizing this information wil help you further engage those around you.

But what does it mean to tune in like this? Does this chameleon-like behavior involve compromising your principles? Certainly not. On the contrary, leaders that change frequencies seem to be more in touch with their true selves. They are driven by deeply held convictions rather than by some persona that requires tremendous energy to uphold.

Connecting with people across the spectrum requires us to stay connected to the needs and beliefs of those around us. This becomes more chal enging when we get lost in our own creative pursuits. There is no question that the creative mind has narcissistic tendencies. While helpful in developing ideas that chal enge the status quo, these tendencies also limit our ability to connect with others.

You must create an experience that your audience wil relate to, but one that ultimately presents your ideas and your sincere intentions.

You can tune in to others without compromising your authenticity or values by focusing on the mutual benefits of connection. What does your audience need and what are you hoping to get? This knowledge helps you articulate your real motivations and interests in a way that your particular audience wil be receptive to. Receptivity leads to engagement —and ultimately to respect and col aboration. The greatest creative leaders, who gain widespread support around their ideas, understand this frequency theory. They acknowledge that we al operate at various spots along a spectrum of receptivity—and that we al have something to give and to gain. Their efforts to engage us in their pursuits are both strategic and heartfelt.

Ground Your Ideas Outside Your

Community

We have talked a lot about the benefits of col aboration and feedback exchange with others on your team—and within your community. But simply having the support of a community of like-minded people is not enough. In fact, a community sourced from just one stop along the frequency spectrum can prove damaging. Without some degree of mass appeal, most ideas wil falter.

There is an unfortunate fact about the world of innovation: the vast majority of new products fail, most new companies and restaurants close their doors in the first two years, and most new ad campaigns don’t achieve their objectives. In his book
Crossing
the Chasm
, marketing expert Geoffrey Moore explores the giant gap between the early adopters of anything new, and the “pragmatists”—those in the majority that are more skeptical and risk-averse.

The root of the problem is the visionary’s tendency to focus on what fel ow open-minded early-adopting visionaries value. Al too often, creative people make stuff for creative people. This is especial y apparent in the advertising industry, where it is widely known that cutting-edge, award-winning campaigns often fail to meet client goals. After al , the judges for awards are not average consumers from Middle America but rather other creative professionals. People in one isolated spot on the frequency spectrum wil be especial y receptive in that area—and this is a liability when vetting ideas. Some companies in search of effective advertising campaigns avoid working with award-winning firms in favor of more grounded (and perhaps less imaginative) commercial y focused firms that are less likely to lose touch with the masses.