There is so much noise online that it’s easy to have the impulse to do ‘good work’ drown in it.
Too much focus is on “selling” and not enough on making a difference.
Yes, you must make a buck to keep the lights on.
But you must be able to put your passion into your occupation.
This is what a single operated newsletter will allow you to do.
We are at the forefront of a revolution in digital commerce. It gives you, the creator (or manager), complete control over the product (content, compensation, and delivery).
In the process, one person can create 6 to 7 figure incomes without brick or mortar or in-house employees and heavy payrolls.
Yes, blogging, articles, forums, and perhaps, even social media have their place.
Unfortunately, they are often slow and dependent on biased platform providers who can remove months of work with a careless click of a button.
Always remember, it’s that spark of originality in you that will attract your readers. It inspires the work that will elevate your spirit and perform work that you are truly passionate about.
(And, of course, grow your subscriber base).
In all of the new digital technology, we often forget that the beginnings of the marketing culture were classical.
It wasn’t about ramming products down the consumer’s throat!
There was finesse, character, and virtue.
Claude Hopkins, famously known for the book Scientific Advertising and his strategy of pre-emption, took a standard product feature and made it seem different.
His famous “It’s Toasted” ads for Lucky Strike cigarettes were a perfect example.
But in fact, ALL tobacco had to be toasted in the process of manufacturing cigarettes. The same was true for his “Live Steam” ads for Schlitz beer.
(That’s the finesse.)
But Ray Rubicam (of Young & Rubicam fame) didn’t like Hopkins’ approach.
In his words:
“You can sell products without bamboozling the public.”
To him, a good ad was, “An admirable piece of work.”
His philosophy? “Resist the usual.”
And he gave us the famous piano ad for Steinway with the headline:
“The Instrument of the Immortals”
(That’s the character).
But does this approach to motivating consumers still have relevance in today’s digital world?
I believe it does.
Often in the process of “marketing”, we forget that we are trying to touch souls. Each is endowed with the ability to experience joy, seek peace, strive for knowledge, and marvel at the power of love.
The media has changed.
Yet I believe that the spirit which the original industry leaders were attempting to convey needs to be recovered and revived.
Back in 1903 ‘adwoman’, Helen Lansdowne Resor headed a group of prominent copywriters at a time when women didn’t even have the right to vote.
(That’s the virtue.)
JWT had products purchased by women and Helen Lansdowne Resor was assigned to the account.
In her words:
“I supplied the feminine point of view.”
Fast Forward to Today!
The act of creating during pandemic times requires a more sensitive and flexible approach.
Your readers are preoccupied with matters that often derail routine activities.
What moms are experiencing is a good example of this syndrome.
According to News.USC:
“Moms reported a huge spike in psychological distress compared to women without kids and to all men. The level steadily eased through early June to pre-pandemic levels, but women remain disproportionately impacted.”
“The analysis found more women than men took on child care duties after schools closed in response to the coronavirus: 44% of women in early April reported being the only household member providing care, compared to 14% of men.”
“The disparity was notable among working parents, including those working from home: 1 in 3 working mothers in early April 2020 reported that they were the main caregiver compared to 1 in 10 working fathers.”
Further a Mckinsey study reveals:
“COVID-19’s impact has depended greatly on one question: Can I work from home or am I tethered to my workplace? Quarantines, lockdowns, and self-imposed isolation have pushed tens of millions around the world to work from home, accelerating a workplace experiment that had struggled to gain traction before COVID-19 hit.”
The pandemic has highlighted the “work from home” movement that had already gained momentum before it hit.
The Boston Herald reports:
“These trends are not new, but the pandemic has served as an accelerant,”
And…
“Both employers and employees see benefits from working remotely, using meeting, messaging and file-sharing tools like Zoom, Google Drive and Slack.”
Getting back on point, the need to find salaried employment from home is great.
Home-based entrepreneurs who had put their faith in traditional online platforms (YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, etc.) have discovered the pitfalls of depending on them.
Some have reported having their social media channels pulled down after months and in several cases years of content development.
According to Jonathan Crow of Skyword:
“One of the greatest advantages of digital marketing is the sheer volume of the overall online audience. But for most brands, this value has nothing to do with the ability to reach millions and even billions of people. Rather, the opportunity lies within your ability to identify and engage with a niche audience that may be spread out across different regions and industries.”
The ability to unearth quality content that adds value to people’s lives is the doorway to the opportunity that the single operated newsletter offers insightful entrepreneurs.
Curated Content:
“Curation is using your expertise in a field to gather great content around a specific theme and present that content in a way that will educate others.”
“Living in the information age means that our economy and your ability to succeed and thrive in your lifetime are increasingly connected to your ability to manage and efficiently deal with information.”
Your income will no longer be controlled by a boss or some corporation.
Instead, your new freedom lifestyle will depend on:
- what you know,
- how skilled you are in finding the information you need
- who is in your network of contacts?
In an information economy, the ability to search/find, analyze, evaluate, deal with, absorb, learn from, manage, share and leverage useful information with, from, and to others is a strategically valuable skill.
Stay Healthy and Enjoy Your Life!