I’ve been strategizing on how to build a tribe of online entrepreneurs who love me, need me, know me as tech support extraordinaire. I’m dismantling how to “blow up” with exposure and fans for the business minded stage of lifestyle design. I’ve thought about what products to launch next, what killer articles to write, who to connect with, but as those ideas churned it became obvious that I have no shtick, and without a shtick, my growth idea’s are bound to have as much traction as a slip and slide. Now what? … (and what the heck is a schtick?)
I’ve posted about being more obvious to get through to people, selling a product, and cleaning up imagery in developing your business site and online persona, yet looking at my site with fresh eyes once again (and the help of Mars Dorian’s brainstorming), I see it’s a bit boring and un-personal.
So I took another look at those SUCCESSFUL in their niches and asked why do they have users?
The following information then seemed so obvious and unlocked a lot of motivational firepower, tribe building action items, and ideas for exposure, products, and sales.
They Have Schticks
I’ve been evaluating websites left and right (and helping behind the scenes) that are doing all sorts of “launches” … services, products, webinars, anything people are jumping at to get in. They all have shtick, a “theme” or “thing” that makes them obvious, or entertaining, or interesting. I’ve known to do this with website post titles, and even thought this about IT Arsenal’s name (it says arsenal, isn’t that cool enough!? ha!), yet…it’s got no grip! it’s not sticky, it’s a “good” looking site. How blasé.
you tend to think you’re interesting when you’re not…overdue it a bit.
So in building my own “tribe” as I’ve heard people refer to followers or fans, or customers, I see very clearly that there’s no (or very little) stickyness on initial impact. I have a decent product, good advice, I get great feedback on service, yet stickyness isn’t happening, and because of slow content, traffic isn’t either.
although I know I need more content, I need to make sure that banging content doesn’t bring in a hit and run audience. Believe me, content is in the funnel, but I want to capture the audience.
It’s strange to put some sort of “box” around yourself. I’m contemplating calling myself “tech support hero” or “tech support ⌘Commander” (see how that’s dorky?) big and loud on the homepage… and as much as I typically run from a label, the label is not the point, you can upgrade, change, and move on at any time. It’s not limiting, it’s empowering. Successful movements have names, taglines, they have idiosyncracies (little quarks), and you need them in your blog, in your branding, in your product.
It’s not just for your audience either, it’s also for you. It’s fuel when done right. This concept is like a lightbulb to me, in my head I like to think I can be Jason Bourne and lose my identity if I want, and doing this somehow invalidates that. Get over it Rob, you can always have massive facial surgery and change your name.
You Need “Programs”
I started with a blog, then another blog, then 5 or 6 months later a well described product, and some vaguely packaged services with vague personality in providing tech support. The product did (and is doing) decent because it was specific, it had an obvious name, subject matter, and movement … for your audience to “join up” or “buy” they need to feel like they are getting into something. Your shtick needs programs. Examples abound…
- Sean Ogle – Overcoming Uncertainty (his pending launch) … calls his “joiners” fear busters
- Chris Guillebeau – World Domination (just launched “the world domination summit”, calls his followers a small army)
- Mars Dorian – Digital Crusaders
- Nerd Fitness – Join the “rebel army” (just launched a product called the rebel fitness guide)
- Rowdy Kittens – Smalltopia
- Sarah J Bray – “Gold digging excursion” a program with the tag line “mining your website for untapped gold deposits”
*A traditional example of this would be how Gap would name a winter sale, or name their “rewards” card. TGI Fridays does this with their stripes card, they create exclusivity through some sort of program, this method seems to work very well online.
Launch in “Campaigns”
Your offerings should come in waves (while producing regular value). We have products available to us all the time so we think everyone is offering everything all the time. This is false and confuses us in how to even begin providing an offering. Products are sold in “pushes” or campaigns for a reason, they inherently gain perceived scarcity and create a “wave” that people are more enticed to get on once they take interest. It makes sense. It’s why you want to create a general theme for yourself or an obvious “shtick” if you will, for people to get behind. Use your “shtick” as a starting point for “themed” services or products, even if it’s only by name.
Application
Get a shtick
Seth Godin, marketing guru and 6 flags guy. Cody Mckibben, the Thrilling Heroics Asia backbacker, Bobbysofamous was the hilarious Ford Fiesta guy to me for a while, Greg Rollett, music lifestyle design producer. Shticks are just another way of saying what you’re notable for, what you stand out for, and they get attributed because of actions you’ve taken, appearances you’ve made, products you’ve created, etc. Most times they are on purpose, but not always. Exaggerating your branding and attitude will help build on what you already have. (Note: keep it real though, it’s so easy to spot fake enthusiasm)
At IT Arsenal, I need to appear as thee “tech guy” for online entrepreneurs, specific, readily apparent at first glance and consistent for the current fan. Right now, it’s a side thought, no flair, nothing obvious, “nice guy, good info”… so what to change? A stronger theme (“tech hero” or something), combined with more personal wording to make the services and products more approachable and the overall vibe more tangible.
I am a “hero” nerd, and love comic book heros, hero stories, and epic soldiers, I readily identify with that type of mission, and jump to be that kind of leader. I’ve watched Lord of the Rings more than I will admit publicly. It’s something I’m totally into and that’s important in creating your own “thing”.
Make it Easier to Identify your Theme
- Call your followers something besides followers
- Develop unique tag lines
- Tweak your visual appeal
- Use “Join up” terminology in your newsletters, “Enlist”
- Themed product names, “Tactical Tech Enhancer”
- Give your customer the opportunity to dig in somehow, be a cheesehead, etc.
* Ramit Sethi, blog and book author of I Will Teach You To Be Rich does this exceptionally well. His book is almost insulting, as is his “shtick” … just watch any video of him and you’ll immediately get it, and also want more.
Lead the Movement
Having this “shtick” seems to magically bestow you with the mindset of leadership. It helps you get behind your own mission, get fired up, and get creative. I often lack creativity and just get down to pragmatic idea planning. The mindset change in myself once I started to get into this opened up doors in connecting with people, new product ideas, and brand changes that will help move things forward. I’m re-excited and I haven’t even made any changes yet.
Have More Fun
Karol Gajda calls his website “Ridiculously Extraordinary“. I laugh to myself and think about Ben Stiller in Zoolander every time I visit his site, and then find myself more interested in Karol’s content. It’s a little cheesy maybe, but it’s a “thing” and it sticks. Don’t take yourself or life for that matter too seriously. He calls his followers “freedom fighters” by the way.
Warnings:
- Don’t over do it. People need their individuality almost as much as they want to be a part of something, Weird huh? (plus it’s just too gimmicky)
- Don’t be fake.
- Don’t be completely unprofessional, it’s all about your fans, gauge them for how much of a “shtick” to have.
Conclusion
Although it feels weird to create a “theme” for yourself or your business, it provides a tangible feel or undertone to what you’re doing, whether it’s selling a product, a service, or just trying to gain authority on a topic. Tangible is the main word. Customers like that feeling, and creators gain fuel and direction from it.
I’m looking forward to implementing some of these changes and I hope you find applicable value in them for yourself if you’re a fan of IT Arsenal. In an upcoming post I’ll detail more about what new connections, product ideas and visual/tag line changes come out of honing in on my “shtick” at IT Arsenal and of course how my “tribe” numbers, sales, and traffic are impacted.
Tech Hero Rob, Saving the World One Computer Problem at A Time, Signing Off….or something like that.