A Secret You Probably Don’t Know About Me

Today I am going to finally reveal a part of my backstory that some of you have never heard before.

In past posts, I have started to reveal my own “genesis story” here on my blog.  

If you haven’t read them before, then you can read some of my “behind-the-scenes” personal story in these posts:

• The Day I Was Kidnapped (A True Story): A Business & Life Lesson
• The Martial Arts Master And The Unexpected Business Lesson

After I reveal what it is, I will share with you about an often overlooked content marketing hack. It’s what I describe in my book 51 Content Marketing Hacks as “Content Marketing Hack #37.”

Content Marketing Hack #37

Don’t neglect your “origin” or “genesis” story. This is one of the overlooked content forms that will help you to attract raving and dedicated fans.

Alright. Enough suspense.

Are you ready to hear what my secret is?

What I Have in Common With This Seemingly Unrelated List of People

Can you guess what it is?

The thing I have in common is this: besides the content marketing and business related work that I do, – believe it or not – I am also a pastor. 

(Yes, ALL of the people on the above list have been pastors or were studying to be in ministry.)

It was 27 years ago, when I was 19 years old, that I began working as a pastor and speaking to people on a regular basis.

For that reason, I became obsessed with figuring out how to communicate in a way that captures people’s attention, holds their interest, and explains my points in an eye-opening way.

Now, of course, in the ministry arena, I don’t believe the impact of my words is all dependent on me.

But I DO feel that what I am sharing is so important that I don’t want to be the barrier to people understanding what I am trying to share.

I feel obligated to do my best to share things in way that people can understand and relate to.

And it is those lessons that I’ve learned over those 27 years that I bring into all of the content I create in the content marketing and business arena.

So how did I go from doing ministry to entering into the business arena?

Read on and I’ll explain it to you…

My Pivot into the Business Arena

A pivot that brought me into the business arena was when I put up a website in a small, music sub-genre and wanted to figure out how to build traffic.

It was 1999 and I began to read everything I could about marketing.

I read every online-guru there was in the late 90s, classic marketing book, or current marketing book I could get my hands on. 

In the process I found out that I not only had an interest in marketing, but my mind was wired in that way.

I grew that small site to become probably one of the top five or so sites in that niche.

This was the “accidental” moment that sent me down the marketing and business path, which led me to content marketing.

I won’t share anymore of my story here, because I want to focus the rest of this post on the power of sharing your “genesis story” as a way to create raving fans, but if you’d like you can learn more of my story:

• How the birth of my first child and living in Silicon Valley during the “Dot Com Boom” propelled me further into the marketing and business world
• How I interviewed top experts for my first ebook
• How I discovered I’d been using content marketing the whole time
• How I later entered into the content marketing arena

I reveal all of these facts on these two podcasts I was interviewed on:

My interview on the “Relaunch” podcast (4/9/15) – A shorter version of my story: (26 minutes)

My interview on the “Published and Profitable” podcast (2/28/15) – A longer, more detailed, version of my story: (84 minutes)

*NOTE: The background noise at beginning will stop at 9:25 and that’s where I begin the story you haven’t read.

How Your “Genesis Story” Allows You to Stand Out from Your Competition

In 51 Content Marketing Hacks, I share why your “genesis story” is so important…

One of the most powerful ways you can stand out from your competition is by revealing your ‘genesis story.’  Many of us try to hide, or downplay, our ‘genesis story.’  

We think it’s not important.  But that’s completely wrong!

Your story (and or your business origin story) is what makes you unique.

Many of the greatest companies in existence have had their “genesis story” told to the public and it’s caused them stand out from the rest.

Don’t believe me?  Here are some examples of modern companies who have genesis stories we all know:

• Apple
• Facebook
• Google

Their “genesis story” has brought them attention and made their companies standout.

 

What You Should Reveal in Your “Genesis Story”

You can include anything you’d like, but here are some ideas to get you started:

• Interesting facts about your childhood or early years of life
• How you got involved in your industry
• How your business got started
• Why you started it
• Personal or business-related accomplishments

The Most Important Content in Your Content Marketing Arsenal

Your personal story and your business story could be some of the most important content you have in your arsenal.

Stop keeping it to yourself.
Start sharing it proudly.

Sure, some people might be pushed away from hearing your story, but who cares? They’re not the people who would have done much for your business anyway.

Because there are others who will:

• Hear your story
• Fall in love with it
• Bond with it
• And best of all, spread it

And, honestly, they are the only prospects and customers that really matter.

You might feel it’s a risk to share your “genesis story”, but the real truth is that it’s a greater risk NOT to share it.

Photo by Ali Brohi

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