Episode 91: Becoming Known In Your Community With Mark Schaefer

Talking to Mark Schaefer is always an inspiration. Not only does he have advanced degrees in marketing and organization, he is the author of five best-selling books and a professor at Rutgers. You can find his books are even being used as textbooks. And he’s so approachable and humble. Today we are getting to know all about his new book Known and soak up all the knowledge he has to offer.  So, how do you raise awareness in your community about your business? Mark has the answers and we're ready to listen! Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want To Miss: How do you go about building a connection with the community?  You have to have a permanent and sustainable advantage in your community as a company. And it’s not about being a huge influencer, it’s more about having a presence as well as an authority to give your business a real chance. Ultimately you want to show your community why your business matter. Is there a right way or wrong way to create an online presence? How do you get started becoming known in your community online? If you want to have a business you have to have a plan, you can not just have a passion. There is no set way, podcast or blog that will undoubtedly lead you to success. However, you do have to have some kind of content. If you’re not having fun, your audience will know, so find a way to express your passion. People will gravitate towards you if you show excitement. What's the best social media to use? It’s great that in our society that we have so many mediums in order to get your business out there. Previously, you had only had print, now there are tons of options. It’s not true that you have to be in all mediums. All you have to do is pick one content source and focus on that. In short, pick the one that you that brings you joy. Have a 30-month mindset before you even think about giving up. Show Highlights: What is the difference between being well known and being a celebrity? [2:00] How to create a plan for getting your business known in your community [5:30] What is needed to really become known? [10:00] Mark’s personal branding notebook and how it helps [14:30] Tweetables: [Tweet "“Don’t let things happen to you, take control of it.”"] [Tweet "“Make it happen, don’t let it happen to you.”"] [Tweet "“Passion without a plan is a hobby.”"] Links: Make sure to check out the brand new revised edition of Known on Amazon today! Find out more about Mark Schaefer at his website BusinessesGrow.com. Here you can tap into his knowledge through his blogs, books, and social media connections! Share The Show: Did you enjoy the show? We would love it if you subscribed today and left us a 5-star review! Click this link – Bella In Your Business Click on the ‘Subscribe’ button below the artwork Go to the ‘Ratings and Reviews’ section Click on ‘Write a Review’ Transcript: Bella: This is episode 91 of Bella in Your Business. Welcome to Bella in Your Business, where Bella will discuss anything and everything about your pet sitting business to help you land on target. So get ready—Bella's got your chute. Let's jump. Welcome to Bella in Your Business. My name is Bella Vasta, your host, and today I have a very special guest with you. Mark Schaefer and I met about a year ago at Social Media Marketing World, and I was just blown away by his presentation that resides with his book called Known. Mark is an incredible person with lots of experiences in the world. He's an author of five bestselling books, has advanced degrees in marketing and organization, is a professor at Rutgers, and his books are even used as textbooks. He has seven patents. The list goes on and on, and he is, above all, one of the nicest human beings—humble and approachable. Regardless of how many hundreds or thousands of comments he gets, he responds to all of them. I really wanted to have him on the show to soak up his amazing knowledge and inspiration. Mark, welcome to the show. Mark: Thank you for that very nice introduction. I'm blushing here in Tennessee. See how rosy my cheeks are. Bella: I do. I especially appreciate you making some time to chat with all of us pet sitters, dog walkers, and small business owners. I know your schedule is very packed, and we are very honored to have you here. A lot of us are trying to raise awareness in our local communities about ourselves and our businesses, and I know you’re definitely an expert in this area. I want to start with the fear that people might have—“I don’t want to be known.” They think of the Kardashians. I remember being in your class at Social Media Marketing World when you showed a picture of Kim Kardashian and explained the difference between being known and being a celebrity. Could you enlighten my listeners on that? Mark: Sure. This is a very important distinction. Let me use an example. About four years ago, I was bidding on the biggest contract of my life with the U.S. Air Force. I’m a marketing consultant, and they interviewed me on Skype. There were three officers across from me—it was like being interviewed by three Clint Eastwoods. It was intimidating. I started to explain why I was qualified, and 90 seconds in, the purchasing director interrupted and said, “Mr. Schaefer, we all know who you are. We all read your blog.” At that point, I knew I had the job because I had built an emotional connection to them through my content. I didn’t know them, but they knew me. They knew what I stood for and believed in me. If you can build that connection with a community, that’s how you gain a sustainable advantage in business. Just as you’re doing with this podcast, you create content that your audience loves. Even if you’ve never met them, they trust you and feel connected to you. At some point, that results in a business benefit. It’s not about being a YouTube influencer; it’s about having the reputation and authority to give yourself the best chance for your business to be successful. Don’t let things happen to you—take control and be mindful about how you show up on the web. Bella: I love that. I say that a lot—make it happen, don’t let it happen to you. You have to be intentional about it. Do you think there’s a right or wrong way to do it online? Do people have to blog or do podcasts? How does someone figure out what’s right for them, especially small business owners wearing so many hats? Mark: That’s really what my book is about. I struggled with this. I was obsessed with learning whether anybody could become known. The research and advice out there were very fluffy—“If you can dream it, you can be it.” That’s not real business advice. Passion without a plan is a hobby, and if you want to have a business, you need more than passion—you need a plan. Before you devote yourself to a dream, go through the exercises in my book to give yourself the best chance to succeed. Your audience already knows what they want to be known for—they want to be known as having the best dog walking business in their city. Once you know that, think about how you’ll tell your story and where. You don’t have to blog or podcast, but you need some kind of content—written, audio, or video—and you need to do it consistently. It doesn’t have to be Hollywood-quality. My blog is basic, my videos are one-take on a smartphone. Pick the one that brings you joy because if you’re not having fun, your audience will know. You want to convey your love for what you do and bring that story to the world. I like what you do with your videos because showing your face and voice builds that emotional connection. When I was younger, none of this existed—you needed newspapers or TV, and that required gatekeepers. Today, you can pick yourself. You just have to start and keep at it. That’s how you become known in your community. People respect those who put themselves out there, and there’s perfection in the imperfections. People love authenticity. Bella: Exactly! You might not have perfect lighting or you might drop your phone because a dog knocked it over, but people love that because it’s real. And there’s no excuse not to do it—if you don’t like video, start a podcast or write. You mentioned consistency and stats. I listened to your book on Audible and loved it—it’s fascinating. Can you touch on some of the research you did? Mark: Sure. A lot of advice out there is misleading. People say, “You have to be everywhere—Twitter, YouTube, Snapchat.” That’s not true. You’ll just burn out. Pick one platform and do it really well. Master it, create a community, and focus on being helpful and consistent. I interviewed almost a hundred people from around the world for my book, and on average, it took two and a half years for their personal brands to tip. So I tell people to have a 30-month mindset—you can’t give up too soon. My book came out a year ago, and people started telling me within months that they were already succeeding. I realized the people I interviewed didn’t have my book—they were figuring it out blindly, as I did. Now there’s a roadmap. There are four key things to do, and if you stay consistent, it works. It’s not for everyone because it takes work and sacrifice. I’ve blogged at least twice a week for 10 years without missing once. I just wrote my 2,000th blog post. But now I travel the world—Costa Rica, Denmark, England—because of that consistency. It didn’t happen in year one or two, but it happened because I stayed patient and delivered great quality. Bella: That’s so motivating—it really puts it into perspective that you have to work hard and be consistent. When we come back, I want to talk more about how your books are being used in schools and about your personal branding workbook. Mark: I’m a teacher at heart. What motivates me is helping people change their lives or businesses. My book is filled with exercises to help readers figure out where they want to show up in the world.