34 Marketing Insights from the Authority Rainmaker Conference

It’s a Memorial Day tradition at Art Biz to offer a list of reminders for your art business.

This is a twist on that tradition.

Marketing Insights from the Authority Rainmaker Conference

I opened up my notes from Copyblogger's Authority Rainmaker conference to share my biggest marketing takeaways with you.

The thing to remember about live events, books, and even online classes is that not everything shared is going to apply to you. You’re either not ready to receive it, you’re past its relevance in your growth, or it doesn’t match your business model.

You have to look for the nuggets in these situations. I find that there is usually at least one thing from each talk, lesson, or chapter that is worth the investment.

Here are some of the highlights worth remembering.

To Sell Is Human: Dan Pink

Dan Pink is the author of A Whole New Mind, Drive, and To Sell Is Human.

1. Selling has changed more in the last ten years than in the previous 100 years.

It used to be “Buyer Beware,” but now buyers have so much information at their keyboard fingertips to research their purchases.

2. Interrogative self-talk is better than positive self-talk.

Instead of saying, “I can do this!” to yourself, it’s more valuable to ask: “Can I do this? How?"

3. Apply Robert Cialdini’s Contrast Principle to sales.

When selling, it’s helpful to have something to compare the product/service to. If there are only positive statements on a sales page, visitors ask themselves: “Compared to what?” A couple of “on the downside” statements (not too negative!) might yield more sales. The negative shines a light on the attractiveness of the positives.

4. Context drives persuasion more than we think.

Be specific and give people an easy way to take action.

Sharing Content: Scott Brinker

Scott Brinker is the co-founder and CTO at ion Interactive and publishes the Chief Marketing Blog.

5. People share interactive content almost twice as much as other content.

We should deliver experiences, not just communications.

Website Usability: Pamela Wilson

Pamela Wilson is Vice President of Educational Content of Copyblogger Media.

6. When people visit your home page, they immediately ask: Where am I? and Is this worth my time?

Since there isn’t a person sitting beside them telling them what to do next, your site better do the trick. Site visitors should be empowered from the moment they land.

Landing Pages: Sonia Simone

Sonia Simone is co-founder and Chief Content Officer of Copyblogger Media.

7. People don’t buy something they don’t want to buy. You’re not that good.

8. People are afraid of feeling stupid for buying your product. Take away the risk. Offer a guarantee to make them feel safe.

Create Inspired Content: Ann Handley​

Ann Handley is Chief Content Officer of Marketing Profs.

9. We need ridiculously better content, not just more content.

10. You do you.

This was a recurring theme of the conference. Dan Pink said, “Be a better version of yourself."

11. The best marketing doesn’t feel like marketing.

Remarkable Podcasts: Jerod Morris

Jerod Morris is Vice President of Rainmaker.FM, the digital marketing podcast network produced by Copyblogger Media.

Although his talk was focused on podcasting, this tidbit could apply to every aspect of building a business.

12. Show up reliably over time. It builds trust.

Attitude trumps aptitude.

Creating Difference: Bernadette Jiwa

Bernadette Jiwa is the author of four #1 Amazon Bestsellers and has been named one of the top 100 branding experts to follow on Twitter.

13. We’re afraid of being invisible and are confusing awareness with impact.

Content Creation = Value Creation

14. Marketing is the story of how you create difference.

You must matter to people – one person at a time.

15. People don’t buy what you do or why you do it, they buy how it makes them feel.

This is particularly relevant to your work as an artist because art evokes such strong emotions.

Community: Chris Brogan

Chris Brogan is CEO of Owner Media Group and a New York Times bestselling author of eight books.

16. 80% of sales are made on the 5th through 11th contact with someone.

17. It’s not my community. It’s the community I’ve earned the right to serve.

Fascination in Your Marketing: Sally Hogshead

Sally Hogshead is a branding expert and creator of The Fascination Advantage® Assessment, which is about how the world sees you.

She offered her assessment free and invited us to share. It’s not only entertaining, but it will encourage you to be more authentic in your business and marketing.

Get the assessment here until June 30, 2015. Use the code “copyblogger.”

Feel free to share your Fascinate archetype in a comment here. It would be fun to see everyone's.

18. Difference is better than better. What makes you different?

Competition is a brutal way to make a living. Be different instead.

19. Being the best isn’t enough if nobody listens or cares.

20. The world isn’t changed by people who sort of care. The world is changed by people who passionately, irrationally care.

Search Marketing: Danny Sullivan

SEO expert Danny Sullivan’s talk was a bit above my comfort level with SEO, but I loved that he said this.

21. Stop focusing solely on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and start thinking about PEO: People Engine Optimization. You have to build sites and content for the people you want to spend time with and to buy from you.

Content Audits: Michael King

Michael King is a Marketing Technologist at iPullRank, which specializes in content strategy, audience research, social media, SEO, and marketing automation.

22. In contrast to what’s been said, content isn’t king on the Internet. The consumer is king.

6 Steps to a Massive Audience with Content: Joe Pulizzi

Joe Pulizzi is the founder of multiple startups, including the Content Marketing Institute.

6 Steps to Creating a Content Marketing Strategy – #SMMW15 from Joe Pulizzi

23. The model is first to build an audience and then to monetize it. We tend to start monetizing too soon and forget to build the audience.

24. The sweet spot of content marketing is the interaction of your passion and your authority. It’s how you are different than others. (Differentiating yourself was another big theme of the conference.)

25. Add outcome to your editorial calendar. What do you want people to do when you write or share something?

Sell Less/Make More: Sean d’Souza

Sean d’Souza is a marketing strategist (and cartoonist) at Psychotactics.com.

26. We sell on price, but customers buy on value. Price only dominates in the absence of information.

Experience: Brian Clark

Brian Clark is the founder and CEO of Copyblogger Media.

27. Traditional marketing promises experience for the customer. Creating content starts the experience. (It doesn’t start after the sale, but before the sale.)

Customer Experience: Scott Stratten

Scott Stratten is the author of UnSelling and the President of Un-Marketing.

28. The best way to get future sales is to make your customers ecstatic about the current one.

For most artists, this means following up soon and consistently.

Conversion Optimization: Ryan Deiss

Ryan Deiss is the CEO of DigitalMarketer.com

29. Nothing is more valuable than attention.

30. Stop using long autoresponder series. Anything longer than 10 days is outdated.

DIY: Henry Rollins

Henry Rollins, author, publisher and former lead singer of the pioneer punk band Black Flag, was the closing keynote and fired up everyone before we filed out to the sounds of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. He was visibly and audibly passionate about his fans and audience.

31. You have to be smart enough to realize you don’t have all the answers. Learn from others who have done it.

32. You need someone to believe in you.

33. Be bold to the point of being savage.

34. Do one thing. And then another. And another.

Do good things.

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36 thoughts on “34 Marketing Insights from the Authority Rainmaker Conference”

  1. Great list! Thanks for sharing. There is a lot of information here to think about.

    I’m hoping you will do a post to expand on the statement of “We should deliver experiences, not just communications.” and how that might look online. This is the one that stood out to me as I was reading the list.

    Lots of good ideas and sites to visit for even more info.

  2. Melissa Brauen

    Thank you for the valuable tips and resources. My Fascinate Archetype is Mystique and Innovation. The creativity behind the scenes. Interesting info. (in Now Find Your Strengths my top strength is also Innovation)

  3. Great prompts here Alyson, thank you. I’m going to write on my studio wall as a reminder:” Difference not competition”.
    I’m a Maestro. That was a surprise.

  4. Super list Alyson! Thanks for going to the conference and taking such good notes, AND for sharing with us.

    My archetype is The Quick-Start, a combination of innovation and alert, which feels right.

    From your list I particularly like the tip from Scott Brinkler – “People share interactive content almost twice as much as other content.” which links with other tips about including actions with content. This makes me ask what might a person bring to my content? how would they like to work with me?

    And it’s great to see Henry Rollins on the list. I struggled initially with tip 32. “You need someone to believe in you.” because I have a lot of trouble getting people to support my ideas, partly because I have so many of them. But then I realised that it’s about having someone believe in YOU, as a person, and yes I do have that support and I shouldn’t take it forgranted.

    I love the last tip “Do one thing. And then another. And another.
    Do good things.”

  5. Love the tips, thank you for sharing them with us in this concise, clear and actionable manner.

    I did the fascination archetype assessment before and I was surprised by the result: The Intrigue (Passion/Mystique).

    I always assumed creativity (Innovation in Sally’s terminology) was my top strength. It’s a close #3, but evidently I have some other strengths to rely on that I had no idea about!

  6. I loved this article. It was filled with invaluable information that I read and re-read. I attempted to take the assessment but each time I entered the code copyblogger it was rejected with a notation that stated the code was invalid.

    1. I have the same problem as Kate – the code “doesn’t exist.” I have an event coming up next month and the information in this article is perfect! This also changes the way I look at my teaching. Thanks Alyson!

    2. Anita: Why is the article perfect for your event?

      Sorry about the code not working. I know she told us it would be up until June 30. Maybe try again later. ??

    3. Daniel Pink’s book To Sell is Human is fascinating. Never thought I was “selling” anything in the classroom; I just feel exhausted when the semester is over and I want people to leave me alone for a couple weeks. In the introduction to his book Dan Pink describes how he examined his day’s activities and discovered that, although he wasn’t in sales, he was a salesperson. I looked at my activities one day and discovered that I was not selling. Except in the classroom and when doing administrative things, I don’t sell/persuade/cajole, etc. It’s a comfort zone of which I’ve grown tired. I hope your article will help me consider many things when my town’s community event “Meet the Artists” rolls around in June.
      And my archetype is The Archer.

  7. Cheryl Smith-Bell

    This is a tremendous post, and I have already spent two days going through the material as it applies to me. My web is down and will be rebuild and will now have the focus that I need to be a success!
    I have been unemployed for 6 mo and the unemployment has quit, and it is high time I get back to my art! I have purchased [the Kindle version, in Icloud] of “Difference” which is all I can afford with SS my only income! Your book will be my next one!
    I hope more artist will take away the excellent info you have given us!
    Thanks so much!

  8. Glad to hear you using the phrase ‘content creator’ Alyson. I think it’s a great inclusive umbrella term which helps us as artists to see ourselves in a wider context creatively. (Is it out of line to plug the Indie Content Creators Facebook group?)

    Code not working for me either sadly 🙁

  9. Great list but “Get the assessment here until June 30, 2015. Use the code “copyblogger.” didn’t work. According to the site copyblogger isn’t a recognized code.

  10. Deborah Martin

    Finally made it to the link, and was glad to find the PDF to use for myself and share with others I know (difference.is).

    Wish there was a printable for the assessment segment. I actually read that the current attention span is LESS than that of a goldfish… so sad. It has been followed back to Sesame Street as far as I know…they started the process of teaching in small segments. Maybe that will help everyone think of presentations that achieve the same goals as Sesame Street. 🙂

    I like lists as much as anyone else…and they are a great attention getter… a popular technique for writers… and anyone else. 🙂 I have been trying to figure out a “list” to share that is attached to my work. 🙂

    It was worth the time to come here and check it out. Thanks.

  11. The code “copyblogger” in all lowercase worked for me.

    The world sees me as clever, unassuming, & independent. My secret weapons are mystique and innovation.

    I truly do prefer to work quietly, make big contributions, and be creative.

    This post is one to digest, slowly. I will be heavily relying on “PEOPLE Engine Optimization” as my theme going forward with my social presence.

    Oh – I didn’t notice your new cards until this email. I TRIED to make a set of cards for myself earlier this year & totally failed in ideas, LOL. Thank you! Sold!

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Your Artist Mailing List: Rethinking + Assessing

Get a transcript of episode 182 of The Art Biz (Rethinking Mailing Lists for Artists) followed by a 3-page worksheet to evaluate the overall health and usage of the 3 types of artist lists.

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