Turning Attention Into Trust

What's the point of marketing?

The outcome you're seeking might be different than mine, but this questions boils down to one thing: turning attention into trust.

With enough money and Facebook ads, you can get the attention of nearly anyone on this planet.

But attention is an empty way of measuring your success — like sand slipping between your fingers.

Earning enough trust to have that same person actually listen to what you have to say? That's the real outcome worth pursuing.

Earning trust implies that there's a shared value. It's a back and forth dance of, "Here, I made this", followed by "Thanks, that's really helpful."

It might be a one time ordeal, ending when one party decides they don't really need what the other is giving them.

But if you chose a relevant topic and presented it in an original way, then it's possible for that first interaction to spark an ongoing relationship. A relationship built on beliefs, attention, and value (much like any real life relationship).

If you picked a topic and an audience that's genuine, then continuing to share your message will become second nature. Your audience will become your allies and sales team, spreading your work to reach more people who need to hear what you have to say.

And when the day comes that you ask your audience to pay you, they will be pleased to do so because they trust that you'll deliver on your promise.

That's the point of marketing, of content, of creating. To earn the trust of those who will benefit from what you have to offer them.

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