1Q&A is a simple idea. Take an interesting topic and get an expert answer in a bite-sized format. One Question. One Answer.
We’re kicking off the series with our friend, Guy Kawasaki, and asked him about the very concept he popularized–brand evangelism.
Question
You recommend consistency and frequency as a way to build a following on social media. Do you think this same advice applies to companies trying to promote their own products / services? I.e., do you dilute your own message by actively linking to other sources?
Answer
My theory is called the “NPR Model.” NPR provides great content 365 days a year. A few weeks a year, it runs a pledge drive to solicit donations. The only reason why it can get away with asking for money—and indeed, get money—is because it provides valuable content.
If you can create valuable content, more power to you. This is called content marketing. A good example is Canva’s Design School. You can see that very little content is about Canva per se. The topics are branding, kerning, composition, color, and fonts.
In addition to creation, you can also curate content. This involves finding great content that other people have created. A good source for this is Design.Alltop. By combining creation and curation, you can add a lot of value to the lives of your followers.
And when you add value, then you have earned the right to promote your own products and services. Everybody is a winner—at least that’s my theory!
Thanks, Guy!
If you want more advice on using social media, Guy wrote a book on the very topic. Go get it.