Business Gatekeepers and Building an Online Presence in the Era of Leadership
Leandre Larouche
Book & Content Coach + Ghostwriter for Coaches, Experts, and Leaders | ?? Author | Writing Architect ??? | Writing Can Be Hard. I Make it Easy with The Architecture of Writing.
If you are building an online presence through writing, or are planning to, this article will be of special interest to you.
Last week I did a 2-hour consulting session with an expert branching off on her own after 2 decades of employment.
A contact had referred her to me because the first problem she encountered was writing. She needs to make herself visible, which, well... starts with writing.
These were some of her questions.
I had a few realizations over the course of that consultation, which I thought I'd share. These insights apply to any type of expert- or service-based business, but they will only prove useful to you?if?you are in the early stage?of your business?or?are?still struggling?to get traction.
Makes sense?
FYI, the client in question was a yoga teacher, but again, what I will share can be used in any industry you want for any type of message, story, or expertise you may have.
(I know that from helping produce 20+ books and 10+?websites across industries?that generated over 44,000+ web impressions?and hundreds of thousands in revenue.)
On Expectations
We were about to start working on the website copy when I realized her expectations of what would happen next might not completely align with reality. I'm always extremely honest and transparent with clients. I don't sell pies in the sky.
So I felt compelled to ensure we were working with the right expectations, which means I explained to her what was realistic based on her budget and what wasn't.
As experts, it’s easy to forget how the world works. We are so dialed in on our expertise and we focus so much on a niche topic that we lose the big picture.
We assume that other people see what we see and that our topic of expertise intuitively makes sense or is inherently interesting...
We also assume that our expertise alone is enough for success. That’s what I call the expert's curse. Ironically, the depth of our knowledge makes us less capable of putting our knowledge to good use (by way of sharing it).
Here's the reality:
When starting an online presence, and writing for business purposes,?what?you write doesn’t matter as much as?how?you write it. In other words, what you write matters only?if?you write it the way it?should?be.
This is where it gets controversial.
The answer lies in what I call gatekeepers.
On Gatekeepers
Business is made gatekeepers of all kinds—algorithms, search engines, economics, human decisions—and these gatekeepers keep your audience from seeing you if you don’t play by their rules.
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These gatekeepers exist to filter and organize information while optimizing the world for consumers (not creators). Gatekeepers may seem cruel and arbitrary, but they do serve a purpose. Without them, we would be lost and confused in a sea of irrelevant content.
Many people, especially artists and creatives, find business tragic because of that. They loathe that, to make money, they can’t focus on the content alone and must abide by uncreative and?seemingly?arbitrary?rules.
Worse, they feel that playing the gatekeepers' game to get recognition amounts to selling out. Although I appreciate the sentiment (I have once shared it), these feelings don't change how reality works. So we have a choice to make—adapt or die.
I want to emphasize that gatekeepers come in all shapes and forms. Here are a few examples of gatekeepers encountered by the clients I have worked with or am working with:
The bottom line is, there are gatekeepers everywhere, and they are an inevitable aspect of business.
On Playing the Game
I?like to look at the gatekeepers as characters in the game of business. We have to beat them to succeed. So the challenge in business isn't so much to hone our craft (we've already done that by the time we start a business). The challenge is to demonstrate our value and pass the gatekeepers' tests.
One thing I've learned the hard way is that your business success doesn't correlate so much with how good you are at your craft;?it correlates with how well you play the game. So, the first step is to understand the game from a high-level perspective. The second step is to create a strategy.
Whenever you start using a new channel to market yourself, consider new gatekeepers.
Here are some examples:
Some people say business is war. Some people say business is politics. There is truth to both statements because both war and politics have gatekeepers. Business is full of gatekeepers standing in your way. Practicality and strategy are the keys. ??
How do you overcome these gatekeepers, though? Remember, you have two resources: time and capital. You can spend time learning how to overcome gatekeepers, or you can hire people who do it for you.
First, figure out the assets you wish to focus on (e.g., website, social media, book). Then, assess how effective these assets are (if you have them) or which one you need (if you don't have them).
If these assets are suboptimal, ask yourself why and how they could be improved. Brainstorm hypotheses and solutions. Then decide whether you want to invest time or capital. If you need these assets, ask yourself what should be a priority and why.
If you would like a professional opinion on your assets,?book a free consultation ?with me so I can help you gain clarity.
FYI, I am currently opening up some spots for new clients, so if you would like some 1:1 help, we can also discuss that (no obligation, though).
This consultation is perfect to talk about: