Establish Your Authority Right from the Tip Off

A Marketing Play for Small Businesses

Oct 27, 2023

✏️ ON MY MIND

In a recent episode of Gil’s Arena podcast, retired pro basketball players Gilbert Arenas and Kenyon Martin discussed the significance of establishing authority from the tip-off.

Kenyon shared his tactic of showcasing his defensive prowess right from the first play by blocking the ball, even if it meant goal-tending, to send a message.

He had one objective: making the opposition think twice before shooting. It was a psychological play to set the tone of the game.

Just as Kenyon aimed to establish a defensive authority on the court, small businesses can aim to establish their market authority from the outset.

Translating this to marketing your small business:

1. Use Bold Messaging

Craft a bold message that sets you apart and resonates with your audience. Don’t do what many businesses do and put wishy-washy value propositions up (like the accounting tech examples I shared here).

Example 1: Convertkit

Why It Works: It’s clear who their target customer is, and it’s also clear what pain points their software addresses for their target customers.

Example 2: Apron

Here’s a teardown of one of their product landing pages:

Why It Works: They claim at the top: “Sort, reconcile, and get client invoices paid in seconds”, and they back it up multiple times as you go down the page with numbers (quantitative data) and testimonials (qualitative data).

2. Show proof you can deliver

As we can see from the Apron example above, displaying solid case studies and testimonials upfront can build trust and set a positive tone.

Don’t be yet another business that claims they can do stuff but has no evidence (or very little) to back it up.

Case study examples

1/ Here are some examples of video case studies I did for The Growth Hub - a strategic growth partner for Australian property businesses looking to scale.

2/ Here are some customer interviews I helped organise for e-commerce accounting firm Bean Ninjas. (We did them as podcast episodes that can be repurposed as individual case studies later.)

Key takeaway:

Be Like Kenyon Martin (or someone else who’s badass that you admire). Make a bold first move to establish your authority in your market.

-Anf

(This newsletter was drafted with the help of GPT-4, Claude-2 and edited by yours truly.)

👍 3 THINGS THAT CAUGHT MY ATTENTION

1/ Read: We Are Not Friends by Jeff Goin

In this honest essay, Jeff shares his thoughts on the increasing personalisation of the internet.

Sadly, this has become commonplace with online interactions.

Let's all agree to not do this to one another. We don't need fake friends.

What if we focused on genuinely caring and supporting each other without there being any financial benefit? What might that world look like?

(This is one of the reasons I’ve started a community chat on Substack. More on this at the bottom of this newsletter.)

2/ Watch: How to Create Your Marketing Dashboard in Asana

3/ Listen: Monetizing Micro-Communities

In this Bootstrapped Founder podcast episode, Arvid Kahl dives into the growing trend of micro-communities, highlighting their significant monetary potential. He explores how both creators and community members can tap into monetization opportunities, paving the way for thriving businesses.

💸 WEALTH BUILDING TIP

What is it about Australia that has it consistently mentioned as the millionaires’ migration destination of choice? Is it the climate and lifestyle, the world-class education and healthcare, the distance from global crisis hotspots, or is it the fact that, unlike the UK and the USA, Australia has no inheritance taxes or death duties? The answer is, all of the above, plus some very attractive visa programs aimed at attracting highly skilled professionals.

Tony Le Nevez, Henley & Partners Australia.

Want a closer look at the data? Refer here.