Which Way Are You Yelling?
Your service is amazing! You want to shout it from the mountaintops! And you SHOULD!
Make your clients famous! Make your service famous! Make your company famous!
But don’t forget to talk to the people standing behind you. As I’ve learned (the hard way), the leader of a growing company must devote as much time talking to his team as to his customers.
Has this happened to you?
“Hey Chris, a client just asked me about the new X program. Uh, what exactly IS that?”
“Hey Chris, a client just read something on our website and asked me about it. I’d never heard it before, so I thought I’d ask you before responding.”
“Hey Chris, a couple of the other guys on the team were curious about…”
Then you smack your head and wonder: “How can they NOT KNOW THIS?!?”
Smack yourself twice, because you already know the answer: you haven’t told them. At least, not well enough, or often enough, or clearly enough.
Speaking with Jeff Lawson, founder of Twilio, I learned that I was shouting too much in one direction and not enough in another.
Think about all the media you produce for your clients: blog posts, videos, social media, podcasts…
How much do you produce for your staff?
Think about the care and quality you put into your client-facing media: editing, producing, scripting, polishing…
How much do you think about the messages to your team?
Think about the brand you present to the outside world: the clarity, the repeatability, the stickiness…
How many stories do you share with those following behind you on the path?
Here’s your recipe for good media balance:
In the Founder Phase, aim your bullhorn outward. You’re doing most of the work. The company’s vision is YOUR vision. Make your clients famous; share your story; publish every day. Meet strangers. Teach the benefit of your service.
If you have any staff, you see them every single day. Talk to them about your plans, but you don’t need to send a daily blog post to your wife.
Outward-facing media: 100%. Inward-facing media: 0%.
In the Farmer Phase, you’re adding staff and revenue diversity. You need to establish a clear North Star: a simple, repeatable, stick Mission. You need to talk to future clients more than ever, but you also need to make sure your staff knows everything that’s happening.
Diversify your media for clients. Add channels: use YouTube and email, for example.
Outward-facing media: 80%. Inward-facing media: 20%. Diversify your channels, but publish less frequently. Twice per week for staff-facing media is good.
In the Tinker Phase, the leader of the company isn’t involved in daily operations. That means less chatter while unloading the dishwasher, and fewer in-person interactions with your staff.
Your outward-facing media channels should be diverse, to appeal to anyone willing to pay attention. Post videos on YouTube; pull the audio and publish as a podcast. Transcribe the audio into blog posts. Send the blog posts to your email lists. Share snippets on social.
Then do the same for your staff. Just as your clients won’t always read your emails, your staff might prefer an audio update over a video or text one.
Outward-facing media: 50%. Inward-facing media: 50%.
One tip Lawson shared: record a daily voice message and texting it to every single employee in his company. They can listen to it on their way to work. But don’t forget the love letters and videos!
Your total media output should grow as your company grows. But as it grows, make sure to grow both sides of the media tree, instead of leaving a bare patch against the wall.
