(Your photos don’t matter PART 2)
feat. Model @fitmodelmom www.fitmodelmom.com
Today, we’re taking it to the next level. How to get from a basic portfolio, starting to build a solid audience to breaking out of obscurity, dominating your sector and achieving real, lasting impact. I call this VALUE. Getting attention is very important but but once you have it, what value is your audience receiving? Value is what moves you from attention to profitable. Value is what will separate people from their time and their money. If there’s enough value, they’re “in”.
No need to continue reading if:
You are merely looking for some short-term instagram fame
You live for that dopamine kick from likes or comments
You don’t plan on taking your brand to the next level
You don’t have any desire to influence or impact others
You don’t have any desire to attain financial freedom as part of your goals
You don’t desire to chase or reach your potential
You plan to let the negative opinions and/or views of others dictate your actions and limit you.
This is for the model, artist and business owner who wants to expand, grow, transform and dominate.. ultimately to IMPACT the world around them...
This is not to say that everything you’ve done up to this point is pointless. It’s not to say that growing a huge audience on social media does not matter. Of course it does. It’s reach, it’s credibility, it’s status... but for many, it’s the endgame. Effectively utilizing social media is crucial. It will connect you to people you never thought possible and take you to places unimaginable. But I recommend thinking of it as a tool. A sales/ marketing tool. A networking tool. However, many people are using “it” as their identity, their source of value and validation. Scary stuff.
People are waiting for social media to define them rather than understanding their identity fully, first and then pressing hard into social media to redefine the landscape and cause real impact.
Do you see the difference?
Is social media using you, or are ”you” effective utilizing “it” to create greater impact and reach for your brand and team?
When I use to teach weight training I always asked “are you controlling the weights, or are they controlling you.” The dumbbell is just a tool but if you lose control of your tool it can become a hazard to your progress.
Pointless to Purpose
We need to reach through and beyond social media to what it is truly all about. Recording artists: It’s not enough to release music and connect with fans on social media. Some of you learned this the hard way. You quickly learned it has to be in balance with your “playing-out” and getting face to face with your audience. Marketing with “skin” on it. You had to get “human”. You found that if you effectively leveraged social media and also put in the work, things moved much more quickly for you. (Yes .0001% of artists get discovered by chance on YouTube etc.) If you haven’t learned this yet... you will...
Models: Most of you know and have experienced this as well. At some point you had to get out, get in front of real work, real companies, a real runway and/ or a real product. Maybe it was public speaking. Maybe it’s a product line you launched... (more on this a few paragraphs down)
Do not work to hopefully become the exception to the rule. Become exceptional and rewrite the rules.
By doing this you create your own “luck” and you will no longer leave your results to chance.
If your brand, your social reputation to the world, your identity and your mission are important than social media is just a piece of a much bigger puzzle. When you begin to fit together the other pieces of the puzzle it just makes that pice more meaningful. A random yellow puzzle piece is boring until the rest of the pieces are assembled around it to reveal an incredible sunset. (A little cheesy but hopefully it makes sense).
Put It All Together
What are your “other pieces”? How is your sales game? What products do you aspire to endorse or represent and how many have you contacted today? What business would you represent well? What product-line would fit your brand well? What products could be developed and leveraged with your existing content? How is your portfolio working for you today? Do you have your EPK (electronic press kit) dialed-in and ready to share? Is your website a clear representation of your brand? Is your website keeping you connected with your audience? Is your website serving your brand goals? Is your messaging on point across all your platforms? Is your team up to speed on your current and upcoming actions? Are you effectively leveraging your team? What audience do you need to get in front of and what venues can supply this? Should you be public speaking to help get your message out? Where could you speak? Is it time to launch a YouTube channel to for a call-to-action and to talk face to face with your audience in a bigger better way? Do you need to revise your messaging, revise your logo, revise your value-proposition?
Do you have an action plan in place and the discipline/ accountability to see it through?
These are just a few questions to help get you thinking.. Why? Purpose!
Pointless
Maybe the word “pointless” is too harsh but I want to create clear contrast. There are countless models out there, collecting bad photographs from mediocre photographers and posting endlessly in hopes of acquiring more “followers” and “likes”. And that’s okay, even good... for a minute. But are you trying to be a “collector?” O,r are you trying to capture, create, cultivate and conquer. (See RR13 for”C3 Process”).There are recording artists singing cover-song after cover-song on social media hoping to achieve the same thing. It doesn’t start out as “pointless” but when you start to miss your marks over time and you don’t see your goals being met I’d say your starting to miss the “point”... and continuing the same actions expecting different results (some have called this insane) is pointless... and if you’ve read up to this point I am confident you have real goals and a real purpose you’d like to achieve.
For models: Many models need help building an excellent portfolio. They should do that and quickly. Their portfolio should reflect their brand. But many of you already have incredible portfolios. Yes, you should keep it fresh but even more importantly you should leverage it... put it to work. I have no doubt that you poured your heart and soul into your photographs and a photographer probably poured their passion into capturing and editing them. It’s time for commercial work, sponsorships, endorsements, print, runway... all of it or at least some of it. If you’re a “Revo Model” we will work along side you to achieve this.
For recording artists: Same thing... I’ve seen it time and time again where the artist keeps releasing amazing songs that nobody ever hears. At some point you have your music and it’s time to put it to work. Pair it with an amazing EPK and go to work. It’s time to play out, venues, clubs, bars churches, parties... anywhere that fits. It’s time to make local appearances on radio, tv and print. It’s time to design your merchandise line. If you’re a “Revo Artist” we’ll work with you achieve this.
DON’T WASTE GREAT CONTENT
Failing to leverage your content is the fastest way to make it obsolete... pointless. Posting or releasing content without any intention or action-plan is also a great way to waste it.
Don’t waste your content. Treat it as the very heartbeat of your brand.
Take pride in it. And let it work for you. It’s much like investing. The good investor doesn’t pull all their money out of the investment at the first sign of growth. They continue to leverage it to create more gains and new gains. Your content = investment.
Let your content, combined with a great team and an excellent plan take you beyond your current plateau to achieve your purpose.
You’ve probably heard it said that “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail“. And it is so true. I’ve talked about “Pain and Vision“ (click the link) and this is the pain we’re talking about. It’s hard work. But if you keep close to your vision it might not “feel” like hard work and could end up bring the most rewarding steps you take.
I call them “rants” for a reason. I get a thought... I make a rant. I pull from years of personal experience and from the wisdom of authors, speakers and my incredible team around me.
I hope this inspires you and will help propel you forward.
Let’s roll!
- Jason, Owner
