205: Playing the long game with Mark Masters, You Are The Media
- S5E205
- 35:55
- October 6th 2021
In this first interview of Season 5 of the podcast, Mark Masters - the founder of You Are The Media (online learning community) and We Are The Media (marketing consultancy) - joins Trevor Young to discuss all things content, community and being in it for the long haul.
Mark is a repeat guest - this is his third appearance on the show - providing Trevor with the opportunity to walk Mark through the progress he's made (and the lessons he's learned) over eight years of You Are The Media (YATM).
YATM essentially kicked off when Mark started producing his weekly newsletter, which he continues to publish to this day.
The newsletter paved the way for a book called Content Revolution, which built Mark's credibility not only in his home town in Dorset on the southern coast of England, but also internationally (leading to speaking gigs in the US and South America).
In 2016, Mark started running events under the YATM banner, a practice that continues today with a suite of learning events, both online and offline, including conferences and workshops, interspersed with social gatherings and learning programs.
Mark added a podcast in 2017 and then later moved into video content.
You Are The Media stems from Mark's passion for helping fellow business owners become trusted voices in their industry.
At the heart of it all is a genuine sense of community, one that's fuelled by valuable content and an environment where everyone learns from one another.
Discussion points:
- Consistency of message and the power of showing up regularly and delivering value (without the expectation of getting anything in return)
- Master one owned media channel first before moving on to a new one
- Experiment with different mediums (Mark's latest event was a truly online/offline hybrid effort)
- Build an online 'space' (a channel and an audience) before you need it
- Creating a multi-channel newsletter experience
- Web 3.0: build a community where everyone can take something from it (i.e. learning, business opportunities etc) - it drives itself and people enjoy being a part of it
- 'Soft selling' your business services (vs incessant pitching)
- "Don't be the best - be the only" (Kevin Kelly) | "Don't be the best - be their favourite" (Jay Acunzo)
- Having a following on social media does not a community make.
It's all about connection folks ...
... creating content, building a sense of kinship, delivering value (ongoing) and playing the long game!
Connect with Mark:
CRANK THE 3RD: Exploring the entrepreneurial + creative side of life post 50
CRANK THE 3RD is a weekly podcast in which we explore the entrepreneurial and creative side of life post 50.
You've survived the first two professional chapters of your lives - 20s to mid-30s (chapter 1) and mid-30s and through your 40s (chapter 2).
Welcome to the 3rd chapter! By this stage of your professional life, you've seen a lot, done most things, made some cash, expanded your horizons and probably are more comfortable in your skin than at any other time.
But it’s not necessarily all sunshine and roses either. At some stage, many of us reach a point where we ask: “Is that all there is?”
While we have oodles of experience under our belts and are a lot more sure of ourselves and confident in our own abilities, we also live in a fast-paced volatile world.
Technology is ever-changing, and the AI wave has only just begun. A sense of uncertainty is never far away. We know that if we stand still, we run the risk of losing relevance.
No matter how savvy, experienced and connected we are, certain challenges remain.
But on the upside, the number of opportunities staring us in the face is enormous, and unprecedented!
The goal of CRANK THE 3RD is to inspire energised, forward-thinking 50 and 60-somethings to continue to think expansively and creatively about their current situation, and to ponder, plot and plan the exciting road they have ahead of them.
You’ve put in the hard yards: now it’s time to capitalise!
Let’s dive in!
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