Getting the Word Out

In a noisy world full of distractions and offers of dubious quality, it’s difficult for those seeking guidance to find trustworthy and truly valuable resources.

For those offering products or services, spreading ideas, or promoting causes, getting the word out and enrolling the right people is equally challenging.

What to do?

It turns out a book first published in 1962, Everett Roger’s Diffusion of Innovations, delivers a wealth of insight on spreading the difference only you can make.

The basic premise is this: innovation gets attention, but information gets adopted.*

What does that mean?

Human beings have varying temperaments and tolerances toward embracing new concepts. Moreover, whether something is perceived as innovation or information is relative. It depends on the person and the thing under consideration.

In general, innovative things are seen as uncertain or risky. Information, on the other hand, appears more certain and safe.

Innovation can earn interest, but information encourages enrollment.

In general, a tiny percentage of people eagerly embrace a new-to-them thing. They are called “innovators.” A slightly larger percentage are “early adopters.” These are followed by the largest groups, the early and late majority, followed by the very last to adopt, the “laggards,” whose portion is about the same as that of the innovators and early adopters combined.

So, how does all of this apply to purpose-driven people trying to promote the difference they make?

Well, if you’re trying to earn the awareness and attention of people who would benefit from your product, service, or idea, they first have to be exposed to it. You’ll need to get their permission to speak with them directly to encourage their trust. Finally, they’ll need access to you to earn their interest, enrollment, and investment in your solution to their problem or your help achieving their aspiration.

Your offer can sit anywhere in the diffusion of innovations curve or move through it. The better you define your audience or market, the more you’ll be able to see where they sit, wholly, in groups, or individually, within the curve. Then, you can leverage exposure, proximity, and access to move them through the marketing and sales cycle.

The marketing cycle has two parts. First are the social media and broadcast channels you use to get awareness and attention. Second, are the message and email apps you use to have conversations that earn permission and trust.

The sales cycle involves earning enrollment in the process of learning more and then interest in your product or service and, ultimately, investment.

Innovation gets attention. Information gets adopted. Implementation achieves results.

Amplify innovation to get awareness and attention that exposes your offer to your audience. Next, turn innovation into information to earn their permission and trust. Then, you can leverage that information to help encourage interest, enrollment, and investment in access and implement that information to get what they want.

Let’s put all this together with an example that reveals the real magic of leveraging the diffusion of innovation curve. But first we have to understand the three critical stages involved in a client or customers journey from interest to investment in your product or service.

(If you’re considering or already building on Substack, you’ll want to read this.)

Exposure, Proximity, & Access

Before you can start to spread your idea, cause, product, or service, the right people must become aware that it exists and be willing to pay attention to it (exposure).

To help turn that new-to-them concept (innovation) into something they can understand and explore (information), you need to earn enough permission and trust to have a more direct conversation (proximity).

To effectively implement the ideas or approach you offer, people need your help (access).

Notice how exposure, proximity, and access map onto the marketing and sales cycles discussed above.

Now, let’s look at how the practical application of all this theory can be leveraged to get real results.

Example: The Creative on Purpose Substack

The Idea/Cause/Offer

Creative on Purpose’s core offer is a coaching product called Catalyst.1 The Catalyst program helps coaches, creatives, freelancers, and solopreneurs achieve their life and business priorities faster and easier by building better systems and habits.

It’s a tough sell because most people resist changing how they see and do things. And yet, since what got you where you are won’t get you where you want to be, seeing and doing things differently is the only way forward.

Here’s the system Creative on Purpose has built to help the right people engage, embrace, and employ Catalyst’s principles and practices.

Exposure: Earning Awareness & Attention

Creative on Purpose leverages various social media platforms, YouTube, and a podcast to expose its audience to its ideas and approach. The goal of this content is to open a loop2 by introducing a new idea or a fresh perspective on an old one (aka “innovation”).

Proximity: Earning Permission & Trust (And Building the Bridge to Interest)

The Creative on Purpose Substack publication invites those who collide with the content above to subscribe and gain greater proximity through community calls.

The weekly paid subscriber calls unpack the ideas introduced in that week’s content and help turn it into actionable information. Free subscribers get a taste of this if they attend the live monthly calls, while paid subscribers do a deeper dive during the Q&A.

Access: Earning Enrollment & Investment

Subscribers who explore the Substack content and engage on the community calls receive updates on Catalyst programs and can reach out by direct message on social media, replying to emails that include enrollment announcements, or completing the Catalyst questionnaire.

These 1:1 conversations lead to decision moments3 helping those not ready to stick with their DIY (do it yourself) approach and those who are prepared to invest in their success and cultivate clarity and certainty while collapsing time with Catalyst.

The Results

In the last 90 days, mapping our sales and marketing strategy to the diffusion of innovation curve and leveraging Substack to create opportunities for exposure, proximity, and access has directly resulted in the following: 

• Over $1K in Substack subscriptions

• Doubling the number of completed questionnaires/month

• An 80% close rate on Decision Calls

It’s Your Turn

How are you building awareness, earning attention, and cultivating permission and trust that leads to interest, enrollment, and investment in your idea, product, service, or cause?

How might mapping your strategy to the diffusion of innovation curve, turning innovation into information, and leveraging exposure, proximity, and access help you make the difference only you can make with those you seek to serve?

*h/t Nic Peterson & The Guardian Academy

Scott Perry, Chief Difference-Maker at Creative on Purpose

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