This may sound weird, but … I miss you, Dear Reader. I’ve mentioned via email and on my social channels that I recently moved to Florida to work on a big client project….

It has consumed my life.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s been very fun. I just feel “disconnected” from you and other readers, and it’s probably because I spend less of my work week on my own stuff.

However, I’m not sure why I feel that way. You still get the same output of content: a podcast still comes out every Wednesday, I write you pretty often via email, and I’m still active on social channels. I’m writing a book right now, too.

I just feel like I’m not doing “enough” for you. I really mean that.

Case in point: I haven’t done a webinar in about 9 months, so I’m going to work on one for you in a few weeks. I’ll keep you posted on that.

For today, I thought I’d pass along a little excerpt from this month’s Marketing Mastery Insider. Before I share that excerpt, here are the topics I’m covering in the full issue:

• Happy December
• How to Get All Issues of Marketing Mastery Insider At A “Killer Offer”
• The Rule of 10X
• The 10X Value Ladder
• “How Did You Get the Gig?” (the full story of how I ended up in Florida, and some major client acquisition strategies)
• Where’s Your Body of Work?
• On “Firing Clients…”
• Why I Spent $1000 on Dinner At Capital Grille
• How To Compete In A Market Where Everyone Gives Everything Away For Free
• How I Actually Create This Newsletter

Wow, that’s a lot of content. No wonder it’s 12 pages long!

As promised, here’s an excerpt from this month’s issue (warning, this will be lengthy but hey – I’m giving you content people normally pay for so I’m hoping you’re ok with that).

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How To Compete In A Market Where Everyone Gives Everything Away For Free

This is a topic I’ve wanted to cover for awhile. When I first started my blog back in 2013, content marketing was all the rage. Everyone was jumping on the blogging and podcasting bandwagon, and the idea that you could build trust by sharing your expertise and grow your email list with a PDF was pretty cool.

Unfortunately, the more people wrote blogs and released podcasts, the more common they became. Now, it’s standard. You may be thinking, “Everyone seems to be doing launches, or podcasts, or blogs — so why bother? Why not only focus on what brings in the cash directly? How are we supposed to “compete” with all those A-list brands or bloggers out there that got in the game much earlier than we did?”

I understand the frustration, so I’m going to paint two sides of the coin here. First point:

#1. When you give everything away for free, you’re just in a race to see who gets poorest first. You MUST have a monetization strategy. Apply the 10X content I mentioned at the start of this issue. Do not get into a race to become poor. Don’t just sit on the sidelines, either. You need to build that body of work.

On that note, my second point:

#2. The way to compete in a market where everyone gives everything away for free is to tell better stories.

There’s a good chance you read every word about how I “got the gig” in the beginning of this issue. Why? It’s a story. If you read a story in hopes of getting some juicy details or insider information, why wouldn’t your readers and prospects?

If you consistently make the effort to tell good stories, you’ll prove to the market that you’re worth paying attention to. You’ll also be seen as a deep thinker who carries authority and gravitas. The earliest tribal leaders were (that’s right) storytellers. Have we really changed as a species?

In the last issue I talked quite a bit about Instagram. One of the reasons I enjoy Instagram is because it challenges me to tell stories.

Sure, I can take a picture of my family, a cool place I visit, or an exquisite dish I eat. But can I tell a story around it? Can I write something in the caption that is inherently valuable, entertaining, or at least pulls my readers into the picture? Here are a few examples:

That photo was from my first solo open water scuba dive. If you are a scroller, you might just like the photo without reading the caption. But many of my followers are readers, because writing is what my business is based on. It would be a disservice to them to just post a photo with no caption. But I want to go the extra mile.

This caption gives you some insight into me as a PERSON. Last I checked, I’m still human — but the more time passes and the “bigger” I get, the less human I become. To most people, I’m just another character on the internet who shares marketing advice. Telling stories creates connection.

This next photo is with my insanely cute nephew who I took trick-or-treating. I didn’t just write “Happy Halloween!” — I told a story and hinted at the fact that I would soon be moving. Yep, I used my nephew in an Instagram post to create mystery about the next phase of my life.

When an email went out a few days later to my list about the move, I had a number of people write back and say, “Yea, I saw you were moving but didn’t know where! Are you still going to be doing your podcast? I hope so!” That is connection, and that was done through story.

Sharing the stories of my life as a digital nomad and consultant gives me credibility that no one can take from me or compete with.

The credibility isn’t in the teaching, the credibility is in the living.

Tell stories. It will take extra effort, but you don’t strike me as a lazy person.

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Well, I hope you found that excerpt useful. I’d love to get your feedback on it, so if you read it and / or have any questions, leave a comment below.

I really do enjoy reading responses, and I read every single one.

Yours truly,

Mike Kim
Marketing Mastery Insider