"Can I share this with my colleagues?"

"Can I share this with my colleagues?"

In the world of marketing and community, there are no sweeter words.

That was the question Bryan Finster asked me yesterday. I've known Bryan for many years. We met back in 2019 as part of the DevOps Days Dallas community. We connected over conversations, debates, and shared experiences.

I've always valued Bryan's advice and perspective. So, when my book was finished, I shared an early copy with him to preview.

Now, here's where it gets interesting.

He dove into the book and stopped at page 5 to write to me.

"I’m reading your book and I’m on page 5. ‘Being helpful became our viral accelerator’ spoke to me," he shared.
"I 'felt' that, but it’s nice to have confirmation that I'm on the right track. We used that same approach to market the Dojo inside Walmart when I was there."

As an author, these words hit home for me. It's why I committed the hours, days, and months to writing a book about marketing and community. I wanted to help people. I wanted to inspire. I wanted to share new perspectives.

Bryan then asked, "Can I share this with my colleagues?"

"Yes, of course," I responded.

As a marketer, that is the start of "word of mouth" exchanges. WOM exchanges have the most credibility and authenticity of any type of marketing. "Hey, I found something cool. You should take a look at this." It’s how the best ideas spread.

This is also how community grows. Someone you know invites you to hear, see, or read something new. They think it’s worth your time. There is value in the exchange. Connections are also made in these exchanges. As information is shared among more people, the community grows. The sharing leads to more connections, and if the information shared is valuable, the community grows stronger as a result.

Helping people is incredibly rewarding.

Having my book make a difference is incredibly humbling.

When you carve marketing down to its basics, this is what it looks like. Value, exchanges, and trusted relationships. The best marketing amplifies itself across communities and the market you serve. It not only gets someone's attention, it helps people.

Who will you share this with?

Unfair Mindshare: A CMO's Guide to Community-Led Marketing in a Product-Led World, is on sale now on Amazon. Kindle and Paperback versions start shipping on November 16th.