It’s a question that comes up in business content strategy and development on a regular basis, and the answer always tends to be the “hard” topic. I think it’s right, and I also think it’s fundamentally flawed.
But before I get on a roll, let’s step back. What’s a “hard” topic, and what’s a “soft” topic? Put simply, a hard topic is one where the benefits are in straightforward, measurable numbers and tactics. “Implementing this one tactic increased my email opt-ins by 39%!” or “Discover the secret that added $84,271 to my bottom line!” That sort of thing.
A soft topic, on the other hand, can’t be measured cleanly. Generally, soft topics are about mindset – how you think about success, manifestation, the Law of Attraction, improving health and well-being, and so forth.”Gain the Confidence to Master Any Sales Situation.” “Manifest Your Success With This 7-Day Formula.” I think we’d all agree the mental game is critical to business success, but because it’s hard to document how a positive attitude netted you thousands of dollars, it’s not considered an ideal value proposition to highlight.
Lani and I were talking about our business yesterday during our regular Monday morning corporate meeting – this time taking place during a walk around Gunstock Mountain. And one of the conclusions we came to is this: The same money-making tactics and solutions are available to everyone in the online world, so the “hard” topics actually don’t matter as much to your overall success.
Of course, you have to make good decisions and execute on them – pick a good niche, create engaging content, watch your numbers, make course corrections, and build over time. But these are skills that anyone can learn or hire out for.
The REAL difference is in the BELIEF.
BELIEF informs the decisions you make. BELIEF controls your follow-through. Your BELIEF resonates with the clients, prospects, and partners with whom you connect. BELIEF carries you through when the people around you – who are used to a different kind of life – say what you’re doing can’t be done.
Arthur C. Clarke once said, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” We take so many things for granted in our lives, it’s hard to believe that much of what we rely on today didn’t exist 100 years ago. Literally did not exist. But someone had to BELIEVE these things were possible. Computers, cars, cell phones, television, space travel – not happening 100 years ago. Go back 200 years, and we’re talking reliable electric lighting, indoor plumbing, the telephone and radio.
Someone had to BELIEVE it before it could happen.
And when it comes to social media? Wow. Five years ago, Twitter didn’t exist. Ten years ago, neither Facebook nor LinkedIn existed. Twenty years ago, blogging didn’t exist. Thirty years ago, the Internet was nothing but a twinkle in the eyes of computer programmers.
Belief may be a so-called “soft” topic, but the fact is, BELIEF is the hardest “hard” topic of them all. In the same way it’s difficult to comprehend how a spider’s silken thread is actually stronger than steel, it’s difficult to comprehend belief as being more valuable than, say, tweaking your choice of words on a pay-per-click ad, when it comes to bringing an additional 6 figures into your business. But it’s the bull’s-eye truth.
It all starts from BELIEF. And if you ain’t got that, then, man…no hard topic solution’s gonna save you.
