Launch Part 1: Godin, How to Get Your Ideas to Spread

Think about that statement. Just think. In a world of too many options, we ignore. If that’s the case and you are committed to identifying as many needles in the haystack as possible, are you being bizarre enough to catch their attention?

The TED talk above was filmed in 2003 – more than 10 years ago. The interesting fact is that many of his points are still relevant today. What that means is that for the 3.8 million people who have seen his Ted speech, many millions more have not learned, changed and adapted their ways.

Our world is full of the ordinary and those who can find a remarkable way to tell a story, promote a product, and inspire, are going to be the ones who are in the greatness club. For the unremarkable, good luck.

Typically, great ideas start because of some sort of unfilled hole. 1851 was no different. When we decided to create 1851, we did so because we saw a gap. Sure, there were content resources for franchising, but nothing that could fill our minds on a daily basis. Also, there was this shift occurring in franchise development. Feet could no longer be propped up on a desk as leads bled in from the portals. The world – the franchise world – was in need of a change. The problem was that when 2008 happened, everyone went into a panic and rather than panicking and coming up with innovative ideas, we curled up in a ball and hoped that the next portal would take shape – and fast.

Initially, 1851 was going to be a little Entrepreneur magazine blended with a portal. This way, we could educate, inform and inspire those interested in franchising with real, moving content on a daily basis. This way, when burger brand X didn’t work out, lawn care Y could.

That gap needed filling, but the gap was much wider than what we first anticipated.

When we launched in May of 2012, we took an important step to caulking the gap when we turned the invincible (a dream) into reality (a website). The gap within our gap was turning the website into a lead generator. Somewhere along that vision, we realized that a lead generator wasn’t the solution. The prospect had gotten so much smarter and more committed to their due diligence. Thus, awareness was the key word. How could we create more awareness while spiking change?

We tried the print publication route – and boy was that fun. For two years, we printed an annual magazine. Problem one was that 1851 was a digital magazine. Could a print pub really drive people into our site? The answer was no, they were already there. Problem two was that print wasn’t the issue; it was access to daily information.

In September of 2013 I watched Godin’s video. On that day, I wrote down the word “remarkable” and let my calm mind drift toward solutions. I then wrote down every issue facing franchisors, especially when it came to development.

5.  Could we make PR fluid, so that brands of all shapes and sizes could reap the benefits?

To be remarkable, it had to be a little out there. 1851 was out there, in that no one had ever done this before. 

While our idea has turned into fruition, now comes the challenging part. Can we get the ideas to spread?

With solutions to problems and armed with results, I believe we can. But, in order to sustain the new momentum, we must remain remarkable.

If you are ready to explore a full-service, cost efficient content marketing, custom publication with a custom audience that is social and has PR reach, let us know.