Launch: How to Quickly Propel Your Business Beyond the Competition

What Is Primary Fuel?

I mentioned in Chapter 1 that I have daughters, and explained that there are two ways to get their hair brushed. Yelling, “Get your behind over here, right now!” is one option. The other is to walk alongside them, brushing as they go on their merry way. I then applied this metaphor to businesses.

Too often we treat our customers (and prospects) like children. We scream at them with our advertising, try to intercept them as they run their lives, and get angry when they don't act on our commands.

As parents, the day ultimately comes when we realize we can't control what our children decide to do. As a marketer or business owner, that day has come: You no longer hold sway or influence over your customers. A wise person once told me, “They're gonna do what they're gonna do.”

What's the solution? Rather than impose your will on people, simply walk alongside them. And that's precisely the power of primary fuel.

Primary fuel is regularly produced free content that meets the needs of your reader base. Typically created in written form, primary fuel feeds your ideal base in the form of valuable articles, expert interviews, reviews, and more.

Primary fuel becomes the core of your marketing. Rather than placing costly ads on other people's properties, this type of content is something you create—and it helps you build your own platform.

The easiest way to use primary fuel is through blogging. However, your fuel can reach people in many different venues. For example, ...