You need to touch grass (or paper)

I’ve spent waaaaay too much time making AI images over the last year, mostly with Midjourney.

It’s gotten so much of my attention because it feels like an ART tool, not an “app” per se. It’s definitely a little quirky, but that’s exactly why so many people love it.

Which is why it also makes so much sense that they do a print magazine every quarter. Designing, printing and shipping a magazine would never get the green light at most SaaS companies because it “doesn’t scale,” you can’t really track the results, etc.

So the fact that Midjourney did it anyway says a lot about their culture: that they do things just for love of the game (which is how artists also operate).

But that’s just one example of my larger point: that NON-DIGITAL marketing is a very good idea.

"Wait... you're telling me there's a world beyond these screens I stare at all day?!" 😱

Crazy, I know! But it's true.

Don’t get me wrong, the internet is the best marketing tool that’s every existed. But it’s not the ONLY one, and it’s very, very crowded.

Everybody's social feeds, inboxes, etc are full of people competing for their attention.

And if you exist in the REAL WORLD when your competitors don't, you instantly cut to the front of the line.

Eg, if you met someone at a party or convention (even for 5 minutes), you’ll be 10x more likely to take their call than if they were a random stranger, right?

As another example our company did a summit for music producers for a few years. We got ~300 people to come in from all over the world for 3 days, and to this day we’re still close friends with a lot of them (watch one of our Summit vlogs here).

Even if it’s someone I haven’t talked to in years, if I remember them from the Summit I’ll always take the time to help them however I can, and they’ll do the same for us.

I also love the magazine that my friends at SEO agency Omniscient did last year. It’s a very well-done piece that shows of how thoughtful, meticulous and forward-thinking they are… but the great part is that it still works even if you never read it!

Think about it this way: SEO agencies aren’t exactly known for their taste and aesthetics 😅

So the simple fact that they put a printed piece in the mail immediately made Omniscient feel WAY more more high-taste and premium than anyone else in their space - even if you never actually read the magazine itself.

But you don’t have to do big, expensive things like a magazine or an international event.

Small things that are cheap/free can still make a big difference:

Host a small party, dinner or just a bbq at a park. Go to someone else’s event or meetup. Send out greeting cards for no particular reason (not just the holidays). Put up flyers all over town, sponsor a bike race, etc… you get the idea.

Doing almost anything will feel special just because it exists beyond the internet.

Don’t get me wrong - keep doing the digital things too! But add in some IRL marketing where you can.

I may have room for another client starting around June - if you’re interested, reply to this and we can talk more (no pressure or obligation, of course).

And if you’re not, I still want to hear from you! If you liked this email, reply and say hi - I read all of them.