Reach is arguably the most valuable non-monetary asset in the world. What I mean by non-monetary is that it’s not a currency or commodity like gold or stocks and bonds. It’s not a tangible asset you can “own” or hold in your hand. But, it is a real asset that can be worth MILLIONS.
You don’t believe me? How is that Jay-Z is now a sports agent, LeBron James just closed another 7 million dollars in endorsement deals and Paula Dean is falling like a ton of bricks. What makes these things happen is reach or lack of it in Paula’s case. If you don’t believe it, you’re not keepin’ it real.
Reach is the amount of people someone or something can influence quickly. It’s that simple. The more people someone can influence, the greater their reach.
Reach used to be a very exclusive asset. For most of the world’s existence, reach was held by the aristocracy. However, during the industrial revolution and the spread of mass information, primarily with newspapers, that started to change. The largest owners of reach was the newspaper industry. Empire’s were built through this reach. Men like William Hurst were some of the most powerful and wealthiest men in the world. Why? Why is it that at the turn of the century newspaper men were the equivalent of Bill Gates and Warren Buffet? Reach! For the first time in the history of man, messages could be delivered to massive audiences via the newspaper and he who had the biggest reach won. The power and value of reach has only grown throughout the years, passing from radio, to TV, and now to social sites AND here is the kicker — to YOU!
That is, if you’re so inclined to build it.
Just like the printing press enabled mass production of information and thus created the newspaper, the Internet has enabled the individual, a single person, to create or build their own massive reach and this is profound.
It’s profound, but not new. The world has ALWAYS worked on local reach or what we call networks. The difference was, in the past, our reach did not surpass our physical networks and were geographically bound. We had to know someone who knew someone. The fewer people we knew, the smaller our networks. Regardless of how small or large our networks were, most of our business was done through those networks, in small local circles, rarely extending nationally and NEVER globally. They were local. When someone wanted a job, they asked their friends if they knew anyone hiring? If someone was looking to hire they asked their friends if they knew anyone who fit the job description. We turned to our networks.
Today our networks still matter, BUT more and more people are turning to search to find what they need. They realize their offline networks just aren’t big enough, fast enough or reliable enough. They want and need results faster and with reliability. This demand and the Internets inherent ability to connect people and deliver information has transformed how individual networks or reach is created.
What this means is that we are at the beginning of a reach revolution, were reach is no longer the asset of a few lucky folks, but an asset of the massess, one everyone must have and those who are the best at creating it will win. Newspapers, magazines, and radio are all in decline because of this revolution. Their reach is diminishing. One man/woman blogs are replacing entire magazines. Pop stars are popping up on YouTube long before “Hollywood” knows they exist. New pop stars are coming with ready-made audiences, they don’t need the record companies marketing. New authors, who were once bloggers, are self-publishing books because they already have a reader base, they don’t need the traditional publisher. They have their own reach.
The reach revolution is happening now and if you’re not taking notice you’re missing out. Reach is a must have asset. However, how we build it is changing. We can no longer rely on our physical, personal networks. It now requires building an online presence. It requires bringing more to the table than just being a cool or nice person. Building reach now requires knowledge, insight, expertise, information AND a willingness to share. But with this knowledge and willingness to share comes great reward, a large, supportive, following or reach.
On Thursday this week, the 11th I’m hosting a Webinar with Nimble CEO John Ferrara on this very topic. We’re going to explain why reach is so important to success today and what you can do to build it. You don’t want to miss this webinar. Register Now!
The Reach Revolution — this revolution will not be televised
. . . but you can check out the webinar. I recently sat down with Nimble to discuss the Reach Revolution and how it affects our ability to be successful. Be sure to watch, your reach is that important.