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April 2023 The Contractor’s Advantage
HarrisonLawGroup.com (410) 832-0000 jwyatt@harrisonlawgroup.com
THE RULES WE LIVE BY
enormous success mainly due to its careful creation by delegates from 1787 to 1789. And really, we owe much of its careful design to Alexander Hamilton and the unique format in which he cobbled together the rules and regulations of so many other countries to create a document that has stood the test of time. Part of the reason this document has succeeded is that in America, we have a latent desire to follow the rules. In fact, one of our national characteristics is respect for the natural rule of law. We all abide by these rules in part due to the American Dream — the ideal that if you work hard and follow the rules, you can succeed. This is why “I’ll sue you!” is a real threat in our country, because when someone breaks the law here, there will be follow-up and consequences under our rule of law. We inherently understand that following these constitutional rules allows us to succeed while at the same time protecting us. This desire to operate within the rules has allowed the American Constitution to succeed, despite the fact that many of the laws we follow are by no means unique to us — we simply are a people who follow them more than others. This desire to follow the rules and win creates a peaceful and stable base for businesses to grow and thrive here. If you start a business in America, you don’t need to worry about local militia or important families marching in and shutting down operations or raiding your residence. Every person in the United States understands that next year will operate by the same laws as the previous 100 and that we all have a fair shake inside this system. And the times we don’t get that fair shake, there will be repercussions otherwise. So this month, on the Anniversary of the American Revolution, which began April 19, 1775, with the battles of Lexington and Concord, take a moment to review history Why the U.S. Constitution Can Succeed
Recently, my family took a trip to Philadelphia, where we spent some time at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. This museum is one of my favorites because of its incredible Claude Monet collection. I have a Monet reproduction in my office, and viewing the extensive exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art is always breathtaking. But aside from the PMoA, Philadelphia is also home to the Museum of the American Revolution where they have an extraordinary collection of historical artifacts and documents. The museum houses the exact room — with about 70% original decor, furniture, and fixtures — where the founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence and later drafted the Constitution. To some, visiting these sites and reflecting on our nation’s history may simply feel like a quick walk down memory lane, reviewing what they’ve learned in high school. However, the American Revolution’s history is much richer than a high school history lesson, and understanding its significance to our lives today can serve us in many ways. Firstly: it’s important to learn history to avoid repeating it. The second and more specific reason is that the importance of the American Revolution truly lies in what comes afterward — our Constitution. The United States Constitution has endured for 234 years since its official adoption in 1789. This document has had
with a modern lens. You don’t have to travel to Philadelphia to do it either; simply take a moment to reflect and recognize the rules we all play by in order to succeed.
-Jeremy Wyatt
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Fresh content matters — but it’s not easy to make. Creating quality content of all kinds takes time, skill, and effort. And in truth, everything doesn’t have to be new all the time, and you can probably get more mileage out of the content you’ve already created. The best marketers make their lives easier by reusing and recycling their work, and there’s no shame in the practice if you do it properly. Coming up with a constant stream of new ideas takes time, and even the best content creators are likely to hit a wall eventually. But you can keep the creative juices flowing by diving back into the archives for work you’ve already done. It helps if you have a catalog of your previous articles, videos, and podcasts, along with their original publication date, topic, and performance metrics. If you haven’t been keeping track, now is the time to start. Peruse your library for content that remains useful and relevant to your audience months or even years after it was initially posted. Remember, no matter how great a podcast episode was, not everyone listened to it, and many people don’t regularly keep up with your blog. So, get more mileage from that content by sharing it on new mediums. REPOST, REUSE, RECYCLE Why the Best Marketers Repurpose Content
images to illustrate your blog. You’ll see fresh engagement with only a fraction of the effort.
Be careful, though, not to share outdated material. Facts may have changed since you created your content, industry best practices might have adjusted, or your brand voice and style could have evolved. When using written content, these are often easy to fix. You can update your vocabulary, recommendations, and style before reposting or resharing. You can also recycle your content to make something new. An hourlong podcast can inspire a new quick-bite video, and you might use a blog as the basis of a podcast episode. Condense or expand the content as needed. A shortened blog post can work exceptionally well in your print newsletter, or you might break it up into bite-size chunks through an email series. Another popular option is using old content to create eye-catching infographics. People love colorful, visually appealing, easily digestible information, and infographics can work across multiple social media platforms. You can get even more mileage by linking the original content alongside the infographic for those who want to dive deeper.
Resharing a particularly useful piece of content to your social media channels is a great way to help it find new eyes and ears. Add that YouTube video to your Facebook feed a few months later, link to an old but still relevant article on Twitter, and use Instagram
Every marketer should put time and care into their content — so they should also get the most out of their efforts. Work smarter, not harder, by wisely reusing and repurposing content that hasn’t
outlived its use. In the end, both your business and your customers will benefit.
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BEATING THE CLOCK ‘Free Time’ Helps Us Save Our Most Precious Resource
Time is money, as the adage goes. But author Jenny Blake believes time is our life force, making it much too precious to waste. In her 2022 book, “Free Time: Lose the Busy Work, Love Your Business,” she argues that many entrepreneurs aren’t making the most of this crucial resource and suggests sustainable changes to how many of us do business. Being busy has become a virtue in our culture. People who aren’t constantly busy are seen as lazy and unproductive — and no one expects an unbusy entrepreneur to be successful. But Blake turns this thinking on its head. She argues that you can build the business you want without sacrificing the rest of your life. Further, many things we spend so much time on are unnecessary. Blake’s approach to conquering the hamster
wheel of entrepreneurship involves creating workable systems and a winning team. Many tasks we think no one else can handle can often be automated and outsourced to others. While many entrepreneurs think their only options are to do it all or hire a small army, Blake advocates for a “delightfully tiny team” that can get more done with improved processes. There’s no one-size-fits-all system for every business, but “Free Time” will help any reader discover theirs. The exercises and recommendations will give you plenty of food for thought and actionable ways to find your ideal work/ life balance — which, as Blake notes in the book, is different for everyone. Business leaders are used to books and courses that promote growth at all costs. That’s fine for some, but not everyone wants to scale their business
endlessly. Sometimes, small business
owners want to keep their businesses small — and there’s nothing wrong with that. Blake shares that she limits her work to 30 hours a week because she values her other pursuits. The idea may sound impossible now, but there are many ways to reduce your current workload without sacrificing your continued success. “Free Time” is for people currently bogged down with “The Burdensome B’s.” If you’re bored, bottlenecked, burned out, or buried by bureaucracy, this book will help you reclaim your life. Blake reminds us that our time is much more precious than money. Isn’t it time you learned to use yours more wisely?
HAVE A Laugh
The Horrifying History of Hand-Washing Before Doctors Kept It Clean
We expect our doctors to wash their hands before examining us — it’s a no-brainer. But more than 100 years ago, the idea of germs was poorly understood.
A Hungarian doctor named Ignaz Semmelweis began to notice startling mortality rates between two maternity
wards at his hospital. The ward run by midwives had a much lower maternal mortality rate than the one staffed by doctors. After watching a colleague die of infection after cutting himself during an autopsy, Semmelweis determined something similar might be happening to maternity ward patients. Many doctors were examining mothers-to-be after performing autopsies — but midwives weren’t. So, he instituted sterilization and hand-washing procedures in the hospital, and the maternal mortality rate dropped substantially in the doctor-run ward, becoming on par with the midwives. Semmelweis had solved the problem!
His discovery and the emergence of germ theory gave us medical professionals who now have much safer habits.
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Jeremy Wyatt jwyatt@harrisonlawgroup.com HarrisonLawGroup.com (410) 832-0000
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Inside This Edition
1. 2. 3.
234 Years and Counting
Why You Should Recycle Content
Make the Most of Your Day With ‘Free Time’ A Time Before Doctors Washed Their Hands
4.
The Limits of Fear-Based Marketing
Does Your Marketing Rely on Scare Tactics? FEAR FACTOR
Fear-based marketing is as old as advertising itself. Many companies have succeeded in scaring their customers into opening their wallets. But despite its proven effectiveness, there are limits to fear’s ability to sell. So, when is amping up your customers’ anxiety a good thing, and when will it just make them tune out? Fear inspires us to take action. When we’re worried about our finances, safety, relationships, or social acceptance, we want to eliminate the anxiety as quickly and painlessly as possible. Therefore, companies can effectively convince people to purchase a product by introducing fear and promptly providing a solution.
strong feelings among its audience, and research shows emotional triggers are effective selling tools. But should you always target fear when other options are available?
much fear also gives way to disgust; some things are so awful we don’t want to think about them. Consider those infamous SPCA commercials showing abused and neglected animals. They may inspire some people to give, but most of us change the channel. Meanwhile, other brands like Disney rely on nostalgia, togetherness, and joy and have seen excellent results. Of course, making people feel warm and fuzzy about car insurance or mold remediation is much more challenging. But many companies have succeeded by turning the usual message on its head and focusing on peace of mind instead of fear. While fear-based marketing can work, it’s easy to go overboard. Only use fear in moderation, and don’t forget to close with a message of hope. You want to leave your customers feeling empowered, not helpless or manipulated.
Relying on fear can turn off your potential customers. For a start,
people don’t like to feel manipulated. We’ve all seen overblown fear-based marketing that suggests catastrophic consequences in a relatively low-stakes scenario. Generally, we roll our eyes and turn away. And at that moment, we lose faith in the company’s willingness to be upfront and honest with us.
Further, too much fear numbs us, and we become complacent.
But while fear motivates us, it’s not the only emotion we respond to. Advertisers have long understood the best marketing generates
When every commercial on TV or email in your inbox presents a new threat, we no longer feel heightened emotion — and we stop paying attention. Too
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