Michael Schein is the CEO of MicroFame Media, a marketing agency focused on the needs of consultants. He recently sat down with ALM Intelligence's Liz DeVito to discuss how he turns consultants into celebrities when they don't have the time to do it themselves.
All Intelligence: What's your background and role at MicroFame Media?
Schein: In a lot of ways, I'm a writer at heart. I have been ever since I wrote a story in second grade called Wrestlemania XXXIII (this was back in the Eighties) and it was the big hit of the class. Once I grew up, I found out I was especially good at using words persuasively so I got into marketing. The reason I started MicroFame Media was that I was working as a freelance copywriter and I saw all these consultants who were investing tons of money into branding and ending up with little more than a decent looking website. It occurred to me that what these consultants actually needed was to be highly visible to the people who might buy from them. I realized that it was consultants who people saw as niche celebrities, thought leaders, and gurus that could name their price. So I started making that happen for them and the agency grew from there.
All Intelligence: What is the genesis of MicroFame Media's products and services?
Schein: When I originally had the idea to start the agency, the first thing I did was study all of the most high-profile thought leaders in the consulting world. What I found was that they all have a number of things in common. They all have a book. They all have really strong hooks that make their content stand out.
They all have a very strong digital media presence. And they all have strong connections with influencers. I quickly realized that the main reason that every consultant doesn't do the activities needed to make this happen is lack of time. The way people usually approach writing a book, for example, is extremely time consuming. As a result, it doesn't get done. So we created a very efficient process for executing these sorts of things for our clients. When clients go through our process, they end up with…in a short period of time…a book, a podcast, a working strategy for connecting with the influencers in their field, and so on. Not to mention all the resulting exposure that comes along with it.
All Intelligence: How do MicroFame Media's products and services apply to management consulting?
Schein: When you're a consultant, management or otherwise, you're not selling a physical product. What you're actually selling, at the core, is a set of ideas. As a result, those consultants who do the best job at communicating the value of their ideas do the best in the marketplace. All consultants know this but often have trouble making it happen for a variety of reasons. What we specialize in is giving consultants' ideas the best shot at being seen.
All Intelligence: How does MicroFame Media differ from traditional marketing agencies?
Schein: Well, for one, our focus is
narrow—we work with consultants. Also, a lot of other agencies say things like "we're a social media marketing agency" or "we're a content marketing agency". We see things differently. From our viewpoint, social media and podcasts and blogs and whatever else are all tools to help us get the goal. And the goal is turning consultants into thought leaders.
All Intelligence: What are you working on now that you're particularly excited about?
Schein: I'm in the midst of writing a book with co-author Kembrew McLeod, a writer who I've been a fan of for a while. Our book's tentative title is Hype: Success Secrets From the World's Greatest Promoters, Propagandists, and Con Artists. It's based on the idea that persuasion principles are universal, so it makes sense to study those who do it best, no matter who they are. It's been a whole lot of fun.
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Michael Schein microfamemedia.com mfs@microfamemedia.com 646.392.7004
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