What can the IMPACT EQUATION do for you?
IMPACT = C × (R+E+A+T+E)
Contrast: Does your idea stand out?
Reach: How many people do you connect to?
Exposure: How often does your audience hear from you?
Articulation: Is your idea clear enough?
Trust: Do people believe you?
Echo: Does your idea connect to your audience?
Three years ago, when Chris Brogan and Julien Smith wrote their bestseller Trust Agents, being interesting on the Web was enough to build an audience. Now everybody has a platform. But most of them are just making noise.
In The Impact Equation, Brogan and Smith show that to make people truly care about what you have to say, you need more than just a good idea, trust among your audience, or a certain number of followers. You need a potent mix of all of the above - and more.
As traditional channels for marketing and selling disappear and more people interact mainly online, the very nature of attention is changing. Use the Impact Equation to figure out what you're doing right and wrong. Apply it to a blog, a tweet, a video, or a mainstream advertising campaign. Use it to explain why a feature in a national newspaper that reaches millions might have less impact than a blog post that reaches a thousand passionate subscribers.
The Impact Equation will give you the tools to guarantee your message will be heard.
