TO BUILD YOUR EB-5 COMMUNITY
by Mark Deal
Disruption is all the rage. We see it all around us. Whether it is through the growth of the global
shared economy such as AirBnB and Uber, or the cheaper and faster delivery of traditional products
and services such as Voice over IP or Skype. Disruption may not come as a drastic game changer, but
a series of more subtle changes. This, over time, allows for significant leaps forward in the way we
interact with the world around us. This can be seen by the use of Twitter leveraging the concepts of
simple cellular text messages and distribution lists historically found in e-mail.
These ‘disruptive’ changes may just mean that the
world is more open to doing business the way you
and your clients prefer, and this is no different for
EB-5. The world of EB-5 is, inherently, a globalized one—funneling international capital from
nearly anywhere in the world to projects all over
the United States. It is an industry that meets at the
intersection of diverse cultures, business practices, languages and time zones. It is no wonder that an industry that
relies so heavily on marketing to diverse groups of people is
turning to more creative strategies. In the fast-paced world
of EB-5, with projects looking for funding and investors
seeking green cards as soon as possible, traditional marketing techniques may no longer be enough. Let’s look at how
the power of your voice can be leveraged over the globe and
around the clock to supplement your EB-5 outreach efforts.
The power of the podcast
What is a podcast? Well essentially it is just like a blog,
but is typically delivered in an audio format. And like a
blog, people can subscribe and receive new updates automatically. A podcast can allow you to create the same, if not
better, content than a blog, and in a more accessible format.
With the proliferation of smart phones, Bluetooth audio
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integrated into everything, and our increasing trend
to make the most use out of idle time (such as driving or washing dishes), podcast consumption is on
the rise. According to a recent report from Edison
Research, as many as 39 million Americans will listen to a podcast in the next month.1 Since launching
my own podcast, my audience has grown, connections
have become deeper, and engagements became easier in a
way that they could not have previously.
Why you should consider using your voice
Using your voice, and building and media platform around
your voice, is about building relationships. I urge you to stop
thinking of business relationships as B2B or B2C—I want
you to start thinking in person-to-person (P2P) format. If
you cannot engage someone at a personal level using your
own a unique characteristics and personality, then you run
the risk of presenting yourself as a commodity—especially in
an industry where investors prize trust above all. If you are
managing your professional persona as a separation of who
you really are, take a step back and reevaluate what you’re
doing. Business is at its core - P2P connections with targeted
and specific results for mutually shared value based goals.
1
The Infinite Dial 2014: Edison Research & Triton Digital, 2014.
EB5 INVESTORS MAGAZINE