Mark Schaefer, Chief Operating Officer of B Squared Media, joins the Social Pros Podcast to discuss his latest book, Cumulative Advantage, and why it’s important to try new things and seek new opportunities. Huge thanks to our amazing sponsors for helping us make this happen. Please support them; we couldn't do it without their help! This week: Salesforce Marketing Cloud Upfluence accessiBe Full Episode Details What makes someone successful? Is it money, education, connections? Sometimes it’s hard to pinpoint the turning point in someone’s life. Mark Schaefer, Chief Operating Officer of B Squared Media, says that it’s not necessarily one thing that acts as an advantage. The initial advantage that people experience can be as simple as a singular conversation. He says that whatever this one initial advantage is can lead you down an entirely different path in your life. “If you have this original advantage…you can build unstoppable momentum.” Mark’s book, Cumulative Advantage, is based on the work of sociologist Dr. Robert Merton. It follows the idea that those who have some advantage can continue to benefit from it at a much faster rate than those who don’t. Mark talks about his own experiences and advantages and how they led him to where he is today. He shares why it’s so important to try new things and find your “seam” in the status quo. In This Episode: 6:00 – What is cumulative advantage? 13:45 – How internal narratives can hold people back 16:50 – Why it’s so important to try new things 18:05 – Mark reveals why loving your own ideas too much can be a problem 19:51 – How sometimes our marketing strategy is dictated to us 20:31 – Why marketing strategy is about finding a fracture in the status quo 22:53 – Mark shares why great marketing is about nonconformity 25:34 – Why following your passion isn’t the only thing you should do 28:45 – Mark shares the idea behind a “sonic boom” 31:15 – How to build your own brand with a sonic boom 34:31 – The important balance between maintaining consistency and excellence 40:28 – How Mark defines mentorship 44:40 – Mark’s top tip for social pros Resources Get the new State of Marketing report for free from Salesforce Find out more about the community at SocialMedia.org with a special form for Social Pros listeners Download Upfluence’s Brand Influence Ranking Report Find out if your website is ADA & WCAG compliant with help from accessiBe Cumulative Advantage by Mark Schaefer Marketing Companion podcast Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.