Given the opportunity, I think most of us would love to meet the people that we admire. But, meeting one of your idols comes with risks. What if their online appeal doesn’t translate to real life? What if they’re great with a script, but not so great without? What if they’re just not very nice?

When we lined up master storyteller and creative consultant, Jay Acunzo, to speak at Farm Journal’s Breakthrough customer event in May, I had to balance my excitement about meeting one of my marketing heroes with the realistic possibility that he might be just another human being like me.

I’ve been following Jay for years and have always been inspired by his seemingly superhuman talent for communicating in a way that deeply connects with people. I arrived at the Breakthrough event with two goals: 1) Soak up as much of Jay’s expertise as possible, and 2) Keep my fanboy energy in check.

A good storyteller captures the room and Jay did that from the get-go with his humor and expressiveness. But what really grabbed me was Jay’s mention of this possibility: What if more of our work worked?

Of course we want that, but it can be easy to fall into the rut of do more, produce more, deliver more with the goal of more or better results – which isn’t always the case. Jay provided insights and suggestions for delivering more impact, value, and resonance – shared below – that have continued to inspire me and my work in the weeks following the event.

• Our biggest competitor is the status quo.

Change it up. Try a different approach. You don’t have to recreate the wheel, but by presenting new angles and trying different tactics you can evolve your marketing so that it best resonates with your audience.

• Don’t be the best. Be their favorite.

Be their personal preferred pick for a specific purpose. This is helpful guidance especially when it comes to crafting brand messaging. Don’t rely on superlatives, rather focus on the problems you solve and the results you deliver for customers.

• More original means more you.

Your personal perspective is your biggest advantage. Don’t be afraid to share your personal stories as they have much more potential to break through the noise than generic content that could have been written by any person or AI platform. Perhaps you could be vulnerable about an experience meeting one of your idols (as a random example).

• Content is nothing without connection.

Excellent content starts with impact which Jay formulates as IMPACT = VALUE + ORIGINALITY. But if content is nothing without connection, it’s imperative to remember that connecting with people isn’t possible without personality (see bullet above).

• When you want more results, resonate deeper.

Reach is how many see your content and resonance is how much they care (and why they act). Rather than focusing on increasing reach only, amplify your resonance through more effective storytelling and a more memorable brand message.

I’m happy to report that I didn’t lose my cool when I met Jay at Breakthrough. I’m even happier to report that Jay in 3D is just as friendly and engaging as his online persona, which provided an even greater lesson that wasn’t a part of his formal presentation: Whether personally or as a brand representative, be authentic in your online communications and carry that into the real world for maximum impact.