The importance of teaching

Our greatest value as individuals in this industry is our knowledge and our capability. We have nothing except that.

The best marketing, in our case, is to share our knowledge with the public—not the kind that could ruin our business, of course, but the kind that deserves to be shared and creates a real impact in the industry. Opening up and sharing what you know is difficult, but it’s the best way to stand out from the rest.

And by “the rest,” I mean those who pretend to be experts but are actually just talking nonsense—you can tell who they are.
When you share valuable knowledge with the world, you show that you know exactly what you’re doing and, on top of that, that you have the courage to give that knowledge to others.
This connects with the first principle of Autentio: to give more value than what you ask in return.

That’s why, instead of posting on social media just to show what you do or paying for ads, it’s much better to write a blog or publish posts that share real knowledge about your work. Even on Reddit—you can share what you know in a subreddit, and people might really connect with it.

The same goes for talks, whether they’re for the public or potential clients.

You can advertise. You can hire salespeople. You can sponsor events.
But your competitors are doing exactly the same thing. How does that help you stand out?

Instead of trying to spend more, sell more, or sponsor more than your competitors, try teaching more than they do. Teaching probably isn’t even on their radar. Most companies focus on selling or providing services—but it never even occurs to them to teach.

The type foundry Hoefler Type Foundry, for example, teaches designers about typography on Typography.com.
Etsy, the online marketplace for handmade goods, organizes workshops for entrepreneurs where they share “best practices” and give promotion ideas to the sellers on their platform.