It’s a difficult time for entrepreneurs. On daily basis appears to carry information of layoffs from one other notable tech firm.
I do know a number of individuals who’ve been laid off from content material jobs just lately. I additionally know the way discouraging and aggravating that feels.
In November 2008, I learn a weblog publish from David Meerman Scott referred to as Downsized? Fired? Here Are the New Rules of Finding a Job. A month later, I used to be laid off f(together with greater than 10% of the corporate) on account of the 2008 monetary disaster.
After I acquired dwelling that day, I instantly reread David’s publish.
I can distill the takeaway into two sentences:
Wish to discover a new job? Cease pondering like a product advertiser and begin pondering like a writer.
Looking for a job? Think like a publisher, not a product advertiser, advises @DMScott via @DShiao @CMIContent. Click To Tweet
David relayed the story of Heather Hamilton, then a recruiting govt at Microsoft. She didn’t use typical strategies for sourcing and hiring candidates. As an alternative, she searched the net for potential workers. As David concluded, “So when you’re not publishing, you received’t be discovered by Microsoft.”
Thus, I started to show my job loss right into a content material advertising and marketing journey to create a private model.
Launching a weblog
Previous to the layoff, I helped to plan and execute digital occasions for the tech sector. I labored with shoppers like HP, Oracle, and CA Applied sciences on large-scale occasions that attracted hundreds of attendees. These corporations noticed virtual events as the subsequent period of on-line lead era.
The day after my layoff, I created a weblog on WordPress – It’s All Virtual. My first publish was 2009: The 12 months We Go Digital.
The day after @DShiao was laid off in 2008, he started a blog about his industry. @CMIContent #PersonalBranding Click To Tweet
As luck would have it, I discovered a brand new job immediately. A vendor of my earlier employer employed me as a shopper providers govt to work on their shoppers’ digital occasions and function an business evangelist.
Making an affect
I emailed my new boss a hyperlink to that first publish. He replied, “Dennis, I shared this with our staff. We knew you had expertise with digital occasions, however we had no thought you knew this a lot. We’re so impressed.”
I saved running a blog. Throughout the first months, a reader requested to talk. Within the name, he mentioned, “You realize, in final week’s publish, you shared some concepts about digital occasions that basically acquired me pondering.”
My inside voice mentioned, “Wow! Not solely did he learn my publish, but it surely’s serving to him plan digital occasions at his firm.”
The constructive reinforcement gave me the inspiration and need to proceed writing.
I discovered a constant publishing schedule for my weblog was important. I revealed one publish per week from 2009 to 2012. I wrote the publish in a Microsoft Phrase doc, staged it in WordPress, and scheduled it to be revealed the subsequent morning. In parallel, I wrote weblog articles about digital occasions on my employer’s web site.
Creating a consistent publishing schedule for a #blog is essential, says @DShiao via @CMIContent. #PersonalBranding Click To Tweet
The weekly cadence of publishing helped me set up myself as an professional on digital occasions. I used to be invited to creator guest articles and communicate at business conferences. I assembled posts into PDF guides and even self-published a e book, Generate Gross sales Leads With Digital Occasions.
I may see the fruit of David Meerman Scott’s recommendation to be a “writer of knowledge.”
What I might have performed in another way once I began the private weblog:
Taking to social media
Throughout my time as a digital occasions blogger, I found a group of occasion planners and assembly professionals on Twitter. We adopted one another and used Twitter to share concepts and content material.
Twitter was as soon as crucial social community for my private model. I used to converse about advertising and marketing there frequently, and the conversations with different entrepreneurs elevated my private model.
Since Twitter’s administration modified in late 2022, I tweet a lot much less. My account stays lively, however I plan to spend extra time on LinkedIn. (I’m additionally prioritizing old school social media – assembly individuals for in-person chats over espresso).
However you may adapt the method I adopted to construct my Twitter model to different platforms.
Begin with a mission assertion
I developed a mission assertion for my Twitter presence:
I wish to share fascinating content material about advertising and marketing whereas displaying those who I don’t take life too severely. I would like individuals to think about me as helpful and participating. My final purpose is to meet new individuals and discover fascinating content material.
Right here’s a template I developed from that mission assertion:
I wish to [ACTIVITY] whereas [BALANCED BY]. I would like individuals to think about me as [ADJECTIVE] and [ADJECTIVE]. My final purpose is to [GOAL].
Be a part of the dialog
Within the early days, I considered Twitter as a distribution channel, a spot to share my newest weblog publish.
I advanced my method to deal with Twitter as an always-on, world dialog – it’s extra rewarding to work together with others on social than to easily share hyperlinks.
I additionally kept away from overpromoting my firm and content material. You achieve extra respect and appreciation by generously sharing different individuals’s content material.
To gain more respect on @Twitter, refrain from overpromoting your company and #content, says @DShiao via @CMIContent. #PersonalBranding Click To Tweet
I additionally participated in Twitter chats – a scheduled time when an viewers gathers and follows the identical hashtag. Some have visitor audio system. Others have a subject or query round which the chat is constructed. Both method, they offer you a chance to share your experience in entrance of a captive viewers.
In content material advertising and marketing, two in style chats are Erika Heald’s #ContentChat (Mondays) and CMI’s #CMWorld (the primary Tuesday of the month).
What I might have performed in another way in my early Twitter days:
- Adopted others extra as they adopted me
- Centered much less on sharing hyperlinks to content material
- Engaged extra with customers
- Obsessed much less over the sequence of tweets in my profile
- Had extra enjoyable
Beginning a advertising and marketing meetup
In 2015, I launched a advertising and marketing meetup. My purpose was easy – to carry collectively entrepreneurs to be taught from one another. I went to Meetup.com and created the San Mateo B2B Bloggers Meetup.
Presently, I used to be working for a B2B software program firm, and my boss let me use the workplace after hours to host the gathering.
Based mostly on enter from members, I broadened our mission, altering the identify to Bay Area Content Marketing Meetup. In-person gatherings comply with the identical format: half-hour of networking and pizza, adopted by a 60-minute professional presentation.
In March 2020, we shifted to 30-minute on-line meetups over Zoom (co-organizer Wealthy Schwerin named these “Zooms at Midday”). We’ve held greater than 90 on-line conferences since then, attracting attendees from everywhere in the world.
We’ve featured in-person presenters from Marketo, Demandbase, VMware, SiriusDecisions, and Flipboard. We’ve had particular visits from Congresswoman Jackie Speier and Content material Advertising and marketing Institute founder Joe Pulizzi.
Whereas our members benefit from the studying alternatives, the connections and group are what they cherish probably the most. I’ve seen individuals discover new jobs, land new shoppers, and develop shut friendships. And I attribute 9 of my 20 consulting shoppers to the meetup.
What I want I had performed once I began a meetup:
- Requested for assist earlier – I did all the things on my own at first
- Requested presenters to advertise the meetup to their networks
- Experimented extra with paid advertising
- Gained extra monetary flexibility by promoting extra sponsorships
Sending an electronic mail e-newsletter
After I thought I would expertise a second layoff, I launched an email newsletter. I preferred the concept of constructing an electronic mail record, an viewers with whom I may share my ideas and experience.
I additionally wished to advertise our upcoming meetups additional. The Meetup platform permits me to ship a message to the group; nevertheless, the system doesn’t present me with electronic mail addresses. I created a free account on Mailchimp and referred to as my e-newsletter Content material Nook. I requested meetup members in the event that they wished to subscribe and manually added them to the record.
The e-newsletter comes out each different Friday and contains these sections:
- Introduction
- Across the Nook (curated content material)
- Subsequent Meetup
- Twitter Nook (one Twitter person function)
- Podcast Nook
- In Your Nook (an fascinating article not associated to advertising and marketing)
I take nice pleasure in uncovering fascinating articles that others would discover helpful. I’ve grow to be fairly selective. As an alternative of publishing a laundry record of content material, Across the Nook has just one or two alternatives. For every decide, I write a number of paragraphs to convey why I included it.
Whereas designed to tell, educate, and generally entertain my subscribers, the Content material Nook e-newsletter additionally options many points of my model, from my writing and perspective to my style and experience.
It’s a superb automobile for amplifying my private model. When one shopper was pondering of hiring me, this electronic mail e-newsletter clinched the deal. I’ve helped a number of shoppers create electronic mail newsletters. Seeing my private e-newsletter in motion helped them perceive how I would assist.
What I might have performed in another way once I began the e-newsletter:
- Centered on high quality over amount with curated content
- Employed a graphic designer to assist with the brand and HTML template
- Discovered extra methods to develop my subscriber record
It’s time to work in your private model
Within the 14 years since, I’ve actively and purposefully managed my private model. It’s not a one-time, spring-cleaning type of factor. For me, it’s ingrained in virtually all the things I do on-line: publishing articles, organizing meetups, tweeting with others, sending my electronic mail e-newsletter, and so forth.
Managing your personal brand is not a one-time, spring cleaning sort of thing, says @DShiao via @CMIContent. #PersonalBranding Click To Tweet
In my full-time roles, my private model gave me extra visibility in my business and made me simpler at my job. Now that I’m a advertising and marketing guide, my private model makes it simple for brand spanking new shoppers to seek out me. It’s content material advertising and marketing for me, and it really works.
Up to date Jan. 23, 2023
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Cowl picture by Joseph Kalinowski/Content material Advertising and marketing Institute