Written by: Claire Mason, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
It’s one of the many ironies of COVID-19 that in a time when movement was so heavily restricted, Zoom saw many of us whizzing between meetings across the globe.
We may have cursed Zoom and all other video conferencing software at times, but their teleporting abilities did come in handy.
That said, we can still only attend one meeting at a time whether we’re the pixelated version of ourselves or there in the flesh.
So who networks for you when you’re not in the room?
The answer is your content.
Content is the foundation of your personal brand.
Jean Evans is the founder of Networking Jean. She works with founders, business owners and coaches to craft roadmaps that help them grow via smart networking strategies.
It’s obvious that part of a robust networking strategy is joining a networking group (or several), but once you’ve signed up there’s way more to do in order to reap the benefits.
“Networking is the most powerful lever you can pull in your business to grow your reach, influence and leads pipeline. One of the key tasks when networking is building your personal brand,” explains Jean.
Expanding further, Jean explains that it is your brand that will speak for you before people even meet you.
“There are a few definitions of personal branding, but essentially it’s what people believe you offer in terms of products and services. Additionally, a big part of your personal brand is what people believe your values to be,” says Jean.
“Therefore,” Jean continues, “the personal brand piece happens outside of the hour or so you may spend in a dedicated networking meeting. And it’s this piece that will pay the long-term dividends.”
To create this personal brand, you need content.
Strategy + consistency = results
For your content output to work in your favour, you need to think carefully about what you want to publish to accurately reflect your service offering. And then publish frequently.
Let’s begin with the frequent part first.
One post, one blog, one podcast does not equal “doing content”.
Nor will it get you results.
Consistency really is key.
This doesn’t mean showing up day after day posting poor value content that shows no thought and shares no value. That’s a waste of your time and is disrespectful to the clients you’re hoping to attract.
But without a frequent posting schedule, even the best content strategies in the world will not perform well for you. Credibility is built on the basis of you showing up repeatedly.
Here’s where we get onto content repurposing. This is a whole topic on its own, and I’ll address it in a future column.
For now, think of how these tactics might help you work smartly with content rather than having to turn yourself into a content sausage factory:
If you appear on a podcast, have the engagement transcribed to share as written content on your website.
Identify individual points in a blog and build social media snippets around them.
When you present at an event (virtual or IRL), publish one relevant slide per day on your social media profiles.
Link to a media article that mentions you in your email signature.
Include your slides and blogs in your newsletter.
Now let’s talk about strategy.
A content strategy is the plan you create to manage what you will cover in your content, how you will create it and how you will distribute it.
Here is a brief example of what this looks like in practice:
What will you cover?
Your key messages
Content that speaks directly to your ideal clients
Updates of developments in your business
Case studies
Introducing team members
How will you create it?
Written content
Video
Podcasts
Photos
How will you distribute your content?
Content calendars for social media
Incorporating your newsletter schedule
Sharing internal links
Implementing an employee advocacy program
High-quality content counts in your favour
Investing in content does require some frontloading.
Whether you’re creating content yourself or working with a content strategist, creating robust content requires effort.
However, this effort can pay off for years to come.
An article I wrote in 2018 on SaaS PR still has people making contact with me three years later.
It’s only natural to conclude then that content not only networks for us when we’re not in the room, but time travels on our behalf too.
Claire Mason, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Claire Mason is a Content Strategist who works with solo entrepreneurs and founders. She helps them earn the publicity they deserve to grow their sphere of influence and sales pipelines. Claire has earned bylines from numerous publishers, including The Guardian, Marie-Claire, and The Sunday Times. And she has placed her clients’ stories in publications like Forbes, CNBC, and WSJ among others. Her clients regularly see increases of 40% or more to their pipelines after implementing her content strategies. Her work has been showcased as an example of best practices by HubSpot. Claire is also a regular contributor to Business2Community, Brainz Magazine, Tealfeed, and Digital Doughnut, and she writes regularly on how content marketing can move the needle for B2B brands.
