Let's face it ...
It's pretty damn tough running a business today, getting your name out there and connecting with clients and customers, and the people who influence them - especially if you lack a sizeable budget to do so.
Traditional advertising is rarely effective these days and is out of reach for most small business owners anyway, while many default digital marketing tactics no longer seem to work as well as they used to.
But there is a way through for those entrepreneurs who are willing to explore some new ideas while at the same time be respectful as to how they show up in the marketplace.
At the Reputation Revolution, we're all about building a sustainable base of communications for our professional personal brand which, for many of us, also adds considerable weight to the overall marketing of our businesses. In many cases, we ARE the business.
We look at strategic PR and communications and all that entails, including content creation for our owned media channels, we cover social media of course, as well as earned media such as publicity, media relations, influencer relations and public speaking.
Growing an audience of followers and subscribers is all part of the program: an audience of fans and allies, champions of our personal brand, of what it is we do and stand for - an audience made up of potential advocates, influencers, clients and customers.
But can we go deeper, and build a genuine community around our ideas, or a specific topic or issue?
Community as a concept has been kicking around for a while now, but it's taken on new significance in recent times, for many of the aforementioned reasons.
At best, it's grossly misunderstood, at worst, it's been consigned to the bin of marketing buzzwords!.
But we're about to change that in this episode!
Today's expert guest gives us the rundown on communities from a strategic marketing standpoint.
Indeed, he's just released a book on the topic!
His name is Mark Schaefer, and the book is called BELONGING TO THE BRAND: Why Community is the Last Great Marketing Strategy.
Mark is one of the world's leading marketing futurists and keynote speakers; he's also a best-selling author, a veteran blogger and podcaster, a business consultant and educator of note.
He's a true thought leader, in a world where there are plenty of wannabe's - and he embodies all the things we talk about here on the Reputation Revolution.
Let's meet him, shall we?
183 How to increase your professional value with Sarah Makris, leadership communications coach
182 From unknown B2B writer to high-profile LinkedIn expert: How John Espirian built a personal brand by being relentlessly helpful
181 Building a credible thought leader brand: why clarity, content, consistency & community matter
180 FROM THE VAULT: Building a unique, multi-faceted personal brand | CASE STUDY - Matt Desmier, Wise Old Uncle
179 FROM THE VAULT: How to find your unique voice | CASE STUDY - Anne Miles, Suits&Sneakers
178: Creating a support team for your personal brand | PLUS The Social Revolution's Tino Ho discusses CEOs & social media
177: Creating authentic video content in professional services | CASE STUDY - Pat Mannix, Paris Financial
176: Building an influential personal brand | CASE STUDY - Jen Bishop, Interiors Addict
175: SPECIAL EPISODE - Revisiting the 'Personal Branding Universe' | Takeaways & highlights from season 3
174: How to leverage connection and community to build your business with expert guest, Eli Trier
173: Building thought leadership through live streaming with Ian Anderson Gray
172: The power of authentic visibility with Julia May & Sarah Anderson
171: Build your personal brand through hustle and heart with Brook McCarthy
170: Putting the 'social' into social media with Mitch Jackson aka The Streaming Lawyer
169: Building an online presence with humanity & authenticity with Emily & Alan Braithwaite, founders of Yellow Tuxedo
168: Sharpening your message with ‘Velvet Machete’ Amber Hurdle
167: Building a personal brand within a corporate environment with Yishan Chan
166: Don’t just stand out. STOMP out! Developing a 'statement piece’ personal brand with Hillary Weiss
165: How to bring your best ideas into the world by writing a book | Expert Guest - Kelly Irving
164: The state of podcast interviews - what podcasters & podcast guests need to know | Expert guest - Tom Schwab, Interview Valet
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