According to Andrew Davis (bestselling author and internationally acclaimed keynote speaker), content marketing is important because “content builds relationships. Relationships are built on trust [and] trust drives revenue.” In line with this, Disney's documentary on Stan Lee (aptly named after him) is a masterclass on exactly what it takes to achieve those results in your business (whether you are creating content on your own platforms or other’s) as it relates to the following principles:
"If you want to learn something, read about it. If you want to understand something, write about it, and if you want to master something, then teach it." (Yogi Bhajan)
This quote from my current favourite book, The Diary of a CEO (by Steven Bartlett), essentially means that “the ability to simplify and successfully share an idea with others is both the path to understanding it and the proof that you do”. When we apply this way of thinking, it's then safe to say that I'm an expert in my field and so is every business owner who shares helpful information with their clients one-to-one, through content marketing on blogs, social media, or any other medium.
You’re probably reading this and wondering why I’m sharing this. Well, I often find that when I talk to entrepreneurs about pitching the media, I get responses like, "Nina, I can’t because I don’t feel like I’ve arrived” or “I don’t know enough yet” or “I’m no expert, why would people want to listen to me?”.
I disagree with this, and so does Bhajan.
I love it when me and my girlfriends hype each other up, and they did just that when I recently posted this story with my locs down. But beyond cheering each other on, there’s also information sharing within a sisterhood. We tell each other about that discount on those shoes, that new restaurant, that show on Netflix, and even tips and tricks on how to take care of our locs. But if we can do this with our close circle, why don’t we do the same for our customers?
Growing up in London, I quickly learned that positioning matters. For example, whenever I use the tube, and I’m in an absolute rush (this is most days), I know that the right side of the escalator is for people who are happy to coast and that I should be on the left so that I can get to the trains faster. Knowing and following this unspoken rule helps everyone get to where they need to be easier (and in one piece lol). Similarly, knowing and understanding the full potential of PR can help you get to where you want to be more efficiently. As a result, when PR is done right, it can help you:
If you’ve been rocking with me for a while then you’ll know that I have a background in Speech and Language Therapy.
In the UK, the route from a NQT (Newly Qualified Therapist) to becoming a specialist means you have to serve your time as a “generalist” where you’d treat a bit of everything either in schools or a clinic.
Once you’ve paid your dues, usually about 2 years, you get to specialise in one specific area.
Now this is a really simplified explanation but I’m telling you this so you can see why a lady called Miriam Levine was such an angel to me during this period of my life.
You see, just before I graduated I’d applied for a job at a clinic in the London Borough of Brent. I managed to get an interview and Miriam and another lady, called Fiona, were the ones who interviewed me.
I remember coming out of that interview feeling like it had gone really well.
I’d answered the questions as best as I could but —most of all — I felt like I’d made a personal connection with the ladies (I had determined to be authentic yet professional, making them laugh more than once in the process).
A few weeks later, I received a call from Miriam but my hopes were crushed when I heard her say that- although they really liked me- there had been other candidates that suited the position better.
A few weeks after that call, I’d continued attending my last few lectures and applying for jobs but still was having no luck even securing another interview.
Then, one day, I got an email from a lady from a school that I’d never heard of- let alone applied to- saying that she wished to speak to me about the possibility of working for them.
Long story short, Miriam had recommended “a lovely girl that they had interviewed recently but weren’t able to take on”-
Me!
The best part about this job that plopped into my lap?
I’d be working in a language unit attached to a primary (elementary) school which would mean that I would bypass the 2 years of general practice and end up specialising in language disorders straight away!
As you can imagine, I took the job and it completely fast tracked my career development, saving me (years of) time!
The only other thing that’s fast tracked my career like that has been PR
Here’s how PR can do the the same for you:
On Friday I had the amazing opportunity to provide mentoring for an up and coming film maker as part of Genesis Child Films intensive workshop series
Shout out to my girl, Candice Onyeama for the invite!
One of the great questions that I was asked was "everyone talks about visibility and showing up authentically but how do I do that?"
If you've ever wondered the same thing, sis, here's my response:
What I love about PR is that it allows me to consistently and scalably create content without burning out
This is important because, according to Hub Spot's Ultimate Guide to Branding, "branding [through content creation]...gives consumers something to relate to and connect with".
"How does PR allow for all of this?" You say?
By helping me to follow Gary Vaynerchuk's sage content creation advice: "Document. Don't create".
In other words...
I'm the sort of person that can't eat breakfast, lunch or dinner until I have settled on something good to watch while eating...to the point that I could be starving at times; yet not be able to put a morsel of food in my mouth until I've settled on something to entertain me. To me, if I'm not eating socially, the programme that I watch is just as much a part of the culinary experience as the food. It's the foundation, if you will.
PR has foundations too. In fact, one of the questions that I am asked most frequently by potential clients is "What do I need to get started with PR?" In other words, they want to know the foundational things that they need to have in place before they embark on their PR journey. If this is something that you've also been wondering, here's the tea. You need these 4 things:
