Brandi Fowler* says creating content can help establish you as a thought leader, attract recruiters and hiring managers, and strengthen your brand within your current organisation.
Content creation is becoming essential for professionals who want to position themselves as thought leaders and build their brands.
It can also help people move up the corporate ladder or attract new clients.
Digital marketing consultant, Shane Barker says having a personal brand and content is extremely important because it’s how people will know you, what you do, and how you do things.
“The most important thing is to create content with intent. Figure out your content goals and what platforms are going to resonate best for the content you are trying to create,” Barker says.
Head of Influencer Marketing at Fiat Growth, Katie Stoller also emphasises the importance of building your brand via content creation.
“Three, four years ago before the pandemic, it wasn’t really common or permissible in many cases to step out from your full-time job,” Stoller said.
“A lot of organisations considered it self-promotion if you did interviews for yourself or podcasts or posting long things on LinkedIn.”
She said it was now much more acceptable to promote your brand while having a full-time job.
“That was my evolution. I was scared to ever venture into it. Once I joined my current company where it’s more encouraged, it snowballed.”
The first step is to find your niche before constructing your content plan.
Then, craft your content around the topic.
A niche is a specialised area of focus within a profession. According to LinkedIn News, it helps tailor your content to a specific umbrella topic.
Stoller says your full-time job only stays with you for however many years you work there, but your personal brand stays with you for life.
“It’s in your best interest to make a footprint,” she says.
“If you feel like you are an expert in something, it’s important to figure out what that niche is and become a thought leader in that space.
“It can help you get jobs.
“It can help you if you ever decide to go off on your own.”
She said it makes the organisation look like they hired a person who is a motivated go-getter and a thought leader.
“It makes the organisation look good.
“It’s a win-win.”
She urges people starting out on this course to focus on a narrow topic to help determine their niche.
“Niches seem to build a stronger audience faster. If you don’t know what your niche is yet, don’t just pick something out of a hat,” Stoller said.
“That’s a recipe for signing up for something that you won’t be happy doing.”
She said if you are having trouble pinpointing that topic, post broadly to see what resonates with your audience.
That will help narrow your niche.
“What do you enjoy posting about? Where are you making connections? Where are you really inspired?” She asks.
“When you post about something that inspires you is it falling into the same category over and over and over?
“If that’s the case, that’s probably your ticket to what your focus should be.”
*Brandi Fowler is an experienced lifestyle and travel expert, keeping any eye on the latest fashions. She can be contacted at destinationfab.com.
This article first appeared on LinkedIn.
