How do you build trust with your audience? By consistently showing up and adding value. Jared Robin, CEO of RevGenius, is a LinkedIn regular with a unique style, a compelling story, and a clear point of view. This has helped him build a strong personal brand and connect with over 45,000 followers.

For leaders, managers, solopreneurs, and individual contributors, building a powerful presence on LinkedIn is a game-changer.

A HardNumbers study shows a strong link between social media presence and financial success for unicorn companies with active founders.

“Our report reveals that unicorn companies whose founders have the most LinkedIn followers secured over £763 million in total investment on average. This is over 20% more than the average total raised – £632 million – across the UK’s entire unicorn cohort.

“This shows that investors want to align with leaders who have a clear, compelling story. When the story resonates, investor buy-in is more likely.” [Source]

The compelling story needs to be told. We know building your personal brand is needed, and we know it works. What’s next? 

Balancing act: How to start and stay consistent? 

We’ve all been there struggling with:

• Finding time for consistent content creation
• Generating fresh, cool, and engaging content regularly
• Balancing personal authenticity with professional branding
• Engaging in a meaningful way 
• Using AI in more elaborate ways than simply chatting with Chat GPT  

Whether that’s a busy CEO, founder, manager, or IC, building a consistent and powerful personal brand is a full-time job. 

Strategies to build your personal brand 

That’s why we talked to four experts who shared their strategies for building a personal brand and engaging with their audience, all while using AI as a tool. Check out our session with Justin Simon, The Founder of the Distribution First podcast, Brianna Doe, the Founder and CEO of Verbatim, Chelsea Castle, The Head of Content and Brand at Close, and Blaine Bolus, the Co-Founder for Castmagic, or read the recap below.

Start with a strong point of view

“Be willing to take a stand and repeat it until it becomes a recognizable theme.” – Justin Simon

Having a clear and recognizable POV is the starting point in building your personal brand. The consistency in messaging and defining your unique value proposition will guide all your efforts. As Justin explains, the more you talk about the topic, the more it becomes ingrained in your audience’s minds. This clarity helps in establishing your voice and makes your content memorable. 

How can AI help? 

AI-powered tools like sentiment analysis and market research platforms can provide insights into what your audience cares about. This data helps you craft messages that resonate and differentiate you from the competition.This not only sets you apart but also gives your brand a solid foundation. Use AI tools to analyze market trends and audience preferences to refine your value proposition.

Castmagic has an iOS app that turns your thoughts into content — you can share your thoughts, and let the app transform them into multiple posts. You can also use the Content Sample feature to style your content like the influencers you follow on social media. 

Having a clear “why” and an established POV helps in setting a clear direction and reducing content fatigue.

Be authentic. Always.

Authentic content is what truly resonates with your audience and builds trust. “Be clear on your ‘why’ and set boundaries to approach personal branding from a healthy perspective,” Chelsea Castle explains. Genuine engagement is key.

Balancing professional and personal brands helps with authenticity concerns.

Define the one word you want to be known for and focus on evoking the desired reaction from your audience.

How can AI help?

Personalization at scale: AI can help personalize your interactions at scale. Use it to analyze your audience’s behavior and preferences, allowing you to tailor your messages. This personalization helps build stronger connections and fosters trust. As Justin Simon points out, it’s about integrating your brand into everyday interactions without losing the personal touch.

Meaningful Engagement Avoid using AI for generic responses, especially in comments and direct interactions. Brianna Doe, the CEO and Founder of Verbatim stresses, “Creating content online and building a personal brand online doesn’t mean you can’t have boundaries.” Focus on meaningful, thoughtful engagements that reflect your genuine interest and expertise.

Store, Revisit, and Refine Your Ideas

Coming up with consistent content ideas can be challenging. Brianna Doe shares her approach: 

“I use Notion to store and organize content ideas, categorizing them based on my content pillars.” Having a system in place ensures that you always have a pool of ideas to draw from.

Blaine, co-founder of Castmagic, recommends creating a library of high-performing content from other creators. “Building a swipe file can serve as inspiration for what to post and when,” he explains. This file can serve as a valuable resource for generating new ideas and understanding trends in your niche.

Capture and document first, and then fit those into ideas later

How can AI help?

Repurposing: Tools like Castmagic can help repurpose content from various formats, ensuring you get the most out of every piece of content you create. This means transforming webinars, podcasts, and articles into bite-sized social media posts, blog entries, and more. Imagine taking your raw thoughts from sales calls, meetings, or recordings and transform them into a variety of content types: social posts, newsletters, blogs, etc. You can turn any conversation into insightful leadership content. 

Writing assistance: While there is a debate about using AI for direct content creation, it can be incredibly useful as a writing assistant. Chelsea Castle mentions using AI to “synthesize and analyze content” and improve the clarity and conciseness of your writing. Tools like ChatGPT can help refine your content, making it more engaging and easier to digest.

Automate to focus on connections

Automate to focus on connections. Identify where collaboration happens in your content workflow to optimize for both speed and authenticity.

Part of your job as a creator is being a curator of your own content

There’s no other way, we need to minimize manual effort but without losing the personal touch. Transcriptions, summarizing, scheduling, and content distribution can all be handled by tools but curation is key:

Curate and evaluate content before automating to avoid appearing inauthentic.

And by content we mean not only podcasts you were a guest at, your articles, the company’s webinars, and interviews but also: your calls, conversations with customers, community chats with your friends AND your own thoughts. 

“Recording thoughts and conversations can create a multimedia library that can be repurposed into different content types.” [Justin Simon]

TL: DR Best Practices Cheatsheet

• Tap into your media library for evergreen ideas. Turn context into content.
• Keep it simple. Know what you want to be known for, how often you want to show up, your point of view, and who you want to connect with. Building a personal brand is all about showing up authentically.
• Record your thoughts and repurpose them as much as possible.
• Embrace authenticity and use AI as your assistant and sparring partner.
• Consider moving your audience from rented platforms to your own (like newsletters) and use AI for deep personalization.

How can Castmagic help in content creation? 

RevGenius webinar session was powered by our partner Castmagic. It’s an AI-powered tool that makes it easy to create content from your audio and video conversations. It transcribes and summarizes key points from webinars, podcasts, and meetings, allowing you to quickly turn them into blog posts, social media updates, and newsletters.

Imagine a CEO who regularly speaks at industry panels and webinars. With Castmagic, these sessions can be transcribed and key insights extracted to create LinkedIn posts, a blog, and content for a company newsletter.

To give you an actionable plan and help with building your personal brand with AI we sat down with the Castmagic team to share the multiple ways you can use it — dive into the use cases here or check out our breakdown:

• Pages — Combine multiple recordings to extract and repurpose content into a 2000+ word article, newsletter, social post, and more.

• Customer Discovery — Record your sales calls and push them through the Customer Discovery Profile. Learn more about companies to come up with authentic write-ups. 

• Courses — You can take the webinars and run them through the Courses Profile, get worksheets and quizzes, summaries, and cheat sheets, and even build out a course program. 

• Podcast — make sure to repurpose your podcast once recorded into various formats: articles, interviews, courses, and social posts. 

• Meetings — Record your meeting and get quotes, key points, and ideas listed. Let the AI organize the agenda and action items. Use the shared link to send the recap to the team. Perfect for inspiration, content posts, and more.
• iOS App — Start recording your thoughts. A 2-minute recording on your walk can turn into an endless supply of social content to build out your brand on Linkedin. 

Remember that you can create your own prompts to repurpose any audio or video recording in your writing style and brand voice.

Sign up for a free trial and experience the magic of Castmagic!

Your personal brand is a reflection of your professional journey 

As Jared Robin highlights:

“I get into dozens of conversations daily with community members, many of which are automatically recorded on Zoom. What comes out are so many thought-provoking ideas and concepts. Castmagic allows me to create content from that easily and repurpose it so the gems get captured and don’t die when the call ends. These conversations contribute to the brand I’m building.”

Your personal brand reflects your professional journey – make it impactful, authentic, and memorable. Don’t miss our upcoming webinars on marketing, sales, and GTM trends!

The post Taking Your Personal Brand to the Next Level With AI appeared first on RevGenius.

Dive in! 

The way we consume content is undergoing a profound transformation. Gone are the days when SEO-driven blog posts dominated the marketing scene, and the pursuit of high search engine rankings was the primary focus. Instead, modern audiences are now turning to a diverse range of content formats and platforms to satisfy their informational and entertainment needs. 

From the rise of engaging podcasts during daily commutes to the scrolling of bite-sized, visually captivating short-form videos, and the active participation in live streams on platforms like LinkedIn, consumers are redefining their preferences and behaviors. In this era of content abundance, it has become imperative for businesses to adapt their strategies to cater to these evolving consumption patterns. 

This blog will delve into these transformative shifts, shedding light on how they are reshaping the landscape of content marketing. We will also emphasize the critical importance of building an owned audience and nurturing authentic relationships as the central pillars of a successful modern marketing strategy.

Being where your audience is matters more than ever.

It’s not merely about gaining likes, followers, or fleeting attention; the true goal is to convert these engaged audiences into dedicated subscribers of your owned content. This strategy ensures that your brand’s message consistently reaches those who value it most, without algorithms standing in the way. 

By actively connecting with your audience on their chosen platforms and then guiding them towards becoming subscribers, you can establish a more profound and lasting connection, providing the foundation for sustainable growth. 

The Ever-Changing Landscape of Content Consumption

The way people consume content today is vastly different from even just a few years ago. Traditional content marketing strategies often revolved around keyword optimization for search engines, with a primary goal of driving organic traffic to websites. However, as the digital ecosystem has evolved, so have consumer preferences.

Content Diversity

Consumers are no longer limited to text-based content. They engage with podcasts during their commutes, watch short videos on platforms like TikTok, and participate in live streams on social media. 

User-Centric Approach

The focus is shifting from creating content solely for the purpose of pleasing algorithms to creating content that genuinely resonates with human audiences. This means understanding what your target audience wants to read, watch, or listen to and delivering content that meets those needs.

Be Where Your Audience Is

To succeed in today’s content landscape, it’s essential to meet your audience where they already spend their time. We say that often but what does it really mean? 

Audience Engagement

Platforms like LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, and others have thriving communities of users. Engaging with your audience on these platforms allows you to connect with them on a more personal level. This engagement can lead to stronger brand loyalty and higher conversion rates.

Subscriber Conversion 

The goal should be to convert your audience on these platforms into subscribers of your owned content. Subscribers are more likely to engage with your brand consistently and become long-term customers.

Platform Limitations

Relying solely on platforms for content distribution means subjecting your reach to their algorithms. These algorithms can change, and they prioritize their interests over yours. Building an owned audience gives you more control and autonomy over your content distribution.

The Power of Algorithms

Platform algorithms are designed to prioritize content that aligns with the platform’s objectives, such as keeping users engaged on the platform for longer periods. This often means that your content’s reach is controlled by these algorithms, which can be unpredictable.

Throttled Reach

Depending solely on platforms for content distribution can result in a throttled reach, where your content is only shown to a fraction of your audience. This can be frustrating, especially when you have valuable content to share.

Owned Content Control

An owned content strategy allows you to break free from these algorithmic constraints. You have control over how and when your content is distributed, ensuring that it reaches your audience effectively.

The Power of Owned Content Strategy

Search marketing remains valuable, but an owned content strategy is gaining prominence for several reasons:

Audience-Centric Content

Owned media enables you to curate content that directly caters to your audience’s needs and preferences. You’re not bound by the limitations of keyword optimization; instead, you can create content that genuinely resonates.

Loyalty and Engagement 

By nurturing an owned audience, you build a community of loyal followers who engage with your brand consistently. This engagement can translate into higher customer retention and advocacy.

Long-Term Value 

Owned content has long-term value. Unlike paid advertising that stops when your budget runs out, owned content continues to provide value over time, driving organic traffic and engagement.

 Authentic Relationships at Scale: Playbook

Building authentic relationships with your audience should be at the heart of your content marketing strategy. What should you take into consideration?

Putting Yourself Out There

Authenticity is about being open, honest, and genuine. Share your journey, your challenges, and your successes with your audience. This transparency helps build trust and a sense of connection.

Competition Perspective

 While it’s essential to be aware of your competitors, don’t let their actions dictate your strategy entirely. Focus on delivering value to your audience, rather than constantly reacting to the competition. Stay original and true to your mission!

Thought Leadership

By positioning yourself as a thought leader in your industry, you can attract like-minded individuals who share your vision. Thought leadership can set you apart from competitors and establish your brand as an authority.

Conclusion

The evolution of content marketing demands a strategic shift towards building authentic connections with your audience. Embrace the changing content consumption landscape, be where your audience is, and prioritize an owned content strategy. 

Remember that algorithms can impact your reach, so focus on nurturing your owned audience. And most importantly, don’t let competition overshadow your commitment to delivering value and fostering meaningful relationships. As Anthony Kennada puts it, your mission is to serve your audience and help them along in their journey, and in doing so, you’ll pave the way for your own success. We like that a lot! 

The post Why Owned Media is Content Marketing 2.0 appeared first on RevGenius.

Debunking Content Marketing Myths

The Weekly Publishing Myth

We all can agree that after the launch of AI tools, we are overwhelmed with information, and thus, the spotlight has shifted to ‘what you publish’ rather than ‘how often you publish.’ 

If your content lacks substance, no amount of regular publishing will salvage your brand’s reputation. Quality, therefore, supersedes quantity in winning your audience’s trust and engagement.

The Perfection Paradox

Jess introduced a new concept that we fell in love with: the Minimum Viable Piece of Content (MVC). 

As the landscape evolves faster than brands can publish, waiting for content to reach ‘perfection’ is the same as missing the bus. 

This doesn’t mean you should compromise on quality; instead, adopt a ‘release, refine, repeat’ methodology.

In other words, deploy your MVC, gather feedback, and then iterate for improvement.

The 2023 Content Strategy: Hits and Misses

Unique and Original Content Stands Out

If everybody can create content, how do you distinguish your brand from the rest?

Brands must become storytellers, tell tales out of data and position narratives that offer unique perspectives to their audience. Telling the same story everyone else is telling won’t help you stand out; innovating on how you narrate that story will.

Avoid Over-Polishing Content

Authenticity is the currency of the age we live in. If you are creating content, the best approach is to strike a critical balance between professionalism and genuineness. 

While your content should be well-researched and expertly written, it should also bear the marks of human imperfections — making it relatable and engaging to your audience.

Promote Team’s Personal Branding

Every team member is your brand ambassador if empowered correctly. By promoting the unique stories, skills, and insights of team members, a company can create a multidimensional and authentic brand image.

Striking the Right Balance: Production and Distribution

As we create more and more content, the “distribution First ” approach is what separates your content from the rest.

It shifts the narrative from not just creating content but understanding where it will land and how it will be consumed. Tailoring your content for specific platforms or audience segments can amplify its impact by at least 5X.

Audit Existing Content First

Before you jump into creating new content, pause and examine what you already possess. An audit can find golden, untapped potential you didn’t know existed — pieces that can be updated or repurposed.

Align Content with Overall Strategy

At the end of the day, the overall goal of the brand is to increase sales and revenue. Thus, the content should reflect that as well.

Each piece of content should be a part of the wheel of your brand’s overarching narrative, this means blogs, video, or tweet should echo the brand’s ethos, ensuring a consistent message across all platforms.

AI: The Future of Content Marketing

AI will not take your job, but a person using AI can definitely do.

Instead of denying, the best way to understand more about AI and how it can help you is by experimenting with it.

Use AI to Reduce Human Efforts

The infusion of AI into content marketing can make your job a lot easier. 

It can sift through mountains of data to find actionable insights, helping brands to focus their strategies and optimize engagement.

Generate Drafts and Insights

Advanced AI tools can now assist in the creation process, offering templates or even entire drafts based on a set of guidelines. 

However, it’s not about replacing human creativity but assisting it, creating a synergy between machine efficiency and human insight.

Human Oversight for Quality

Though AI can do a lot, it can’t replace the human touch necessary for emotional resonance. 

Machines provide the analytics and insights, but the job of crafting a compelling story lies with the humans behind the screen.

The Evolution of Content Formats

Over time, as content evolves, so does the format. Experiment with different formats to understand which one works the best for you and your brand. Remember, each brand is different, which means what works for your competitors may not work for you.

Here are some interesting ones to explore.

Interactive Content

Interactive elements like quizzes, polls, and interactive infographics aren’t just frills; they’re essential tools for engagement. They offer users a voice, a stake in the content, and provide brands with invaluable data for future content strategies.

Long-Form Content

While platforms like TikTok prioritize brevity, long-form content still holds significant value. Detailed guides, whitepapers, and in-depth articles allow a brand to flex its intellectual muscle, positioning it as an authority in its domain.

Harnessing Social Media Platforms for Content Promotion

2023 saw a huge surge in the importance of niche online communities. 

Platforms like Twitter (or X), LinkedIn, and Reddit have groups dedicated to specific interests, offering brands a laser-focused audience segment. 

Brands should identify and engage with these micro-communities that align with their industry or values, build meaningful interactions and deepen their consumer relationships.

• Creating content on these platforms
• Live streaming on platforms and doing a QnA
• Interacting with the audiences, sharing behind-the-scenes glimpses, and more can build a relationship of trust and transparency.

Engaging with the audience in real-time helps in addressing their queries immediately, creating a stronger bond.

Personalization is the King

When creating content, we have to see the other side of the story a.k.a the customer side and understand how they want to consume your content.

Brands tend to make the mistake of relying solely on data instead of asking the users, and this is where we must change.

Content for Individuals

With AI and machine learning tools becoming more sophisticated, there’s an increased capacity for content personalization. We are in the “Era of Hyper-Personalization,” where content will be tailored to individual user preferences, browsing history, and even mood.

It’s not about creating content for the masses anymore; it’s about creating content for the individual.

Segmentation for Better Engagement

Understanding the diverse sections of your audience allows for a more targeted content approach. 

For instance, millennials might resonate more with video content on platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels, while professionals might prefer a well-written article on LinkedIn.

Sustainability and Content Marketing

2023 marks a year where consumers are more conscientious than ever. They’re not just looking for products but also for brands that stand for a cause. 

Whether it’s environmental conservation or social justice, brands that have a clear and genuine stance on issues can create more meaningful content that resonates with a conscientious audience.

Transparency in Content Creation

The audience is sharp; they can discern genuine content from pure marketing gimmicks. Justin advises brands to be transparent about their content creation processes. 

This could mean being open about where they source their materials for products or how they ensure ethical practices in their operations. 

Such transparency can be a treasure trove of content that not only promotes but educates the audience.

Wrapping Up

As 2023 looms large, the content marketing space will continue to see a lot of transformations and innovations.  For the time being (well, until AI takes over completely in a terminator style), the focus will be on authenticity, strategic distribution, and the integration of technology to refine and streamline efforts. 

Brands need to remain agile, ready to adapt at the drop of a hat. AI offers incredibly sophisticated tools, but the soul of content marketing remains rooted in human connection and storytelling.

The post Content Marketing Playbook in a Nutshell appeared first on RevGenius.