How to build brand & freelance business with relationship marketing. Freelancer, Leona Devaz shares her tips for developing the art of relationship marketing and why you have to go broad and narrow to develop brand advocacy.
Leona Devaz is a freelance journalist, marketing expert, teacher and a contributing author in the best-selling series ‘Adventures in Manifesting’. She loves writing long form features and profiles on individuals and movements and giving people a voice by telling their stories. She’s collaborated with agencies and direct employment with SEEK (the world’s largest online global marketplace) and the Australian Writers’ Centre (leader of adult education). Leona’s work ranges across the media and marketing industries, with a focused interest on music journalism, employment & education media, marketing strategy and interviews with high-profile females. She’s also a part-time Associate Producer for Perth’s independent radio station RTRFM. Assisting in producing the news and current affairs program ‘The Mag’.
Think Like A Journalist Quote
Success Quote
“On the field of the Self stands a knight and a dragon. You are the knight. Resistance is the dragon.” –Steven Pressfield (author & screenplay writer).
“I was in trouble. I was a man at sea. When I found this out, I used playwriting to solve my life. I used playwriting to focus on and attack the things that I was afraid of. To go in the direction of the things that I was afraid of instead of running away from them. In this one little moment, I suddenly said, “My God, that’s where the power is. The power is an arrow and it is fear and it points in the direction of where you should go.” And I’d always been going the other way. And that moment changed my life, it changed my writing, it changed everything.” – John Patrick Shanley (Pulitzer prize-winning playwright).
Career Highlight
Left an advertising/marketing job with a corporation and followed her dream and gut to get a “leg into the writing industry in Australia.” Hear how Leona did it and what she had to be prepared for in order to make it in the industry. Also, hear what she learned.
When It Didn’t Work
Leona didn’t understand exactly how to run the admin side of her business. She also became a “yes” person which didn’t always bring her financial success. Find out how she found “correction is direction” and made her business successful using tools and mentor advice.
Features Writing & Strategic Marketing Advice
- Develop a great long-form post by writing a great essay that uses these elements: Argument (or Identify), Explain, Define, Describe.
- Use more of a narrative approach.
- Humanize your relationships. Relationship marketing and brand storytelling is about the person–meet, talk, find out people’s likes\dislikes, keep interviewing, asking questions and forging a strong connection.
- Uncover the problems and go there. Go in and get full exposure. Go broad and narrow. Find out the discourse surrounding the client\company and within. Research. It’s not about fixed solutions; need to think laterally. Keep asking and getting to heart of what the mandate, goal of the company and ‘need to happen right now’ is.
- Present solutions that show you’ve listened and are strategic. Complaints and problems can create the best brand advocates for you.
Multimedia Resource
MAC 15” inch retina Notebook. “I take it with me everywhere!”
Book, Documentary, Podcast, Internet Channel
John Pilger Videos: Created 58 documentaries & film, a brilliant foreign correspondent and documentary filmmaker. He built a personal brand and didn’t shy away from asking hard-hitting questions, uncovering sociological, political and cultural issues and presenting them in an incredibly compelling and informative way.
Resource Links
Flow Hive (crowdfunding campaign)
Toggl (free time-tracking software)
Wave (accounting software)
Relationship Marketing Story
Contact
Twitter: @ldevaz
Leona Devaz LinkedIn Profile
Leona Devaz Website
