How to improve your online presence. Why personal brand development is important and how it impacts thought leadership. Jacob Warwick shares his insights.
Jacob Warwick is the Founder of ThinkWarwick, a content marketing consultancy based in San Francisco California. Jacob and his team frequently work with companies ranging from B2B tech start-ups like Visual.ly and Simply Measured to well established Fortune 500 organizations like Xerox.
His breadth of digital marketing experience in Silicon Valley over the past 8 years has earned him a variety of speaking opportunities, including the Social Tools Summit in Boston.
In addition to speaking and consulting, Jacob is an active copywriter and ghostwriter, frequently contributing content to Forbes, Entrepreneur, Social Media Examiner, AdWeek, and many other large publications.
Jacob’s number one tip to stand out in an increasingly competitive marketplace is to remain authentic, genuine, and true to yourself.
Think Like A Journalist Quote
Thought Leadership is simply about becoming an authority on relevant topics by delivering the answers to the biggest questions on the minds of your target audience.” –Michael Brenner
Success Quote
Never be the smartest person in the room. Just have a conversation and engage. Success is about finding growth in things.
Never be the smartest person in the room—surround yourself with people that inspire you in all aspects of life. At the same time, focus on maintaining humility and your authentic self through triumphs and shortcomings.
Career Highlight
My career highlight happens to feed right into when it didn’t work. Around October of 2015 I was notified that I was a finalist for Forbes 30 Under 30 award. Simply being included in the conversation began changing my demeanor about my work ethic—I began feeling that people were taking notice of the hard work I had been pouring in.
The recognition began opening opportunities, like contracting with Xerox and public speaking at summit events. In January of this year, I found out that I just missed the cut when I had the latest issue of Forbes delivered in the mail.
I was devastated; however, after a few days, I regrouped and used the near miss as more motivation for 2016 and beyond.
When It Didn’t Work!
What is one mistake you made and how would you do things differently using the knowledge you have today? When you felt like giving up, what kept you going? (see above)
How to Improve Your Online Presence to Develop Thought Leadership
- Engage with other people’s work online.
- Be authentic. Be yourself.
- Be genuinely interested.
- Do your research: read other writers, understand their perspective.
- Focus on providing value.
Think Like A Journalist!
You have been hired to help an ailing company that’s about to financially collapse. Its reputation’s shot. You have one month, a $1000 budget, a smartphone, and a laptop. How do you begin to turn this company around?
I’d begin by seeking and connecting with the most influential professionals in the industry. I’d ask them their feelings on the brand, why they think it is ailing, and what they think should happen to improve the brand. Next, I’d analyze the customer sentiment and general public perception of the brand. This information will help me develop carefully written content to steer influence in a more positive direction. I wouldn’t touch the $1000 for the first few weeks while testing which message resonates best with the audience. Once a particular message or content type begins catching traction, I’d use the budget to maximize it’s reach and go from there.
Multimedia Resource
Google Docs is an incredible tool for writers, journalists, and content marketers.
Books
Ann Handley’s, “Everybody Writes” has been a great resource for helping me develop my written voice
Brian Honigman’s digital marketing blog is gold when I’m looking for detailed insight on social media, content marketing, or copywriting tactics.
Expert Predictions: The year is 2025.
In 2025 I think brands will be much more invested in one-to-one authentic and personalized marketing efforts. Whether we have mobile devices or the next best thing, brands will get really good at understanding more minute nuances in their target audiences/demographics.
Contact
Jacob Warwick LinkedIn Profile
Mentioned In This Episode
TBJA 102 Brian Honigman On Twitter Chats & Social Media Strategies
TBJA 230 Hug Your Haters: Online Customer Service, Jay Baer
How To Rank Higher In Google Search Using E-A-T
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