Know-How Exchange : Career/Training

Dear Rachel,

Consider restructuring your LinkedIn profile so that your skills and endorsements come first. This way you offer social proof up front.

Next, all the job stuff? Consider telling readers what you achieved rather than what you did in your day-to-day duties. All the day-to-day stuff is part of a job description, but the things you achieved (increasing sales, cutting costs, generating social media returns and so on) this is the kind of stuff you can write about AND that you can then use as talking points in business meetings.

Next, begin reaching out to people in the niches you want to move into. Do this through LinkedIn groups, through Facebook groups, and via Twitter. I've found that since getting my LinkedIn connections get beyond the 500 mark I'm now taken more seriously as someone that's in the know.

What do you know that you can leverage? What content, expertise, or material can you package dan get out there? All you need is one idea.

As for networking, feel free to connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garybloomer

I hope this smidgen helps.

I would encourage you to remain active and engaged on this forum. Ask and answer questions. Learn to surge past questions. In addition to a mentoring relationship, you can develop working relationships with a number of specialized marketing professionals from all over the world here on this forum. I suggest allocating time on a regular basis to participate.

I've been a mentor on a handful of occasions, all paid projects -- usually with an employer picking up most or all of the fee. Mentoring requires a significant commitment on the part of both parties.

If there's a learning that would be helpful it's that having a clear objective and a prepared curriculum up-front will prove to be worth the time/effort required. When the relationship is unfocused, you are never clear if you are making real progress or just treading water.

You might start by breaking "online marketing" down into its component parts. For example, you might consider SEO, SEM, web design, social media (as a marketing tool), content marketing, use of video, email marketing, and a few others. While you will want to know something about all of these, you probably won't be able to master them all at the same time, so you'll have to set some priorities.

Remember too that "online marketing" is still Marketing, so you will want to be sure you have a good grasp of marketing strategy, market research and the 4 Ps (or SIVA, or whatever else constitutes the core elements of Marketing).

If you need a short reading list, you can take a look at https://bit.ly/9bnxbr . It's not specific to online marketing, but it's probably a good starter list for Marketing in general. There are another 6-8 books that begin to get more specific to digital marketing when you've finished the more general reading.

Heeey Rachel,

both Gary and Telemoxie have offered some great advice for things you need to think about and do.

I personally think so often that we become confused by the process because we are not Clear "Within" our own selves about what it is we want to do. There are three reasons for this based upon my experience in mentoring that I'll list below that you should really give some time to Thinking about. That's if you really want Clarity on the matter. Because of my intuitive ability I can tell from reading your question that you really need to come to grips with

"What you want to do". ( I mean get down to the specifics of what makes you Happy!)

Because until you really settle that and the Details of "What that is?" all of the other things you have listed above as questions will not come together as quickly as you wish. You see gaining Clarity about the "What" will unleash your "Inner Passion" allowing you to excel in ways you can't even Imagine right now simply because you are not Clear. Which of the three do you really love the most?content creation, social media management, or metrics tracking? I mean which one of these do you really wake up every single day you live yearning to do?

Because clarity of Understanding is the most Important thing to resolve...and until you get that...all the other parts may not even be as relevant...as you understanding and gaining confidence...about "What" you want. So again here is what I'm going to recommend...look at the three ideas below that I'm giving you and really come to grips with...where-you-are at...based upon the question...and then let that question begin to open up your understanding as to where you should begin searching for information, solutions and answers.

Most people struggle in one of the three areas and sometimes all three.

1. Even when they've determined that they want to do something they don't believe it can happen for them.

2. They're not in touch with what it is they'd truly LOVE to do...(and this only adds to the confusion).

3. They're very confused about the Action Steps they need to take in order to get where they want to go.

Once you settle which one, two or three of these is really plaguing you the most then you will be able to at least know where your biggest constraint is. At that point you can use some thinking strategies to help you quickly resolve this and with that your Clarity of Focus will now allow you to move unimpeded towards your Goal with PASSION. KEEP SMILING!!!

Is there anything else I can do for you?

Your Servant,

Deremiah, *CPE (Customer Passionate Executive)

*Caring Promotes Exuberance

PS
REMEMBER... our only real problem in life is our failure to be "MORE Creative" than we’ve ever been. If you “Invent” your opportunity YOU WILL most definitely create your future.