Crush It! And Your Personal Communications Strategy
by Karl Schmieder, founder of MessagingLab
When Matthew Engel invited me to guest post, he suggested I write an article on communications strategies since many graduates of the Fundamentals of the Bioscience Industry Program would be seeking employment in very specialized areas.
| My business is helping biotech, device, healthcare, and emerging technology companies tell their story and how I do that was going to be the subject of the post. But then, my friend Graham Lawlor of UltraLightStartups gave me his copy of Gary Vaynerchuck’s Crush It! and I thought, “Hey, this speaks more to the idea of personal branding and is applicable to both individuals and small companies.” |  |
At its core, Crush It! gives you the following formula for building your personal brand:
2. Blog about it,
3. Use social media to expand your audience and build a community,
4. Then repeat steps 2 to 3 ad infinitum.
Vaynerchuck claims building your personal brand is necessary to crush it in your industry and ‘make your entrepreneurial dreams come true.” He built his personal brand to increase sales at his family’s wine store, signed a 7-figure book deal and became an internet celebrity in the process.
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But, what is a personal brand and why does it matter? A personal brand is the process whereby you and your career is marketed as a brand. It’s claimed management guru Tom Peters first used the term in 1997, so the idea is not that new. Dan Schwabel, Author of Me 2.0, says “The goal of personal branding is to be recruited based on your brand, not applying for jobs.” Gary’s do-it-yourself method is similar to what I would do for any company. The first thing I ask potential clients is: What do you want people to remember about your company? What is the one thing that is guaranteed to differentiate you from anyone else in your niche? The process starts with a great story. Then, you need to figure out who to tell the story to and how to reach them. |
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When you’ve started a company and no one knows you, I suggest founders focus on their expertise and getting known as experts. To do that, participate in forums online and get known as the go-to person for your topic. The people in the forums will be your initial audience. They could be employers. Then, who is your audience? Where do they hang out? What’s the best way to reach them? If it’s the internet, then things like social media make sense. If not, you may have to pick up the phone and go meet people in person. Vaynerchuck claims, “The thing most people don’t realize is that… your business and personal brand need to be one and the same.” |
The WineLibraryTV.com‘s host and internet celebrity’s book is a useful blueprint that you could leverage to market yourself and look for a job.
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Bio: Karl Schmieder is the founder of MessagingLab, a communications firm that works with healthcare companies developing disruptive technologies. Karl has worked with the A to Z of biotech and life sciences companies and has helped launch the blockbuster drugs Januvia (Merck), Lucentis (Genentech) and Risperdal (Janssen). He blogs actively at messaginglab.com. |
Karl – I think this article is really awesome!!! You did a great job, thanks so much. After I read it over a few times I realized, holy smokes – this is some really important info! I think we all need to do this stuff today in the digital age, just to get noticed. And it will help your business grow by leaps and bounds! The internet is the place to be for a growing company.
Karl, thanks for listing Me 2.0
Wow, smashing article here!
Thanks for the great advice, Karl. Looking forward to your future posts here on the Alumni Website!