Yesterday at the National Resume Writers Association conference I heard a question like this:
“How do I get more people to read my blog?”
And an answer like this:
“Make sure you write great content.”
Unfortunately, I disagree. Having great stuff is not good enough.
If you have a blog and want more readers, having great content is not good enough.
If you have a Twitter account and want more readers, having great content is not good enough.
If you have a resume and want to attract hiring managers and recruiters, having great content is not good enough.
If you have a story and want to inspire, motivate, persuade, influence, or touch someone, having a great story is not good enough.
Having great content, even being interesting, is not good enough.
You have to market. Nike has to had to market. Coca Cola has to had to market. Job seekers have to market themselves. Bloggers have to market their blogs if they want other people to find and read the blogs. Twitter people have to let people know you have a twitter page, and show you have interesting thing to tweet. If you have a resume you have to get it in front of the right people, and differentiate yourself from the hundreds of other resumes a hiring manager might see. Storytellers (that’s all of us) need to get an audience, because telling that story again and again in front of a mirror isn’t inspiring anyone.
Marketing, for you, includes having a brand and letting others know about it (i.e., know that you exist). Marketing is not just limited to big (or small) companies. Marketing is key to your career success.
Check out Conversation Agent Valeria Maltoni’s recent post on In a Tough Economy, Branding Matters. She talks about how job seekers (and career managers) can use technologies for branding. She is a branding thought leader, and it’s cool to see her take on what we can do for our own careers.
If you listen to podcasts, you have to check out the Personal Branding Summit recordings… hours and hours of recordings on personal branding from very different perspectives, at NO COST.
If you have great stuff, move to the next phase and let people know about it!
I agree. It reminds me of that saying – build it and they will come… I don’t think they will.
First of all, they would have to find your great content, which can be like looking for a needle in a haystack. The same holds true for resumes – unless yours is visible to employers and you are proactive in marketing it, and yourself, they’re not going to come, because it’s not going to be found.
So, yes, regardless of whether you’re blogging, job searching, or doing anything else online, you not only need to build great content, you need to build a strong presence, and market the heck out of it.
It would be nice if people would find it just because it’s good and it’s there, but in the world of internet overload we live in, the chances of that happening are slim – regardless of how great it is.
I would also add that in the process of marketing your blog those bloggers or companies who go out of their way to help give you exposure, even if they do not ask, should receive some kind of recognition back. Far too often, I have seen bloggers take advantage of other platforms and act like it was “supposed” to happen.
Nice article.
Jason,
I agree. A strong resume with good content is a great “push” marketing vehicle for a job seeker. Buy why stop with just one type of marketing? “Pull” marketing through blogging, commenting on blogs, using twitter, writing articles, speaking engagements etc can help create demand and establish your expertise and branding. It’s always better to have some ask for your resume rather than you having to try to get them to read it.
Did you (or someone else) stand up and correct the given answer?