Alex 🍯 Yakubov

When you know your audience you likely have more than one person involved in making the purchase decision. Consider writing for just one type of role within the buying committee—something hyper specific to that role. An example for a cybersecurity product would be a Guide for Security Analysts that helps them identify gaps in their investigation process as it relates to an emerging threat. A C-level isn’t likely to download a hyper specific document focused on execution. And if an Analyst downloads this guide, it could be a strong indicator that their organization is actively engaged in re-evaluating their processes. Include a section that highlights how your product could fill a gap. This also cultivates interest and possible champions.

Understand how your target audience leverages webinars and in-person events first. Then determine if you will create the content yourself, use third-party content, or jointly create content with a third-party in order to effectively engage your target audience within your ICP. I find it helpful to build content plans around how my target audience uses these formats. I.E, cybersecurity buyers need CPEs (Continuing Professional Education credits) in order to maintain their professional credentials (such as CISSP). This means they have to go to accredited events (live or virtual) to earn those credit hours. Create top of funnel awareness content to educate cybersecurity buyers on emerging threats or challenges and host it with a CPE vendor.

Not everyone will agree with what you write. Not everything you write will be brilliant or useful to others. At some point, you will write something that you fall in love with and someone else will suggest an edit that breaks your heart. That is ok. Get used to criticism and learn how to accept the feedback without letting it destroy your motivation. One person's opinion can be useful, but it can also derail you if you let it. So decide to not let it and keep writing.

Creating content alone will not create brand awareness, but distributing your content in places with established audiences will. You may write a blog about Sales Software that you post to your own website. However, if you don't have a lot of organic repeat traffic, then you will not build awareness. Using snippets of your content and posting it to social media networks such as LinkedIn, or posting 40% of your blog to Medium enables you to find audiences interested in your topic, and then drives them to your website for the full piece. Additionally, you'll increase your credibility when others like and reshare your content on those platforms.

Lean into your investors and their networks. Do they have any round tables or executive events coming up that your company should take part in? Do they have any resources to assist with tasks or projects that you can outsource? Do they have experts you can get advice from or share materials with for feedback? Exhaust your investors resources before spending any other money.

Telling people that it can be challenging to move to Marketing from Finance is unnecessary and creates a fictitious gate. Don’t do that, LinkedIn. Plenty of people move from all sorts of functions transition into marketing. If you’re interested in making a switch, one of the easiest ways to do that is by pursuing a role in product marketing for a company selling a product or service related to the function you previously worked in. As an example, if you were previously a CPA, look for roles at companies in the tax/accounting space like Intuit and H&R Block. As an expert in accounting, you can leverage your credible experience to drive the messaging, positioning, packaging, and pricing that others without your background won’t have.