My dad told me very early on in life that it matters what others say about you, which of course is absolutely right. At some point or another, you will need someone to vouch for your skills and abilities. It will help to have people in your corner. At the same time, it’s just as important what you say about yourself. Depending on what your message is, you can easily talk yourself into our out of work with your content.

Today, that means what you say online.

This article from MarketingProfs is the first of a three part essay on mistakes you can make in your content marketing strategy. I won’t get into a big long definition of what that is. Often, those sort of articles are mixed with confusing dialogue regarding how you can best promote.

I will say this: if you are not sending a consistent and positive message marketing the business of you, there are plenty of people to help you with that. Please do so.

To get back to my dad, the best way to look at content marketing strategies is his advice he gave me long ago. What would you want others to say about you when you aren’t around? Think beyond simple superlatives and focus on specific skills. 

What do you want to be considered an expert at?

Of course, you may want to be an expert at a ton of things. I tend to delve into a ton of things and don’t develop any sort of deep knowledge base, with the exception of a few things. If that’s the case, your leadership category may take some time and effort to develop. Don’t give up on it, and don’t be afraid to put out a message that you later have to pull back. One of the best messages you can promote is that you grow with your industry.

Be open, be honest and take consistent steps forward. You won’t regret it.