How do you ask for digital marketing mentorship?

1. Identify Your Needs:Understand what specific areas or skills you want to develop. 2. Research Potential Mentors:Look for professionals whose work or accomplishments resonate with you. 3. Engage Authentically:Begin by engaging with them online. Comment on their social media 4. Request Guidance:Once you've established some rapport, politely ask for guidance 5. Be Clear and Respectful:When asking for mentorship, clearly state your intentions, explain why you admire their work, and express your willingness to learn from them. 6. Propose a Structure:Suggest a format for mentorship that suits both your needs and their availability. 7. Show Gratitude:Regardless of the outcome, always express gratitude for their time and consideration.

A lot of people think this has to be a formal thing when in fact, you can selectively choose who to follow, build relationships with, and learn from—all online. They don't have to formally say "yes I'll be your mentor" in order to get mentor-like value from them.

When seeking digital marketing mentorship, it's crucial to approach the request in a thoughtful manner. Begin by conducting thorough research to identify potential mentors who possess the expertise and experience you seek. Craft a personalized message that demonstrates your knowledge of their work and expresses genuine admiration for their achievements. Clearly articulate your goals and aspirations in digital marketing and explain why you believe their mentorship would be invaluable in helping you achieve those objectives. Acknowledge & respect their time by suggesting flexible communication methods and a mutually agreeable schedule. Lastly, express gratitude for their consideration.

I'll share with you a way I solved this challenge in 2015. I was launching another startup, and while I knew exactly what I was technically doing, I also knew what I didn't know. So, I sought out the biggest influencer I could connect with on YouTube in my domain, pulled a Sherlock Holmes to find their email, and reached out. I explained my challenge, briefed on my company, and said I would pay out of pocket whatever they asked. They replied, demanded nothing in return, and offered to help guide our road map. It worked. And we crushed that specific problem. My advice? If you need a mentor, find exactly who you do want, reduce your ask to exact clarity, and ask for their advice. I've done this twice as a founder, and it's worked like magic.

Few ways to find mentors: 1. LinkedIn - directly search for people with the relevant skills in digital marketing, you can start in your local area. 2. Find mentor in online community like GrowthMentor, MentorCruise which offer mentor & mentee matching and coverage different skill areas in digital marketing. 3. Join local networking or meetup events, it is really about expand your network and get connected to someone who can be your potential mentor. Can start searching via Meetup, eventbrite, etc.

I find it always effective to include (1) the similarities in your journey vs your potential mentor and(or) (2) how your path cross with theirs which triggers you to reach out in the message. For example, you both attended the same event, have made a career switch some time ago, have been in a similar role, etc. The list is endless, so find out what are these things and make the message really personalized and be genuine.

Don’t be scared by the term “mentorship”. It’s literally about connecting with someone who is already ahead of you on the journey and is willing to share their experience / lessons learnt. The biggest side bonus is - every time when you connect with someone who is on similar journey as you, it boost your confidence level to keep going.