From First Impressions to Leadership: Practical Strategies for New Marketers
Deanna A. Mims
?? Content Coach l Marketing Strategist | SEO Content Development | Brand Development??
Today's topic of Seeking to Simplify are some straight-up tips for junior marketing teams or beginning professionals new to a company and to marketing and communication challenges.
If you’re new to marketing or working in a team for the first time, this piece is intended to give you some tools to make stronger first impressions, communicate with confidence, turn small talk into big opportunities, tell compelling stories, command attention, and lead projects effectively.
Note for Newbies:
To be a top-notch marketer, you need a mindset that’s all in for constant learning, an optimistic yet realistic outlook that sees potential where others see problems, sharp instincts and the ability to read the room, an eye for watching and anticipating trends, and being adept at pivoting fast when needed. Then real magic happens when you take a 360-degree view and seeing the bigger picture from every possible angle.
Take a deep understanding of client pyschographics and combine it with a practice of drawing inspiration from how other products are sold or campaigns are crafted in completely different industries—and adapt those strategies to your own.
First Impressions: Nailing That Initial Connection
Scenario: Let’s say you’re part of a team launching a new social media campaign to leadership, board or other employees. Instead of starting with, “We’re launching our new campaign,” you might say, “Get ready, we are about to connect and learn from our audience like we never have."
When you are up to bat and are introducing a new idea to others, think about using an emotional tone to catch interest and then selling the sizzle or outcome of how it will make things better.
Confidence in Communication: Owning the Conversation Scenario:
Scenario: You’re in a meeting, and the conversation starts to drift off-course. You could bring it back by saying, “That’s an interesting point, and it actually ties directly into our main goal—getting more and better customer engagement. Let’s focus on how we can make that work.”
This keeps you in controlling the discussion you initiated, without letting it stray too far afield.
Handling Small Talk: Turning It into Big Opportunities
Scenario: You’re at a networking event, and someone asks, “What do you do?” Instead of just saying, “I’m in marketing,” you could say, "I create marketing that sticks" or "I make brands unforgettable" or "I turn strategies into connections."
This opens up the conversation and makes what you do more relatable.
Storytelling: Making Your Message Memorable
Scenario: You’re pitching a new content strategy to your team.
领英推荐
Start with, “Remember how Brand X went from barely getting noticed to becoming a market leader? Well we're trying to adapt it to make a powerful content strategy that will do something similar for our clients."
Presence and Magnetism: Commanding Attention
Scenario: During a presentation, as you make a crucial point, you step forward slightly, make strong eye contact, and gesture openly. Pause before you respond to collect your thoughts and ensure you are coming across like you intend. This subtle move not only grabs the audience’s attention but also reinforces the importance of what you’re saying.
What was a major game changer for me was finding a mentor - perhaps someone who's outside the company but carries themself the way you'd like to or in the company who’s already excelling in the role you want - can fast-track your growth, saavy, learning and confidence. Surround yourself with people who challenge you to level up and learn from their experience.
Finally, there is no substitute for staying at the cutting edge of your field. That means committing to constant self-study. (I grok 8-15 pieces of information about SEO, AI, Content and Marketing Strategy almost every single day, and then put actionable tasks into my development notes as they apply to various clients or our firm itself.)
Good Luck, I'm here for a free 30 minute conversation if I can help, and know You Can Do This!
P.S. Here’s a list of marketing geniuses who write online, each with a unique approach and valuable insights:
Here are the live-linked marketing geniuses:
Certainly! Below are the live links formatted to stay intact when you copy and paste: