For those of you who have been following through my series of The Entrepreneur Log, you would know that I wear two hats. To this day, I believe being a recognized educator is an asset for my content marketing business. However, there are times when others find my working style very different than that average marketer. They usually account for the difference from my part-time lecturer background.
I have been connecting with different marketers ever since I started Joyce Tsang Content Marketing in November 2020. Everyone experience similar struggles with their leads and clients. In short, online and digital marketing can be rather complicated for others to understand.
While I have always believed it is highly important for each client to understand the rationale behind every marketing decision, not all marketers have the patience to educate others on this. Moreover, some are protective of their knowledge. However, this educational aspect is what I enjoy the most.
1. Educating my clients like a lecturer
I go through monthly reports with all of my committed clients, and the sessions can last up to 3 hours. It is draining, but it is one of the more valuable things I offer. Clients get to understand metrics, and the best part is, they start seeing past vanity metrics and start thinking about actual content objectives. One of my retainer clients got to learn and see how their social media efforts have driven traffic into specific website landings. Though they have worked with other marketing agencies, it was their first time to see the big picture. They know their investment is highly worth the while, and it has also allowed us to work better together because they know what I need as a content marketer.
But of course, not all clients prefer such a collaborative way of work. Some clients only want someone to execute things for them and are not interested in learning about the clockwork. Some clients may see my way of explanation much like a lecture class. In no way do I lecture my clients, but I do share my knowledge and answer any questions on spot as prepared as a lecturer would. I have, indeed, received comments from leads on the way I present my knowledge and myself. Sadly, it has been labeled as "antagonistic" once.
2. My way of work as a Content Marketer
That has forced me to question myself. Has my insistence on having the client understand exactly what is going on and trust my diagnosis been too strong? Do clients want to know what they have done wrong, or do they only want good news?
Very soon into this thinking process, I've realized I've come a full circle. The whole reason for me to quit my full-time job was because no one seemed to care about the actual data and content quality. Most people only wanted big numbers and nice comments. I was dying to do better work but failed to have my feedback fall into the right ears. The moment I started Joyce Tsang Content Marketing was the moment I accepted that I can't please everyone in this world.
"It’s one of the biggest ironies in business today. Many KPIs are more symbolic of a “culture of accountability” v. being representative of actual performance."
- Mark Stouse, Chairman and CEO, Proof Analytics
This learning process has empowered me to say no to some clients. It became the motivator for me to continue to create content because I only want to attract high-quality clients that treasure such knowledge. And luckily, I have been able to do so. I constantly communicate with the seven clients I have in hand right now, and we go back and forth a lot of times. It can be very time consuming, and sometimes we end up with lengthy emails or zoom discussions. But these are the results of clients knowing how online marketing should be done. They are starting to understand the real value behind the content strategy I have created for them. They want to become a part of their marketing decisions and create better work.
At Joyce Tsang Content Marketing, it is important to be rooted in the real world just as much as educating everyone on the facts.
One of my first clients has started to create content by himself, and the quality before working with me versus now is very different. He can create effective content all on his own now. He recognizes what he needs to do next now. I see him as a successful example resulting from my way of work.
I guess what I'm trying to say is if you are tired of not understanding your marketing efforts and are looking for a dependable partner who can guide you on your business's online marketing - speak to me! If not, be warned of my "machine gun" speed on spitting out data and content analysis!
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