Do you feel lost in the sea of advice about how to promote your business? How do you know that you’re doing the right things to market yourself online?
This post is about how being part of a marketing community has helped me succeed.
There are lots of communities you could join, and I’m sure each can offer different things. I’m basing this post mainly on my experience of being a member of Andrew and Pete’s ATOMIC since 2016.
(I was also a member of the CMA but this closed in late 2019.)
Private discussion groups
Not all of your chatter needs to be out in the open of social media. Remember that anyone could be watching, including potential clients.
ATOMIC uses a Facebook group as a private discussion area for members to discuss marketing issues, share ideas and look for support from the community.
Benefit
Private membership groups offer a safe space in which you can pick up tips, test ideas and share concerns without being judged.
Everyone in the group will be trying to learn and improve, just like you.
Guest blogs
ATOMIC has a guest-blogging programme, allowing members to share their best wisdom via a public article.
This is great for exposure and can lead to potential customers discovering you. Here’s a guest post I did for Andrew and Pete:
Guest blog for Andrew and PeteHow to search LinkedIn
In most cases, any marketing organisation’s authority and reach on the web will far eclipse your own, so having content published on their site is a really good idea.
Benefit
A perfect chance to reach new audiences, build authority and earn a high-value backlink to your site.
Community webinars
Regular webinars offer members opportunities to learn via private video sessions.
These can be watched live by members who wish to interact with the presenter or viewed on demand via a private website.
ATOMIC has extensive video catalogues that cover just about every conceivable aspect of modern marketing.
Benefit
You get to learn best practice from the leaders in the field.
Live sessions give you the chance to ask questions and interact with other members. Recorded sessions mean you can learn at a time that suits you.
Access to smart brains
One of the main benefits of being in ATOMIC is the direct access to Andrew and Pete.
The boys sometimes set up open hours so that members can hop on group calls to discuss their current marketing challenges.
I’ve also had 1-to-1 calls with them, which have been really helpful and have shown they truly know what they’re talking about.
Benefit
Moves the conversation beyond theory and into the nitty gritty of specific steps to help your business succeed.
A real chance to chat to others who are going through the same business issues as you or who’ve already been through them and have wisdom to share.
Content Mavericks
This is one of Andrew and Pete’s main marketing programmes, and is available to ATOMIC members as a video series.
Buying the Content Mavericks book means you don’t have to be a member to find out how the programme works.
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A step-by-step approach for building a business that stands out.
There’s no doubt this has worked for Andrew and Pete, and the lessons I’ve learned from them have helped me with my copywriting business.
Meeting influencers
I’ve met lots of influencers through being in marketing communities, most notably Mark Schaefer.
Mark has given me excellent guidance, included me in his book KNOWN and invited me to talk onstage with him at CMA Live 17.
During that talk, I had a moment of clarity and came up with the strapline for my business: I now market myself as the relentlessly helpful technical copywriter.
In fact, Mark has even written the foreword for my book, Content DNA.
My ATOMIC membership directly led to my introduction to Social Media Examiner, one of the world’s largest social media sites. My guest article there about increasing LinkedIn engagement has had more than 11,000 shares.
Without Andrew and Pete’s support, this wouldn’t have happened. Thanks, guys!
These introductions have helped push me forward, giving me the confidence to take part in interviews and podcasts.
Benefit
Being around the right people helps you raise your level.
The right membership community can help you discover, meet and learn from those people. It’s much harder to make these connections when you’re on your own.
Let’s wrap up
Marketing communities can be an immense help in teaching you the things you need to know in order to grow and sustain your business.
Yes, membership usually comes at a price, but what you get from being part of the right community could be of huge value to your business in the long term.
Without doubt, my business wouldn’t be where it is now without my investment in learning how be better at marketing. So, think about it: maybe your business needs that sort of boost, too?
A special video message from Andrew and Pete of ATOMIC
And finally … a free webinar offer from the boys
Click this link – Sales unleashed – for a free sales training webinar by Andrew and Pete. No signup needed
It’s running via a temporary Facebook group on Monday 25 November at 2pm UK time.
Monday 25 November at 2pm UK time.
