Episode Summary
Companies are increasingly hiring people with a strong personal brand because it has many benefits. And for companies that are still building their own brand, the social presence of a personal brand is high on the list when choosing candidates.
But many young people are afraid to share their views and ideas with other people. That is mainly because they think that posting content requires some experience and that they do not have the credibility to express their thoughts so publicly.
In this episode of Rep Your Brand, host Nick Bennett welcomes Corrina Owens, Senior ABM Manager at Gong. Corrina has experience developing and leading content generation across multiple media platforms. She explains what a personal brand is and who can post on LinkedIn. In addition, Nick and Corrina talk about why it’s important to be yourself on LinkedIn and truly connect with people.
Guest Profile
- Name: Corrina Owens
- What she does: Corrina is the Senior ABM Manager at Gong.
- Company: Gong
- Noteworthy: Corrina Owens is an award-winning ABMer who is now blazing a trail at Gong. A passionate marketer, Corrina is all about building customer-centric programs with impactful account experiences and communities. Corrina has also recently been listed in the first-ever Future CMOs watch list by the Peak Community.
Key Insights
- A personal brand is the new biography. More people are posting content on LinkedIn and other platforms. Corrina points out that content creation has become a common occurrence that allows individuals to present themselves on a professional and personal level. "It's the new physical resume. I think that's how people are looking to evaluate who you are; that's what I've really enjoyed as the trend. I feel, at least for me, — and I hope for others too — that I'm able to really show up as my whole self at my job, whereas previously I certainly had to have a professional Corrina and everything else — that main Corrina — had to be left or put behind. And I don't think that's so much the case anymore."
- Young people should be free to post content. So many people post content on LinkedIn, but the question is, when is the right time to do it? Are there prerequisites for that, in terms of education, experience gained, et cetera? According to Corrina, every piece of content will always have an audience. "For a long time, we have been taught that we have to wait until somebody else validates us — that's when we have the opportunity to share our experiences, our thoughts, and our ideas. And I'm so thankful that I don't feel like that's the case anymore for me. And that's something that I'm shouting from the rooftops to every young professional, particularly young women. We need their stories, we need their voices, and it's not dependent on somebody externally telling you that you've had X amount of time in SaaS or X amount of experience in marketing before you can speak up and share your voice."
- Building a presence on LinkedIn. To get a regular audience on LinkedIn, you have to be persistent and patient. The most important thing when it comes to creating and publishing content is to reach out to people and connect with them. As Corrina notes, that is the key to success. "A lot of what I was doing on LinkedIn was all behind-the-scenes — all through direct messaging, just reaching out, making that connection, inviting them to events, and making sure they were aware of useful content, related both to my brand and also to the industry. So that grew my LinkedIn following quicker than I realized."
Episode Highlights
Corrina: To Me, Community Is Not Just a Word, It’s How I Live My Life
“I have, for the past decade, been remote — predominantly by myself because the rest of the company isn’t remote. And it is interesting that this push in 2020 — when that happened, none of that felt foreign to me. Finding communities where I could interact with people because I wouldn’t see them at a trade show wasn’t a new motion. So, I would encourage people to seek [communities]. There are a ton of communities to go through, but seek out the ones where you know that people are intentionally reaching out to each other — not just within the community platform but in other areas as well. And those are the types of communities that I believe are really fostering genuine connection and genuine relationships and err more on the side of action versus treating it as another revenue stream.”
What’s the Future for Corrina?
“I am being really mindful and thoughtful about where I want to spend my time. I think burnout is something that I’m continuously facing and wanting to balance by making sure I’m giving the appropriate amount of time to everything I’ve committed to, professionally and personally. But I am thinking about how I can evolve myself to be something that I don’t think quite exists today — or it’s just starting to form as far as what my title is or what my position is — and I’m not waiting for anyone to offer that to me. I’m trying to experiment and see what feels and continues to feel most authentic to me. So, experimenting and removing those barriers that I once put on myself. I once said, ‘I have to get this title, and get to this size company, and experience this type of offering.’ And that’s not really true to me. Things are pretty limitless, even if a little bit painful. So I’m removing those original thoughts and barriers that society — and certainly the workforce — wants to put on us and experimenting with what I think is going to ultimately get me where I will feel most free and empowered.”
What Does the Content Creation Process Look Like?
“I don’t know how scalable this will continue to be, but I do jot down ideas when I have them. I currently have notes on my laptop, on my phone, and there are folders by TikTok or LinkedIn or specific themes or our brands. And it’s always in the moment. I will sometimes go back and refine and tweak and add later, but I would say that 95% of the time, you’re getting my real-time thoughts and creative ideas in the moment.
And the way I’m able to get to those thoughts is because I am constantly engaging with content. So I’m constantly listening to different podcasts, reading different books, watching different television shows, and going out to different events. So I’m even diversifying what I do in my spare time. I’m an aerial circus artist. It’s just that all of these creative streams are running through my head, and I do find that, often, in different disciplines, I make connections. And then I just will jot it down, and typically, I will get that post up on LinkedIn or that TikTok video up within the hour. But I think I’m only able to create content like that because I’m constantly exposing myself to different types of mediums in content.”
