Maybe I should stop saying shit.
In the olden days, the IRL hustle culture advice was to “dress for the job that you want, not the one you have”, and I wonder if today, we need to create the online personal social media brand for the gig you want, not the gig you have.
Recently, I was recommended for a role at a big analyst firm, which was a splendid compliment, to have that potential recognition. But when I cast my eye over the way I’ve been presenting myself here recently, I thought shit.
Then I thought shit, I shouldn’t be saying shit.
Shit.
I then discovered that one of the analysts read my…
Shit.
Like showing up for an interview in a hoodie?
And I started to wonder how Exxon reclaimed its brand after the Exxon Valdez disaster (kids, that was a big oil spill in 1989), could I mop this up?
And, I decided to hit publish on something I’d been working on that liberally used the F word anyway….
In a similar vein, if you read this newsletter or the Rockstar CMO newsletter, I’ve also been thinking a bit about how politics is creeping into our social media discourse, and posted about this a couple of weeks ago, when I talked about building trust as a test as to whether you should post.
My chum Keith Smith made an excellent point in the comments that sharing a bit more of ourselves, like our politics, builds connection – like our B2B brands, our personal brands can’t be all beige, they need a bit of edge to them.
Truth.
However, we are not all like the famously potty-mouthed Mark Ritson, or any number of commentators bringing their whole selves to this medium, economically protected from being edgy. And even my example is terrible, I have choices that many people do not.
Is this a good example for up-and-coming future CMOs?
As the discussion goes on about what is or what isn’t fit for LinkedIn – some caution is probably required here.
So, maybe….
Post for the gig you want, not the gig you have?
Oh and by the way, saying bollocks in the title of a blog post did get Rockstar CMO banned from advertising on Twitter, back when, you know, anyone wanted to advertise on Twitter.
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I’m a 3xCMO, now a marketing strategy advisor and podcast host at Rockstar CMO. Although, I’m not a rock star, but a marketing leader, strategist, content marketer, columnist, speaker, industry watcher, and creator of ART (Awareness, Revenue, and Trust) for the companies I work with. But most of all, I am an enthusiastic tea drinker.
You can find me on LinkedIn, Twitter, or now Threads! – or listen to my weekly podcast at Rockstarcmo.com
The half-baked thoughts shared on this blog may not reflect those of my employer or clients, and if the topic of this article is interesting or you just want to say hello please get in touch.