Inspired by Adam Rodricks

During the past couple of decades, social media has evolved, and so has the concept of personal branding.

When I was a kid, the only websites I knew about were owned by celebrities, companies and web-based games like Neopets (is that thing still around?). Nowadays, virtually any person can create their own website or blog, and work on building an online presence. Beyond websites, social media platforms have become even more accessible. Through the tap of a download button in the app store, you can gain access to platforms enabling you to create your own personal profiles, all at your fingertips!

One person I know who knows a thing or two about personal branding, social media and digital marketing is Adam Rodricks. Adam is an international award-winning social media strategist, public speaker, and teacher. But that’s not all. He recently published his first book, Trigger Fingers, all about personal branding, so he can add author to his impressive resume now too. Oh, and he just happens to be an inspiring colleague of mine.

I first met Adam a number of years ago at the firm where we both work. These days, I think the majority of the firm knows Adam on a first name basis like Drake or Madonna. You have a question related to social strategies or personal branding? Reach out to Adam. You know which one. Not only is Adam one of the most likable people at the firm (he has endless dad jokes too), but he has truly become an influencer and inspiration to many.

With the release of his new book, I knew it was perfect timing to ask Adam to share the inside scoop on writing his book as well as tidbits of wisdom he’s collected on his inspiring journey.

GET TO KNOW ADAM RODRICKS

First off, I want to say congratulations on publishing your first book, Trigger Fingers! That’s such an amazing achievement and I’m thrilled for what‘s to come for you. We’ll dive in a bit more on this later. Let’s start off by talking about how your journey started. Browsing through your website, people can learn how playing video games led you to creating your own blog, but how did your blog lead you to pursue the career you’re in now? How did you find your niche? Or did your niche find you?

Thank you! And the story itself is the basis of one chapter in my book called ‘The Starlit Letter’: I saw my humble video game blog readership grow exponentially in 2007. It went from 5,000 readers to 10,000 to oh my God, someone sent me a literal CHEQUE in the mail (ad revenue was a novel concept to me at the time).

Eventually, that blog got me hired when a recruiter found the blog and referred to it as “my portfolio”: a body of work that demonstrated knowledge of content strategy, consistency and channel marketing.

“Personal passion gave way to my learning the foundations of digital, and when combined they led to my career. Who knew?”

In my opinion, one of your true talents has to be your stage presence. When you’re presenting or interviewing someone, I feel like you naturally just light up and are able to captivate the audience with your presence. I think confidence has a lot to do with it. Have you always been confident presenting or putting yourself out there on social media? What advice would you give to people who are working on building their confidence?

Firstly, that’s a huge compliment coming from you of all people who is excellent in front of the camera and on the microphone. Thank you.

To answer your question: have I always been confident? No, not at all. I’d go so far as to say I’m still not confident all the time, but feigning confidence presents as well as actually having confidence; I’ve simply learned how to use those nerves to my advantage.

Growing up, I would positively fumble over myself, shifting my weight nervously while my voice raced and quivered – you get the idea, stepping out of your comfort zone is rough but necessary for growth.

My advice to better public speaking is the 3 P’s: passion, presence and practice. All are important but I cannot overstate practicing; I work tirelessly to make my stage presence look effortless and natural.

When it comes to personal branding, I like to think that’s synonymous with investing in yourself. There are so many social media platforms that we can leverage to enhance our own personal brand, but at the end of the day, those platforms don’t really belong to us. On the other hand, if you purchase a domain and build a website, you have effectively created your own platform. As someone who uses various social media platforms and has a personal website, what’s your take on the best way to invest in yourself and your personal brand. Do you think it’s essential nowadays for people to have a personal website in addition to engage on other social platforms?

The best way to invest in your personal brand: authentically. If you were hoping for an answer like “TikTok is a must”, I’m sorry – not all platforms were created equal, not all content was created equal, and there are certainly different strokes for different folks.

I like my website because it supports my specific and unique marketing funnel: I needed a place to house my talks, my actionable workshops and now a free sample of Trigger Fingers for people who are curious but don’t want to take the plunge without first getting a free taste. There just wasn’t a social platform that had the versatility I wanted and that’s what led to me creating www.adamrodricks.com.

Your identity is beyond the company you work for. I think sometimes it can be challenging for people to discover what their personal brand is beyond where they work. In your case, you’ve successfully been able to create that “extension” of your personal brand. What are some tips you’d like to share with people who find it challenging trying to identify their personal brand?

“I usually start by asking a question: ‘what do you want to be known for?'”

When stumped, I may lead you a little bit with a follow up question like “where does your passion meet your aptitude?”. When I applied that formula to myself, it was “I love video games, and I enjoy writing so I’m starting a gaming blog”.

If you’re stuck trying to answer either, I recommend doing some mind-mapping as a first step. From there, it’s a true A/B test through activating your own content strategy, seeing what you enjoy and what resonates with your audience.

This is probably a great segue to talk about your new book Trigger Fingers, aka, Amazon’s #1 Best Seller in Business Public Relations! That must feel so surreal. I don’t want to reveal too much about the book itself, so people can read it, but I wanted to touch on your process. How you made your vision a reality and brought your book to fruition. With writing, sometimes it just comes naturally and words flow on a page. Other times, however, at least through my experience, you may not have the motivation to write – nothing flows, you don’t have any ideas or feel inspired. I experience this occasionally with my creative writing. Did you ever experience writer’s block while you were writing your book? How do you overcome that?

Anita, yes. YES! Maybe for some it’s as simple as sit down and go, but this took me 26 months from when I first put pen to paper (err.. finger to keyboard?) to when I hit store shelves. Sometimes I use a technique called “freeflow” to break through the writer’s block, but more often than not: I cut myself some slack. I do my writing in the evenings after I finish my day job, and if it’s been a particularly long or arduous day, it can be hard to channel that creative mindset.

If that happens, I implement my “no more zero days” policy; this means that no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, I make one step forward that day before calling it quits. Sometimes it would simply consist of an email to my editor, or returning to my marketing plan to update it with a single new tactic, but it enabled me to sustain momentum, even when I felt I had little left in the tank.

I’m human, I have off days, but my drive is not measured by any one writing session, and that’s why “no more zero days” helped me get across the finish line when writer’s block set in.

I usually end these conversations by asking for a quote, so it’s quite fitting to ask an author of a book that question. What’s one quote that has inspired you that you’d like to share?

I’m big on quotes. Every chapter in my book starts with a poignant quote before the actual story, but how about the quote that started it all?

“Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best.” – Henry Van Dyke

Building your personal brand isn’t something you do overnight. It takes time and dedication. Just like building your presence on social media, Adam proves that you can achieve great things as long as you stay consistent in your effort to reach your goals.

If you haven’t ordered Trigger Fingers, what are you waiting for? Get your copy today!