For those of you who know, I was a reporter when I first graduated from university. I used to attend countless events every week, meeting other fellow reporters and PR along the way - and we all know Sassy.
To be honest, a lot of us (to this day) know them as the media that is relatively hard to get onto. They have a distinctive preference, and the editors are essentially curators for their target audiences.
It was hard to get hired by them, let alone featured. So knowing that I was voted gold at their latest Best of Hong Kong Reader Awards 2023 for the People - Tech category was quite surreal. It became even more unbelievable when they told me a total of 55,000 votes were cast for the whole award. I didn't know many people who would support me (I mean, I can count them on both hands) or even had the urge to vote for me.
So thank you to all those who did, and even those who did not, but recognized my name on the list. Three years ago, people only knew me as the reporter/ online editor/ dancer Joyce Tsang. Today, I'm proudly recognized as a favorite Content Marketer in Hong Kong. And all of that came from content. Content that helped me reach strangers and connect with others in the community.
1) Learning from others
Since my last (and first ever!) online interview Youtube episode with real estate agent, Barton Lui, I have been looking for something else to chat with. But because of a Content Marketing Report from 2022 that talked about the rise of law firms utilizing content marketing to grow their presence, I knew the next in line had to be from the legal industry.
I met Janessa at JC Legal's booth at the Entrepreneur Day event in HKTDC. She then invited me to their BYOB networking event, and now I get to return the favor. It was interesting to learn more about her and the way she is doing marketing for the law firm. I wouldn't have expected them to invest so much in top-funnel brand-building exercises, to be honest. It's not easy to get buy-in. Most people, especially those from more traditional and professional industries simply do not see the value of doing initiatives outside the typical ad-buy and PPC. Knowing that another fellow marketer and the company she represents treasures such tactics are a breath of fresh air.
On top of that, I also completed a new certification, Board Reporting for B2B CMOS from CaliberMind, in the past month. Being tested on understanding data with a more holistic point of view and explaining it in a storytelling format for specific individuals (including C-Suite, investors, and sales) has been eye-opening. I feel much closer to my personal goal of becoming a CMO one day.
2) Sharing my story
I met up with Bella and Carmen from Green Tomato's team in March, where we shared conversations about my career, content marketing, education, and AI over a lovely Chinese meal. Hopefully, I'll get to work with them both on upcoming programs and workshops soon!
Terkel also selected my submission in their latest article - How Do I Promote a Small Business With Content Marketing? which you can read here.
I also got featured by Women Entrepreneurs Hong Kong to share my two cents on my content marketing story. To top it off, I've done a lot of interviews and podcasts with internationally-based media this month. Hopefully, all of them will be live next month!
3) Celebrating and inspiring others
As April approaches, it also marks the end of the Mentorship program, Pursuit of X, by the Cocoon Foundation, which I am a part of. Since the inauguration and the sessions with my mentee, I have learned as much as these youngsters have. Connecting and hearing their stories and experiences at the Finale event reminded me once again why I am here doing the things I am doing. It is so important to know that you are not alone on your journey, particularly during moments of frustration.
I am glad to have started nurturing young individuals as early as I graduated. Seeing some of my first mentees excel at their careers brought tears to my eyes. They are one of the main reasons I keep going and continue to work hard on my craft.
4) Reaching people with content!
Last but not least, content production never stops! Now that the first quarter is over, I have reviewed and assessed the metrics I have achieved in the past three months.
And my Instagram account has not reached this quarter's goals. So Q2 would require me to create more reels and refinement the subjects I talk about. If the performance continues to drop, I may consider reinvesting my time and effort elsewhere, as I have to admit - Instagram is a lot of work.
Linkedin, website, EDM, and particularly Youtube have all exceeded my expectations, garnering promising organic reaches and engagement. I will likely continue to grow my traction on these platforms, with a focus on finding my signature content on Youtube.
To end, here is a video on building a movement which I find very interesting and hits it right on the nail:
In Q2, I will be working in hands with another amazing individual on a completely new project. We are still in the brainstorming phase at the moment, but we both see the vast potential it holds. Hopefully, we get to progress through the logistics of it all this quarter, so I can share some behind-the-scenes with you all!
Striving to not be a lone nut :)
- Joyce
PS. Looking to foster B2B collaborations for FREE? Check out this blog.
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