When I started planning for The Content Marketing Academy at the start of 2014 my aim was simply to educate business people about what content marketing is and how their business can benefit from it.
The Content Marketing Academy would act as a way of promoting content marketing and engaging business owners throughout the UK about the importance and opportunities associated with content marketing.
My secondary aim, and a major part of my personal goals, was to build a platform that would allow me to bring all my favourite speakers and industry leaders to Scotland. Those people that I look up to, admire and learn from.
I know I’m not the only one that feels like we’re a little out in the sticks here in Scotland. A lot of the marketing and business conferences take place in Birmingham, London and other big cities in England. In fact, the majority of the leading industry conferences take place in the USA. The Content Marketing Academy is going to change this.
When I started planning for TCMA 2015 I knew that I wanted to step things up from 2014, but I had no idea that I was going to be signing a speaking agreement with one of the world’s biggest content marketing thought leaders.
The benefits of building your network
As I was writing this article I reflected on how I got to where I am with TCMA and how I managed to connect with so many brilliant people. It’s really been down to creating The Marketing Academy Podcast show.
Simply by growing and developing my podcast show I have managed to build a new network of people. This platform has allowed me to connect with industry leaders, authors and successful business people.
I’m not sharing this with you to boast but to simply showcase how important it is to continue to build and grow your network. What are you doing to actively contact and reach out to people?
Marcus Sheridan was my guest for episode 19 and for the past year or so I have been keeping in touch with Marcus. Once TCMA 2014 was out the way I thought “what’s the worst that could happen” and just bit the bullet and simply asked Marcus what it would take to get him over to Scotland to speak. Within a matter of days the agreement was signed.
Why we invited Marcus Sheridan to be our Keynote Speaker
I’m very excited about meeting Marcus and I know that many others are too. As an insight, here are the 3 main reasons we invited Marcus to be our Keynote Speaker for TCMA 2015.
1 – An all-round great guy
In this past year or so I realised that when you are doing your own thing (building your business and growing your network) it’s really important that you find and connect with people that you like; those that have a similar philosophy as you do, and that they also like and respect you for who you are. These are the types of people I want to choose to spend my time with, and I’m sure that you do too.
As I mentioned, I’ve gotten to know Marcus well this year and I like his approach in life and in business. I enjoy listening to his podcast and reading his blog articles. He’s been very helpful to me and spent time answering my questions about content marketing and business.
So this is top of the list as the no.1 reason – he’s a great guy and I know that those coming to TCMA will absolutely want to meet Marcus and be around him.
2 – An expert content marketer and thought leader
Marcus Sheridan Speaking
As mentioned, my two main objectives are to promote content marketing and to build a platform for the best speakers in the world.
Therefore, the second reason I invited Marcus to Scotland is because he is well regarded and respected as a content marketing thought leader.
He has been heavily involved with content marketing for the past 5-6 years and he has a proven track record of success in the content marketing space. His ‘River Pools’ story is well known across the world.
“Inbound and content marketing was the greatest discovery of my business & it changed my life” – (Marcus Sheridan: Circa March 2009)
If you’re not up to speed with Marcus’ story, the best place to start is here. I have put together an article that includes videos, podcast, articles and eBooks that Marcus has created.
Marcus spends his days teaching business people all about the philosophy and tactics associated with content marketing and how everyone can benefit.
Marcus is the best person for the job!
3 – Passionate and enthusiastic speaker
Marcus frequently speaks at huge industry conferences in the USA with 1000s of delegates. Inbound and Content Marketing World are just a few examples.
He also spends a lot of his time facilitating and leading small to large private workshops for businesses and organisations.
In short, Marcus has a proven track record as a fantastic keynote and conference speaker. He really impacts people in a very positive way and he receives great feedback from the delegates on the value he delivers.
Here’s some of the feedback he has received from delegates who have attended other events and workshops:
“Marcus rocked Content Marketing World. By far, he was the most talked about speaker at the event, leaving a lasting impression of great content + amazing style. Looking forward to making Marcus even a bigger part of our event next year.” – Joe Pulizzi of Junta42 and CMI
Marcus Sheridan recently spoke at our Optimization Summit in Atlanta and he absolutely knocked it out of the park. His down-to-earth style resulted in a presentation that was both educational and entertaining. His passion for content marketing is infectious our attendees raved about his session, rating him as one of the highest presenters at our event. If you haven’t had an opportunity to see Marcus in person, do it – he’s outstanding. – Paul Clowe, Senior Director of Finance & Operations, Primary Research, MECLABS / MarketingSherpa
What I like the most about his style is how he interacts with the audience. So be prepared to get involved! In a nutshell, this is Marcus’ speaking style:
- Passionate
- Enthusiastic
- High energy
- Heavy audience participation
- Loud laughter
Here’s a video of Marcus in action:
Are you coming to meet Marcus?
Would you love to see Marcus in action? Are you based in or around the UK? Are you involved in the marketing of your business or organisation? If so, this is probably your first and best opportunity to meet Marcus and learn from someone who is regarded as ‘top of class’ in the marketing industry today.
Your turn
- If you could ask Marcus a question, what would it be?
- What have you learned from Marcus?
Let me know in the comments section below.