Blog - Deborah Beckwin | Content Strategist for Mental Health, Healthcare & Edtech

May 29, 2024

A black and white photograph of a wall with the word YUCK painted in all caps.

How to Take the Ick Out of Marketing

Does Selling and Marketing Give You the Ick? When you think of sales and marketing, is your first reaction ick? Yuck? No thanks? We live in a capitalistic (or as some call it crapitalistic) society that inherently exploitative, and the more marginalized you are, the more exploitable you are in this system. At the same time, you have helpful products or services that you have to sell so you can support yourself and your loved ones. But the means to do that feel exploitative because capitalism is inherently exploitative. It may not even be about beliefs about money, which I will not get into here. It could just be that you don’t want to engage in such a destructive system. But, ya gotta eat! Keep a roof over your head. Take care of yourself A Necessary Reframe Let’s keep it all the way real. Marketing can feel, and is many times, manipulative. All of us are guilty of buying something we didn’t need because we felt cajoled or guilted or beguiled into the purchase. So of course, you don’t want to treat your clients or customers that way. And that’s a good impulse. But marketing really is just telling folks about what you have to offer and how you can help. All the other stuff that feels slimy — you do not have to engage in! Marketing Your Way Especially if you’re extremely online like I am, you are inundated with people trying to sell your something or influence you. […]

July 25, 2023

X Marks The Branding Hubris

Enter the Branding of the Billionaire Genius Myth Elon Musk is not a genius, no matter what the media has told us. This “genius” is destroying Twitter because greedy stockholders held him to his bluff to buy the company. As you probably know by now, Twitter is kind of being transformed into X (the announcement could be have been created via ChatGPT?), a company name that Musk has wanted since PayPal. I say kind of for a few reasons. When Musk tried to take down the Twitter signage on the San Francisco office, the SFPD shut it down. X as a trademark is owned by Meta, Microsoft, and many other companies. Close to 900 active trademarks are held in the US Patent and Trademark Office. The Twitter handle X is taken by someone else. Very interesting times indeed. These do not look like the branding moves of a genius. What’s in a Name? Billions of Dollars! The media propped this man up as some genius, but clearly he doesn’t know the value of the Twitter brand. Brand agencies and analysts estimate that Twitter’s brand value ranges from $4 billion to $20 billion. Twitter was created in April 2006, so to flush down all that value, starting from the iconic logo to some already copied, poorly conceptualized, inaccessible font. Inside Twitter HQ in San Francisco, it was down with the bird and up with the X: The co. is projecting the X logo in the cafeteria and changed conference room names […]

June 15, 2023

Small Business Life — Can’t Do It Alone

If you’re a small business owner (or an executive or manager), you’ve seen posts like this before, and it’s usually some pitch for a business coach. And, well…this will be like that. But not quite. I Know Some Thangs… I’ve been working in content for about 11 years now and it’s been a roller coaster ride. I’ve learned a lot about about content but also about working with all kinds of people. A lot of important life lessons about work and the importance of healthy, respectful relationships that make the work even better. And even if I know a lot about business at this point, there is absolutely no way I’d go along my small biz life without having some sort of help. There are too many things to navigate: sales, profitability, customer service, marketing, service delivery, taxes, contracts, keeping your business edge…and on and on it goes. …But I Could Always Use Some Help I have worked with a couple of business coaches before, and I realized that coaching is definitely different than therapy. And one key difference is the approach. From my experience,and I admit that this is a bit reductive: coaching is a lot more in your face than therapy. You can come with your issue and the coach is basically like, how do you plan on overcoming that obstacle? It’s more motivational. Get out there and make those sales or give that presentation or overcome that work challenge. And sometimes, you just need that prompting, that strong accountability. […]

June 2, 2023

Two business women of color sit on a window sill smiling and talking

How to Successfully Work with a Content Professional

I’ve been thinking about my experiences as a content professional over the past 11 years and what I wish I could tell past, current, and future clients about how to have a successful engagement with a writer, strategist, or consultant. And then I saw that Melissa Malec, a UK-based B2B content writer and strategist, came up with this nifty carousel on LinkedIn, which was based on her expertise and the expertise of six other freelance content folks. Definitely worth reading. There may be some overlap, but these are some things I’ve found have made consulting engagements more productive and enjoyable. Have a marketing plan. Remember: even if they have extensive experience in marketing, a copywriter or a content strategist is not a marketing CEO or marketing manager. Copywriting and content strategy should be parts of a larger marketing strategy. If you don’t have a strategy or plan, you’re basically flinging spaghetti on the wall and hoping it sticks. And that won’t get you visibility, clients, or revenue. If you’re just starting out, check out SCORE’s marketing plan guide. Do your homework. When you hire a content professional, you hopefully scoped them out. You looked at their testimonials. You looked at their portfolio. You had a good conversation with them where you learn how they work and if they’re a good fit within your organization. You paid for a trial post or article. But you should know what this consultant will be doing and why and how that drives your bottom line. Be […]

February 21, 2023

New Year, New You, What’s Bothering with You?

Are you still resolved? If you have New Year’s resolutions, you’re probably a little bothered right now. It’s week 8 in 2023 and according to a study, January 19th is when most people abandon their New Year’s resolutions. It’s also been reported that people tend to abandon their resolutions in the second week of February Research by Forbes states that 80% of us will abandon our resolutions. I can’t really remember the last time I’ve created an actual New Year’s resolution, especially around fitness. It just always felt like too much pressure. And now in the doldrums of winter, at least for us northern hemisphere folks, there’s nothing going on. No festive holidays (I don’t count President’s Day), bleak skies, cold weather. It’s so blah. Ditch your resolutions Well, if you haven’t ditched your resolutions and you’re toiling under them right now, I say ditch them. Not because you’re doomed to fail. Actually, at this point, if you still have your resolutions and you’ve made it over the two humps of destined failure. And no, I’m not going to tell you to create SMART goals or SMARTER goals or anything like that. I mean, that’s helpful for sure, but that’s not what I want to talk about. My journey actually started on Twitter, a little before 2023 started. Getting comfortable with yourself I follow a lot of journos and writers on my Twitter account and Andrea Grimes, a journalist based in Texas, wrote this lovely, vulnerable newsletter the day […]

February 10, 2021

Two businesspeople, a white man and a white woman, give each other a high five while smiling. They sit at a table with a laptop, two mugs, and papers strewn on the surface. For the blog post, "Lessons Learned from Two Collaborations" by Deborah Beckwin

Lessons Learned from Two Collaborations

I’ve been reflecting on the idea of collaborations with my work, and I wanted to share some musical geekery that may help you not only get to know me better but also help you to choose better people and organizations to collaborate with. So, here goes… A Music Snob Briefly Reviews folklore and evermore Besides being a content strategist/writer/editor, I’m a bit of an erstwhile musician (I’m a classically trained pianist). And I really enjoy listening to music of all sorts, which is, honestly, not really a remarkable hobby. I mean, really — have you ever met someone who hates music? I doubt they exist. I’m also a bit of a music snob, and I cut my snobby teeth in the indie rock music scene of Chicago (I even sang at Schuba’s once). And last year, a lot of musical artists released their quarantine albums. And Taylor Swift was one of them. (God help me if the Swifties come for me, though! ? If you are one, please bear with me and my musical review here.) AND, I admit, this woman is fiercely loved and protected by her fans. And she has felt like she’s lived very much under a microscopic gaze of scrutiny. Last year, Swift released two albums — folklore and evermore. She worked in a previous collaborator/producer, Jack Antonoff (he’s worked with my faves Carly Rae Jepsen and The Chicks on their latest albums). Previously, Swift worked with Swedish producers who are known to make some solid […]

November 25, 2020

Four Ways You Can Personally Connect With Your Audience

I wasn’t planning on writing today, but I really felt compelled to write about how to connect with your audience. That’s because I read Meghan Markle’s heart-wrenching personal essay in the New York Times Opinion section changed my plans. If you haven’t read it, go read it now and come back. I was especially compelled to write about her today because last night I finished the latest season of The Crown on Netflix. Holy frijoles, was that a wild ride through my childhood! Anyway, there are a few things that you can glean from this piece for your own writing, even for your business and beyond the takeaway message of just being kinder and more empathetic (that will also help your business). Be vulnerable. Meghan sharing her miscarriage in the first few paragraphs of this essay was exceptionally disarming. I was not ready. I knew this would be about COVID and just how tough it’s been this year with the title “The Losses We Share” (which, by the way, is doing double work there. She’s sharing about her loss, but she’s also talking about collective losses). This piece was the first time that she has publicly discussed it. And she started with an ordinary summer morning with her child which ended up heartbreak for her and for her husband Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex. It wasn’t just the emotions that she invited us to feel. It was all the sensory details. You probably felt like you were in her home […]

November 12, 2020

A white man with glasses, a white button-up shirt, a black blazer, and jeans is walking with a phone to his ear. To his right is a white board with big black block letters that say PRODUCTIVITY For the blog post How to Better Respond to People When You're Busy" by Deborah Beckwin

How to Better Respond to People When You’re Busy

We’re all busy and being a business owner means one important task you’re doing on a daily basis is reaching out to people. A lot us aren’t really fans of networking. It can be so awkward and strange, like you’re trying to force connections that aren’t really there. It can be nerve-wracking to meet new people (especially if you’re an introvert). Meeting people online is no different. Whether the person is a cold or warm contact, it can be a little scary to just say hi and try to get to know them. What if… They don’t respond? I’m bothering them? They block me? All of that is possible. But it’s not the end of the world. But…what if they’re possibly unintentionally rude about connecting with you? Healthy Boundaries and How You Express Them Have you ever tried to get to initially know someone online and asked if they had time to chat and get a hard brush off? In a response to wanting to learn more about them and their business, I’ve heard things like I don’t schedule extra meetings or I only have time for client calls or other explanations that frankly are none of my business. The message you’re conveying to the person interested in getting to know you is that you’re not important. And that may not be your intention, but it’s not the nicest message, is it? Your idea of honesty isn’t necessarily a kind one. Just because you’re harried does not mean you get to […]

October 28, 2020

A stack of gingerbread cookies in a bakery window

Tasty, Customized Solutions — How I Work

Just wanted to share some insights into how I work and what you can possibly learn from it, especially if you’re a business owner. “Take what you need and leave the rest.” I love this idea from the recovery community because sometimes, we can get hung up on doing things by the letter of someone else’s idea of what works. And it’s something I’ve been thinking about lately in terms of my own business. For example, today I decided to take down my content creation packages. If you go to my services page now, there are no submenus. I have always sold based on what my clients need — and that is always bespoke and customized solutions. Conventional Advice May Not Work I had one (former) toxic mentor and one (current) supportive mentor suggest that I create these packages. And, it made sense at the time. I was excited to create services that I know people need. But none of them sold. OK — technically, one package did sell in an exchange for other mentoring services. But it was still customized! It can be really easy to blame myself, and sure. Maybe the value wasn’t clear enough. Maybe I wasn’t fully tuned into my ideal audience. And it’s true — I wasn’t tuned in enough because they typically don’t purchase this way. What Are Other People Doing? If I look at other colleagues and see how they sell their services, I typically do not see any packages. They sell services […]

October 20, 2020

Influencers have been accused of not being authentic, and for good reason. A woman holds out her pink cellphone and smiles into it.

What Does Being Authentic Online Even Mean Anymore?

Hey there, small business owner…we need talk about how to be authentic online. If you crave real, authentic connection with people — especially if your business is based on one-on-one interactions — then being online these days may feel like you’re walking into a dollhouse full of pretty paper dolls. But it really is important to have some sort of online presence, because people are looking for you. Whether you are online or not, as a small business owner, you are most likely the face of your business or brand. And with that, there’s a tension between keeping it professional, keeping it real, keeping it too real, and keeping it entirely fake. While being on social media and online as a business owner and content strategist, I’ve been struggling balancing all of those competing compulsions, especially as someone who had social media 1.0 as a young adult. ICQ. MSN Chat Rooms. Message Boards. sixdegrees. AIM. MySpace. LiveJournal. Remember those? All of these platforms were centered mainly around connecting, not making money. Social media 2.0 evolved into marketplaces — of ideas, lifestyles, products, and services. Connection is still important, but even the idea of having “content” is a part of this evolution. Now, social media is all algorithms and ads and corporatization and poor data security and governmental manipulation…truly, a mess. And yet, it’s generally a good idea to be on one of these platforms if you own a business. Believe it or not, you can still genuinely, authentically connect with […]