Begin by creating a clear picture of who you are, where you’re going and the impact you can have in the workplace. This requires quiet, thoughtful contemplation, so don’t rush the process.

Several years ago when I lost my job as a marketing professional, I began my job search by spending quality time in a re-branding process. Though I love everything digital, I deliberately went “analog” for this planning exercise. I took a journal and a fountain pen to a local coffee shop. Journaling is a magical practice for tapping into a deeper creative consciousness.

There in the coffee shop, over several sessions, my brand came into focus as I wrestled with answers to questions that were easy to ask but surprisingly difficult to answer.

Questions I Asked Myself

The foundation for my introspection was laid by a series of questions such as:

1. Who am I?
2. Where have I been?
3. What have I done?
4. Where am I going?
5. What can I do?
6. Why would someone hire me?
7. How am I different than other candidates?

Wresting with these questions proved to be invigorating and I gained the momentum necessary to find an incredible career opportunity.

In your job search, you may be tempted to hurry through the planning stages. If you do, I predict you’ll flounder later.

Keywords Describing My Brand

As part of my planning process, I also brainstormed a list of  keywords that defined my brand. I made a lengthy list of what I perceived my brand to be. I pulled keywords from my resume and cover letter. I also listed the phrases others used when describing me, my performance and my reputation.

Make a list of at least 25 keywords that define your brand. Go for quantity and make the list as lengthy as possible. In a later post I’ll describe how to focus this list so you can differentiate yourself from your competitors. For now, though, be creative without unnecessary editing or critiquing.

In the early phases of a job search, my advice is to become very conversant on the basics of your brand—who you are, where you’re going and what you’re looking for.

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These ideas on personal branding were originally presented during two workshops I conducted for the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance. The sessions were attended by current and aspiring nonprofit leaders who came from across the nation for the annual Alliance Management/Leadership Institute, the nation’s largest leadership development and networking symposium for students, faculty and nonprofit professionals. —DH

A university president once talked with me about leading his marketing and communications team. When I asked if he would consider shortening the title for simplicity, he emphatically declined. For that and other reasons, neither of us seriously considered forming a working partnership.

Later, when I taught marketing at another university, I spent considerable time talking about the relationship between marketing and communications. I never believed the two terms were synonymous or interchangeable, and I drilled into my students the concept that communications comes at the end of the marketing process.

Five years ago I left my position as Vice President of Marketing at United Way. Although communications was part of my portfolio, it always grated on me when my CEO referred to my department as “marketing and communications.” Although I appreciated his thorough description of my team’s role, I also thought he was being unnecessarily redundant.

Half a decade ago, as I began working at the American Red Cross, my new CEO and I had in-depth conversations about expectations, responsibilities and titles. The department I inherited was labeled “community relations,” but to me that sounded too soft and even expendable. I wanted to lead a team focused on bottom line results.

My boss concurred and gave me the freedom to select my own title and choose a new name for my department. To avoid the redundancy of the clunky label “marketing and communications” I opted for the truncated term “marketing.”

That worked well until I became ingrained in the Red Cross culture and slowly realized that within our system marketing and communications are two separate functions. I vividly remember being on disaster assignment and telling an out-of-state co-worker I was responsible for marketing. She asked,”So who does your communications?” I thought she asked a stupid question, but as we talked she helped me to understand how the semantics within the organization might lead to confusion about my role and responsibilities.

In March of this year I attending a training session with Red Cross colleagues whom I hold in highest regard. Part of our conversation touched on the separate Red Cross roles of marketing and communications. Upon returning to the office, I talked with my boss about clarifying my role. Without hesitation, he said, “If you want to change your title and rename your department, you have my complete support.”

So I held my nose and elongated my “marketing” title to “marketing and communications.” Although my responsibilities never changed, I thought of the the new label as a tool to help me better function in dual roles.

Well, that lasted for four months. Then a national reorganization reshaped the existing structure. Across the nation, my counterparts and I were told we’d have to choose between marketing or communications. We were instructed that, in the new scheme, no one would be allowed to do both.

I chose communications.

Now, my official title is Regional Director of Communications | Public Information Officer. In my revised role I continue to be responsible for public relations, media relations, social media and disaster public affairs. The tasks labeled “marketing” are now handled in one of four marketing hubs strategically located throughout the country. The marketers in those hubs have assumed responsibility for advertising, PSAs, direct mail, telemarketing, sales support and the related production of collateral materials.

I do not begrudge the title change. To me, it is more of a change in semantics than in functional responsibilities. I am pleased, though, to be given more freedom to focus on and expand in areas where I feel most passionate while also sloughing off the less enjoyable marketing tasks that I once did (and did well, I might add).

Although the reorganization eliminated marketing from my title, it will never dislodge from me my professional identity as a marketing practitioner. In my book, a marketing mindset will always be required to function effectively as a communicator.

Within the past month, the word “marketing” has been expunged from my business card. Yet I feel a sense of satisfaction as I have held onto that label in my revised my LinkedIn summary. In the professional label just below my name, I no longer list my current job title. Instead, I more accurately describe myself as a “marketing strategist and corporate communicator connecting people with causes bigger than themselves.“

Nationally, the Red Cross has been undergoing a massive, top-to-bottom reorganization that will affect every person affiliated with the organization. The restructuring will reduce expenses and increase revenues, all with a focus on keeping the mission relevant in a rapidly-changing environment. To their credit, our national leaders have openly shared the unfolding changes via e-mails, online videos and frequent conference calls.

Anticipating that my position would be among those eliminated by the end of the summer, I shared the discomforting news with my wife and family. Then, with the clock ticking towards the start of a new fiscal year, I launched an under-the-radar job search. I first revised my resume and LinkedIn profile. With the full understanding and support of my boss, I shifted my networking into a higher gear and sent e-mails to a couple dozen strategically-placed contacts. I was encouraged by their immediate offers to help.

Prior to launching the public phase of my job search, I developed personal business cards, a career-highlights brochure and an assortment of collateral materials to use when the appropriate time came.

My Contingency Blog Posts

Finally, to explain the circumstances of my transition, I wrote a series of three contingency blog posts.

Sometimes I will write a contingency blog post to express ideas I may want to share at a later time. I will then delay publishing my thoughts until circumstances or events trigger my need to publicly share those ideas.

I wrote three such blog posts to describe 1) what happened, 2) the impact of what happened and 3) what I was doing about it. Nothing I wrote was done to vent anger or to seek revenge. Those who know me best understand that I will never burn bridges because I’m usually more focused on the road ahead than on the path I’ve already traveled.

Disappointed that I would likely not be part of the streamlined organization, I concluded my blog posts this way:

Setting aside the personal and painful impact, I can honestly say:

1. I trust the people making these decisions. Led by Gail McGovern, the leadership team is ethical and motivated by a passion to the mission of the Red Cross. Change is never easy, but I admire the transparent way in which Gail and her team have communicated and sought input at every step of the transition. This reorganization was not designed in some dark, smoke-filled room.
2. The Red Cross will ultimately be stronger. Overall, it makes good business sense to do what is being done. At times in the past, the culture of the organization focused too much on process and efficiency and not enough on results and impact.
3. Respect for the Red Cross brand will grow. Years from now I will still love the organization and will always hold my head high as I tell my grandkids that I used to work there, and in my own special way I helped to make the Red Cross what it is today.

I delayed sharing those thoughts until I knew for certain how the reorganization would affect me. I did not want to publish my blog posts until I was ready to launch the public phase of my job search.

The Reorganization Plan

As the impending reorganization continued to take shape, plans were announced to consolidate the staff functions of finance, human resources, information technology, marketing and communications.

Our national president and CEO, Gail McGovern, convened a two-day session of Red Cross leaders from across the country. My boss was among those selected to travel to Washington, D.C. The group’s mission was not to save jobs nor to protect the status quo, but rather to do what was right for the organization.

To oversimplify their discussions, the group recommended that the communications function not be consolidated. Gail listened to this feedback, wrestled with the implications and ultimately modified her plans. That was good news for me and most of my communications colleagues across the country.

The Good News

When the dust settles from the shakeup, we communicators will remain, albeit with job descriptions that have been revised for the better. Needless to say, I was pleased with the unexpected turn of events.

I recently had the opportunity share my thoughts with our national president and CEO. Gail was visiting the disaster relief headquarters in Joplin, Missouri less than a week after the EF-5 tornado destroyed much of that town. That was the first time I’d seen her in person, though I have always been inspired by her charisma, compassion and vision.

I did not seek her out, but Gail walked up to me as I was standing near our public affairs desk. As she and I were standing there face-to face, I briefly expressed my ideas about the reorganization and told her how much I appreciated her leadership and transparency.

A warm smile spread across her tired face. She thanked me, and then reached out with both arms and gave me a big hug.

I’m proud to work in an organization led by someone like her! I am also grateful that I will continue to be a part of the American Red Cross.

In my work, I am most productive when I am surrounded by people who are:

1. Grateful. They are glad to be alive and they find things to be thankful for. With an abundance mindset, they focus on what they have rather than obsessing on their deficits.
2. Strategic. They think before they act. Before succumbing to the gravitational pull of tactics, they think things through in a purposeful way. They wrestle with questions that begin with the word why?
3. Competent. Once they see the big picture and understand why something is important, they know what to do and how to do it.
4. Curious. Curiosity never killed anyone. I love interacting with those who think with a beginner’s mind. They are the antithesis of so-called experts who already know the right (and only) way to do something.
5. Creative. With a curious mind, creative people look at things differently. They see patterns that others miss. They are able to juxtapose existing ideas in a way that creates something new.
6. Innovative. The Harvard professor Theodore Levitt put it this way:  ”Creativity thinks up new things.  Innovation does new things. There is really no shortage of creativity or of creative people in business.  The shortage is of innovators.  The major problem is that so called “creative” people often pass on to others the responsibility for getting down to brass tacks.  They have plenty of ideas but little business-like follow-through.  They themselves are the bottleneck.  They make none of the right kind of effort to help their ideas get a hearing and a try.”

On the other hand…

Occasionally I encounter individuals who drain my energy and erode my effectiveness. They are:

In my 20-plus years of marketing experience, I’ve come to realize that good marketing is based more upon common sense than upon creativity. Though marketing can work wonders, it is not a panacea that will transform failure into success.

As much as I value good marketing, I believe there are times not to launch a marketing campaign. My advice is to delay any marketing activities when:

1. We are unclear what success will actually look like. Without clearly defined goals, we are merely groping in the dark, hoping to grasp something—anything—of value.
2. We feel compelled to act before we think. In our fast-paced world, we will always experience the strong gravitational pull of urgency. Focusing on what is urgent, though, will often entice us to overlook strategy and jump prematurely into tactics.
3. We want to begin with communications. A good marketing process ends with communications but that’s never a good place to begin.
4. We focus on obstacles rather than opportunities. Though we must always understand reality, we will never leave the starting blocks if we focus on the hurdles between us and the finish line.
5. We have no champion for the product or service. We may all agree that a particular program is important, but unless someone with passion assumes ownership of the program’s success, it will flounder. Of course, marketers will be the easy targets of those who need to blame someone for a product’s failure.
6. We believe everything will be okay if only we can “get the word out.” I cannot be more emphatic in stating this: raising awareness is not a marketing goal.
7. We talk more than we listen. Marketing success on a 2.0 world is all about having conversations, not trying to speak louder.
8. We are unable to profile a target audience. Only the naive believe there really is such a thing as the “general public.” We are headed towards marketing failure if we neglect to define a primary audience. After all, to target everyone is to hit no one.
9. We ignore the concept of marketing exchanges. Marketing is based upon the premise that we must build win-win relationships where we exchange value for value. Marketing is never a one-way transaction.
10. We cannot differentiate our product or service. If we don’t know who our competitors are, and if we cannot articulate how we are different and better, then my advice is simple:  Turn off the lights, lock the door and go home. The party is over.

Wait, though, before faxing me your resume. (Do people still do that? I hope not.) I have been asked to delay recruiting until the expense budget comes into better focus. The hiring process is frozen, but while we await the spring thaw, let’s return to my hypothetical situation.

As I think about the importance of building a strong marketing team, I have already updated the job description. The social media revolution mandates new expectations that are reflected in several bullet points on the revised list of job duties. Of course, I’ll also be looking for someone who meets a minimum threshold of necessary skills, talents and experience.

Above and beyond that, though, I will almost certainly select someone who:

1. Has an impressive digital footprint. Before calling someone in for an interview, you can bet I will Google his or her name. There are so many people looking for jobs that I cannot imagine interviewing someone who does not have an impressive amount of information readily available on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, a personal blog, an online portfolio, or some other searchable platform.
2. Is well branded. I want to know what a person stands for, both personally and professionally. A good brand makes promises and I need to have some idea of what I can expect from anyone who expresses an interest in being part of my team.
3. Is differentiated. Does this person stand out from the rest of the pack? Quite frankly, I won’t even notice someone who blends into the vast, beige-colored landscape populated by thousands of job seekers whose clichè-ridden resumes were shaped by the same cookie cutter. (See my previous blog post about using Facebook as a tool to differentiate yourself in a job search.)
4. Is savvy with traditional media. The ideal person will have a good understanding of traditional media—TV, radio and newspapers. He or she will also have experience in proactively pitching good story ideas and in building strong relationships with people inside the news media.
5. Is savvy with social media. The right person will have moved far beyond the initial process of setting up profiles on various social media platforms. He or she will have demonstrated an ability to a) listen using social media tools, b) have sustained conversations in social media and c) create content valued by others who are swimming in the deeper end of the social media pool.

Three years ago when I most recently hired someone, the criteria were somewhat different. At that time I relied heavily upon two lists. One described my expectations for individual responsibility and the other focused on team performance. Though I’ve added criteria, both lists are still relevant today. So, here’s my question:

If, hypothetically, you are looking for a marketing job, how would you measure up?

One of my most satisfying career ventures was teaching at Rockhurst, Kansas City’s well-respected Jesuit university. For several years I taught the class Marketing for Nonprofit Organizations.

Although I’ve earned my master’s degree in marketing, the classroom where I learned the most was the one where I stood at the front as the adjunct professor. I say that not to extol my talents as an educator, but rather to underscore the intrinsic value of explaining something to someone else. As Joseph Joubert said, “To teach is to learn twice.” I certainly understood marketing much better as I taught it to inquisitive college students.

Likewise, one of the best ways to appreciate my chosen career path has been to explain its benefits to a young person considering his or her career options.

Here are several things I would like for a young professional to know about a career in nonprofit marketing:

1. Marketing is more than a job. It is a career path, a high professional calling.
2. A marketing career can be a life-long pursuit and not necessarily a springboard to becoming the CEO or something else.
3. Nonprofit marketing should be a stand-alone profession that is not subjugated to fundraising.
4. Not everyone can do marketing, even though most people believe they are pretty good marketers.
5. The best marketers combine their natural talents with formal training. There’s no substitute for a solid education.
6. Don’t quit learning. Although marketing principles will remain unchanged, the tools and technology you’ll be using in10 years probably haven’t been invented yet.
7. A good mentor can help you learn and grow. Find one.

By the way, later this month I have the privilege of returning to the university as a guest speaker. The invitation to speak came from the class instructor, whom I’m proud to say, was one of my star students in the very first class I taught.

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This idea was originally created as part of the Rejuvenation Project, a month-long challenge to find one actionable idea per day that could help me to 1) keep my batteries charged, 2) remain focused on career priorities and 3) rejuvenate the creative spirit.

Some people are so obsessed with social media technology that they overlook their communication strategy.

They are so focused on gadgets, applications and tactics that they completely miss the obvious:  These are only tools!

Tools are used to create or build something. Tools, technology and tactics are all a means to an end. The “end” is often defined in a well-written marketing goal. A goal articulates what success will look like and offers a clear, measurable definition of the desired outcome.

A communications plan should 1) target a specific audience, 2) define key marketing messages and 3) select the appropriate channels to deliver the right message to the right audience.

These communication channels should include a mix of traditional and new media. I define the two this way:

Traditional media primarily push information outward from a centralized source. They “broadcast” information in one direction. Examples are television, radio, newspapers, direct mail, newsletters and brochures.

New media (sometimes called social media) work best when the content is user-generated. Rather than broadcasting outward, new media rely upon interactions and conversations. Examples of new media are Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, WordPress and other social networking platforms.

Traditional and new media must be integrated if you want to build a strong and effective marketing communication program.

Valuable insight can be gained by asking, “What would be lost to the organization or to the community if the marketing department were downsized or even eliminated?”

A mission statement focuses on why we exist, our raison d’être. Sometimes, though, it helps to understand our mission by looking at things from a negative vantage point.

I always love watching the holiday classic It’s a Wonderful Life. As you may recall, George Bailey (played by Jimmy Stewart) hit rock bottom. In his despair, he was given a glimpse of what his small town would look like if he had never been born. By examining his life from that perspective, he could clearly see his inherent value. He realized how much others really needed him.

Occasionally, I will mentally create my own version of the Wonderful Life movie. I visualize what the American Red Cross would be like without an effective marketing program. How would the organization be less effective in fulfilling its mission? What would go missing if there was no marketing? What would be the measurable impact upon the bottom line? Would revenue be lost, either directly or indirectly?

The better I define marketing’s niche within my organization, the more effective I am in producing results.

To help clarify my unique role as a marketer, I regularly ask myself, “What do I do that no one else can do as well?” On a departmental level, I also ask, “What contribution does marketing make that cannot be made as effectively anywhere else?”

Too often in nonprofit organizations, marketing and communications are relegated to be subordinate to fundraising. In my opinion, such an organizational alignment weakens marketing’s effectiveness and ultimately hampers the organization’s success in fulfilling its mission.

Granted, marketing must support fundraising, but the two are not one in the same. Marketing is a unique profession separate from that of raising money. Kivi Leroux Miller, in her excellent book The Nonprofit Marketing Guide, says:

Although you can have successful long-term (nonprofit) marketing campaigns that don’t involve fundraising, you cannot have successful long-term fundraising campaigns without marketing. Marketing and communications are how you talk to your donors in between those times when you ask for money.

My efforts as a professional marketer can result in donors being more engaged, volunteers giving of themselves in more meaningful ways and customers making better purchasing decisions.

As I think about the unlimited potential of a differentiated marketing program, I find renewed energy. I am professionally rejuvenated.

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This idea was originally created as part of the Rejuvenation Project, a month-long challenge to find one actionable idea per day that could help me to 1) keep my batteries charged, 2) remain focused on career priorities and 3) rejuvenate the creative spirit.