Paul Ryan used Networking with the Media & Content Marketing to rise to power.
By Karen Pelletier
I heard a very interesting article on NPR[1] the other day about how Paul Ryan developed power and influence within the Republican Party by using the techniques that we, in marketing, use to build trust and influence, and ultimately sales.
Using These Techniques Can Build Your Power and Influence
Whether you agree with Paul Ryan’s policies or not, his method raised him to prominence within Congress, and can raise your profile within your company and industry. According to Jonathan Martin, a reporter for Politico, Paul Ryan rose to prominence by aggressively developing relationships with people outside of Congress. Marketers call them “influencers,” people and organizations like the Wall Street Journal, Weekly Standard, National Review and FOX News. The more outside organizations took Ryan seriously, the more Congress did. Then when Ryan presented his budget plan he had a ready-made forum for discussing his “content.”
Click to Tweet “Paul Ryan used the techniques we know as Content Marketing and Networking to gain power and influence in Congress.”
How You Can Increase Your Influence
This Blog is called The Long View – A Marketing Perspective because I’ve been in marketing a long time. I often see parallels in one world and see how they apply to Marketing. When I heard this article on NPR I immediately thought of the parallels between what Paul Ryan did, and what we do these days to gain influence within our industry. What Paul Ryan did was use the power of networking with key influencers combined with content marketing to become a respected expert within Congress. It can work for you too.
1. Network within your industry. Use social media like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, to network and contribute meaningful or helpful information to your peers. This will help you to become known and respected.
2. Use Content Marketing to create useful or helpful pieces in as many different forms as is practical for you (blog articles, videos, infographics, e-books, etc.). This will increase your perceived expertise in your field, engender trust, and improve your profile within your organization and beyond.
I hope this post helps you see that the principles of Networking, Content Marketing, and leveraging Social Media are not limited to Marketing, and that they can be applied to any field.
[1] The Making of Paul Ryan, August 30, 2012, NPR.
The Long View-A Marketing Perspective 