My colleague ‘Yoni’ Frenkel should be your go-to person for “thought leadership.” The man has been helping venture capitalists become influencers in the investing world.
Yoni Frenkel was kind enough to agree to be the first guest post writer for Longtrepreneur.
I had the honour to learn from his shrewdness about VC brand building.
Today, while there has been a shift in market dynamics favouring investors, it is still a difficult fund-raising environment for both VCs and founders.
Along with the significant growth of micro-VCs with less than $100M AUM, there are still many challenges faced by micro-VCs in gaining mindshare due to limited brand awareness. And before there is even a track record, those funds need to build brand equity, even on a limited budget… one needs to be known before they enter that room to have that important conversation.
Mindshare equals opportunities, and is something within the grasp of achieving for those willing to take the first step.
The importance of marketing strategies for VCs
In general, the VC industry lacks sophisticated marketing strategies compared to portfolio companies, and this hurts their branding efforts. Investors need to prioritize marketing efforts, and there are a number of strategies which VCs can utilize for marketing. Those include Medium, newsletters such as Substack, Twitter, speaking on panels, and media, (which works in tandem with marketing).
However, in picking one channel which helps connect with startups, co-investors, corporates, and even possible LPs, LinkedIn is that platform. As a snapshot of the opportunity on the platform: “the number of current members is in excess of 900 million. And 3 new members sign up every second! At this time, there are over 61 million companies listed on LinkedIn.”
If one doesn’t have a solid LinkedIn strategy, they are leaving opportunities on the table. Competitors, especially if they are younger, are going to be utilizing social media more effectively, and taking their slice of the mindshare pie.
The Power of LinkedIn
LinkedIn is where many relevant professionals have a presence, and are accessible. The platform offers written text in the form of sharing/commenting on articles, original long-form content (micro-blogs), video, audio, and special features like newsletters and audio/video events.
As the saying in content creation goes “what is light is right”, and whatever medium one is most comfortable with is one that they could pursue on LinkedIn.
While often there is a reluctance from investors to share ideas because of the fear of being proven wrong, putting oneself out there is necessary. Investors need to embrace content as a means of providing valuable insights and support to entrepreneurs… investors owe founders that much.
There is also the benefit of reaching out to publications, journalists, and editors. Due to the meltdown on Twitter, many journalists have migrated to LinkedIn and can be found there. For those who are proactive, relationships are on the platform waiting to be built.
Building a personal brand as an influencer
The impact of personal branding and thought leadership is engagement and opportunities, so investors need to think like micro-influencers, focusing on their specific communities or areas of expertise.
We are in the age of personal branding, and for professionals, and their organizations to punch above their weight, a solid content strategy, executed consistently needs to be in place.
The most effective platform where to start building that thought leadership is LinkedIn.
Jonathan “Yoni” Frenkel is a LinkedIn ghostwriter, content marketing strategist, creator and founder of YKC Media. To connect directly with him, click here.
