Publish and Prosper!
What marketers can learn from the outdated academic maxim of “publish or perish.”
I didn’t start my career in social media.
Long ago, I used to teach English as a Second Language to international students at a small university here in the south.
During my first performance review, my boss told me something that’s stuck with me ever since. She said that while my performance in the classroom was stellar if I ever wanted to advance in higher education, I also needed to focus on publishing my ideas and presenting at conferences.
“Publish or perish” is the rallying cry when it comes to succeeding in academia. Professors are required to publish their research in peer-reviewed journals in order to obtain tenure and advance in their careers. Professors who set themselves apart by presenting and become leaders in their fields become more in demand and have a better chance of working at top schools, get their choice of courses to teach, and better pay. Those who don’t generally don’t last long in higher ed.
This philosophy is not without flaws, however.
In many respects, it can even be toxic. The maxim of “publish or perish” can put undue pressure on those who just want to focus on the task at hand. The pressure to publish and gain acclaim for one’s work can even lead to bad research for the sake of getting noticed. Additionally, some of the best teachers in higher ed aren’t the most well-published and vice versa.
Despite its flaws, this mindset stuck with me even as I left teaching to pursue a career in social media. It’s important that in addition to your daily duties at your job, you share your knowledge with others and present yourself and cultivate a reputation as an expert in your field. And while for those of us in social media and digital marketing, we aren’t doing research and peer-reviewed study like university professors, we can share our thoughts and experiences through blogs, conference presentations, and even our own Twitter accounts.
So, let’s change the maxim to something a bit more positive.
Publish and prosper!
Let’s get out there and share our thoughts and knowledge with others in the field. Let’s share both our successes and failures in a way that furthers our industry and profession. Let’s reward employees who ask to present at conferences, publish articles, or just participate in the online communities around our work.
And most of all, employers shouldn’t be afraid of employees who want to do this. Your employees aren’t going to spill company secrets or make you look bad. They are going to show the high caliber of people you have looking for you and make your brand look even better. Their talent will show off your company and attract even more top talent who will want to work with them. Having someone who is a leader in their field and takes an interest in their industry outside of work is never a liability. Give them the freedom to share their work and the processes they use to make it happen.
For me, writing about my work, presenting at conferences, appearing on podcasts and talking about my work daily on Twitter has made me a better social media manager and marketer. It’s helped me to reflect on my craft and how to become better at it. It’s helped me to connect with like-minded (and not so like-minded) social media managers who have pushed me to become better and challenged some of my own assumptions about the industry. It’s given me access to a network that I can lean on in tough times or go-to for outside feedback that has made my work better in so many ways. It’s given me the confidence to go into meetings and share my thoughts without that nagging feeling of imposter syndrome. Bottom line, it’s made me a better social media manager.
Let’s take the idea that publishing and sharing your work with your professional community from academia and put it into action outside of the university.
Let’s publish and prosper.