We recently connected with Mike Stiles and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Mike thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear from you about what you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry and why it matters.

Most companies continue to look at the content they publish, whether that’s digital copy, audio, video, or social, through the lens of what the company wants to say and selling their product/service. That’s not content marketing, that’s advertising. There’s nothing wrong with advertising, just don’t do it and think you’re putting out great content for your customers and prospects. Content is made with an obsession over one thing, giving the audience something they will want and like, something that will help or entertain them. Too many companies assume the audience is as obsessed with their company and products and needs as internal teams are. They aren’t. And your salesy corporate content is competing for their attention with the tons of other cool things they could be consuming. There’s a need to move away from marketing-brain and move toward a journalism/entertainment mindset when creating your content strategy. (The other, bigger problem being companies that have NO content strategy whatsoever).

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Over the years, I’ve immersed in nearly every kind of media. TV news anchor, radio morning show host, head of a national radio network, co-founder of a live sketch comedy theater company, video director, commercial/TV/film actor, social media manager, blogger, and podcaster. Back in 2010, I saw the dawning need for companies and brands to go beyond placing ads in other people’s content, and start producing media content of their own. That’s when I wrote my book “Showtime: Brands as Content Producers.”
After full time work at companies like Oracle and InterContinental Hotel Group, I committed to my own company, Brand Content Studios. We help companies craft effective content strategies, then produce the content that emerges from that strategy across all formats. At present, we’re specializing in brand podcasting. It’s an easy thing to start a podcast, but keeping one going is where many businesses end up dropping the ball and missing out on all the benefits of that medium.
Through my work with clients like Oracle, NetSuite, Higher Logic, the CDC, PayPal, P&G, and Delta, I work to bring a journalism/entertainment approach to corporate content, which typically registers much stronger with audiences.
What I love most about working with the clients I have is the level of trust and confidentiality I’ve earned with them. I enjoy going beyond the role of consultant and producer, and just talking with them about trends and philosophies and possibilities. That honest, outside-the-company viewpoint often proves invaluable.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I’m sure there are still people capable of getting out of school then working for one company in essentially the same role for an entire career, then retiring at 65. But it’s far more likely your life will include multiple dramatic changes. This can either be a source of anxiety, or you can alter your expectation that life will be mostly calm, stable, and with no major disruptions. I’ve learned through often painful experience that you can either accept consistent change and lean into the next thing, or you can try to hang on to things, and even people, whose time in your life has come and gone. I’ve found the former to be more interesting, productive, and healthy.
There is nothing I enjoyed more than hosting radio morning shows. It was the perfect combination of all of my natural gifts (writing, humor, connecting with people), and it enormously rewarding financially and personally. However, the industry, its leadership, and technology changed immensely and limited the things I enjoyed about it. So I had to make the decision to cling to what I loved, but that was in decline, or move on to other ways I could use what I was good at. That wound up being corporate content and communications. Is it as much fun as radio was? No. But the radio industry I love is gone, there is no going back. And being a corporate content creator and strategist has its own set of satisfactions and rewards. And…I’m sure there’s probably yet another pivot ahead before I give it all up to river cruise the rest of my life.
So expect change. When it comes, embrace it. Don’t spend time looking back or trying to wish the past back into existence. Build the coolest “next thing” that you can.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Start networking starting at age 8. But seriously, even if you’re an introvert or socially challenged, you can embark on a habit of proactively helping people even when they haven’t asked for help. I call this “service networking,” because selfless acts are rare enough that people remember them when they happen. Over time, you become a person people want to help back. And that can take the form of pulling you in for work at their company or connecting you to people who can use you. Life is skill + luck + connections. So in addition to the connections, you have to make sure you are truly good at what you do, preferably with an indisputable differentiator. I’ve grown my clientele without too much marketing or biz dev efforts because my clients feel really comfortable recommending me. When they recommend me to other departments internally, that fires up my “land and expand” growth. You have to always be the easiest and most risk-free hire they can make.
That other part of the equation is luck. And you never know when your lucky breaks are going to come, so stay consistent in your efforts and give that luck the time it needs to show up.
Be a good and sincere person, be the best at what you do, be easy to do business with, and word really will get around.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.brandcontentstudios.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikestiles
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikestiles