Here's how you can maintain industry connections during a layoff in your product marketing career.
Experiencing a layoff in your product marketing career can be challenging, but it's crucial to maintain industry connections during this time. Connections can provide support, insight, and potentially lead to new opportunities. As a product marketer, you understand the value of relationships and networking. Therefore, leveraging your existing network and finding ways to expand it, even when between jobs, is essential for your career resilience and growth. By staying proactive and engaged with your professional community, you can emerge from a layoff stronger and with a broader network than before.
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Oscar LopezDirector @ Steelcase | Workplace Optimization and Transformation
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Patrick WallProduct Marketing Leader | Award Winning Competitive Intelligence Expert | Keynote Speaker | Advisor
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Kirsten Von BuschProduct Marketing | Sales Enablement | Public Speaking | Product Launch and Go To Market | Product Management |…
During a layoff, it's easy to feel like you should retreat from your professional circles, but the opposite is true. You need to stay visible within your industry. Engage with your peers on professional social media platforms by sharing relevant content, commenting on discussions, and demonstrating your expertise. By maintaining a consistent presence, you remind your network of your skills and value as a product marketer. Visibility also means attending virtual webinars or industry events where you can interact with others and showcase your enthusiasm for the field.
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Comment, comment, comment! Offer relevant and thoughtful comments on social media platforms! Start small. Mindfully engage with a couple people in your network. Expand the circle until you’re comfortable engaging frequently and regularly with a wider group and your entire network.
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Always be active in farm time of LinkedIn active hours and always pay attention to zone timing in different regions. Make sure you post relevant and authentic post related to your business. Never hesitate to share your thoughts and guidance. Give more tips and advice for your audience in LinkedIn.
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I've had many marketers reaching out to me during these difficult times. Staying visible on LinkedIn and other social channels is important. But it's also important to not telegraph your desperation with needy posts that signal your pessimism. Your negotiating power will go down if you are seen as needy.
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Expand the circle until you’re comfortable to engage frequently and regularly with a wider group and most of your online connections
Regular engagement with your network is key to keeping those connections strong. Schedule virtual coffee chats or send personalized messages to former colleagues and industry acquaintances to catch up and discuss the market trends. Offer your insights or assistance; this reciprocal approach ensures that you're not just reaching out when you need something, but also providing value to others. By regularly touching base with your connections, you reinforce your relationships and keep yourself top of mind for any opportunities that may arise.
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Some way to engage regular: 1. Chose time for your profile like every morning at 11 am you post about your business or thought to keep your connection update. 2. Keep interaction with your followers and engage by comment and reply to there comments. 3. Make sure you engage regular in your inbox and check your request connection to accept them
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Engage regularly, but authentically. Instead of just reaching out for the sake of networking, focus on building genuine connections. Show a sincere interest in others' work and experiences, and share your own insights and challenges openly. You want to dedicate at least 30 minutes a day.
Use the time during a layoff to update your skills and knowledge in product marketing. This not only makes you more marketable but also gives you something to talk about with your connections. Consider taking online courses or certifications that are relevant to your field. When you share these updates with your network, it demonstrates your commitment to professional development and can spark conversations that may lead to new opportunities or collaborations.
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Some ways to update your skills: Always keep upgrade your profile and add new skills that you learned. Skills are very important to be visible to headhunter or project manager if you are offering business. Make sure you put relevant skills that suits your profile. Never hesitate to learn new skills and once you get publish it in your feature.
One effective way to maintain connections is by offering help to others in your network. Whether it's providing feedback on a marketing strategy, sharing a helpful resource, or connecting someone to another professional, your willingness to assist will be remembered. This approach not only strengthens existing relationships but can also establish you as a go-to person in your field, which can be incredibly beneficial when you're seeking new opportunities.
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Some ways to offer help Keep posting that you can help fresh graduate programs to help to get there first job. Offer help to training staff covering your niche . Make sure you offer help through different platform like Google classroom or face to face if necessary
While maintaining existing connections is important, don't overlook the potential of nurturing new ones. Join new groups or forums related to product marketing and actively participate in discussions. Introduce yourself to new professionals in your industry and express genuine interest in their work. Building new relationships can open up doors you didn't even know existed and can diversify the range of opportunities available to you.
Finally, focus on personal branding. Your personal brand is how you present yourself and your professional capabilities to the world. Update your LinkedIn profile, create content such as blog posts or infographics that showcase your product marketing expertise, and engage with thought leaders in your industry. A strong personal brand will make you more memorable and can lead to industry connections reaching out to you with opportunities.
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You’re worth it! It's the best time to demonstrate your product marketing capabilities to sell the product you know best, yourself!!! Looking for a job is like launching a new product. Create your marketing plan!
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The time to network is not after a layoff; it is before the layoff, meaning you should always be networking with other product marketing professionals via LinkedIn, PMA, and other venues.
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