Episode Summary: "Confidence Classic: SKYROCKET Your Success by Using THESE TOOLS At Your Fingertips with Melanie Borden"
Podcast: Creating Confidence with Heather Monahan
Host: Heather Monahan | YAP Media
Guest: Melanie Borden
Release Date: March 26, 2025
1. Introduction
In this empowering episode of Creating Confidence with Heather Monahan, host Heather Monahan welcomes back her esteemed guest, Melanie Borden. Melanie, the founder and CEO of the Boarding Group, shares her extensive expertise in marketing, personal branding, and leveraging LinkedIn for professional growth. The episode delves into actionable strategies and tools to help listeners build confidence, enhance their personal brands, and achieve remarkable success.
2. Overcoming Business Challenges: The Power of Specificity and Assertiveness
Melanie Borden opens the conversation by reflecting on her own business challenges. She emphasizes the importance of being specific about one’s offerings and the necessity of asking for what you want in order to achieve success.
Melanie Borden [00:00]:
“I realized I wasn't being specific about my offer and I wasn't saying I'm available to work. This is how I work and this is how you can work with me.”
She further explains that many professionals fail to gain traction simply because they do not actively ask for what they desire.
Melanie Borden [00:29]:
“Always ask for what you want. Not to do it every day, but you should ask for what you want because if you don't, you're not going to get it.”
3. Melanie Borden's Background and Expertise
Heather provides a comprehensive background on Melanie, highlighting her accomplishments and expertise. Melanie has been featured in numerous prestigious publications, including Entrepreneur, Wall Street Journal, and Forbes Agency Council. Her work primarily focuses on aligning real-life expertise with LinkedIn presence to unlock opportunities and build scalable relationships.
Heather Monahan [01:55]:
“Melanie's expertise spans a range of areas including marketing oversight, building in-house agencies, budgeting, strategic vendor utilization, enhancing digital footprints through social media reputation management, online monetization, and managing advertising processes.”
4. LinkedIn Strategies for Success
A significant portion of the discussion centers on effective LinkedIn strategies. Melanie shares insights on optimizing content and understanding platform algorithms to enhance visibility and engagement.
a. Optimal Posting Times and Content Types
Melanie discusses the importance of adapting posting schedules based on changing algorithms.
Melanie Borden [02:07]:
“For almost three years I did that and then I got super busy and I said, you know what, I need to find a different time to start posting. And now I've been posting consistently after 3pm in the afternoon and my posts have been performing so well.”
She also highlights the growing effectiveness of video content on LinkedIn.
Melanie Borden [03:28]:
“Video has been doing really well and performing really well on LinkedIn too. There's so much opportunity for every creator.”
b. Handling Trolls and Negativity
Addressing online negativity, Melanie advises having a strategic approach to engage with trolls without letting negativity impact one’s confidence.
Melanie Borden [04:41]:
“Have a plan, have a strategy and talk about it if it's working for you.”
5. Building and Leveraging a Personal Brand
Heather and Melanie delve into the significance of cultivating a strong personal brand. Melanie emphasizes the necessity of intentionality in building one's presence on LinkedIn.
Melanie Borden [10:12]:
“You have to be intentional. When you're intentional with anything, it's going to yield results.”
a. Expanding Your Network
By broadening her network beyond the immediate industry, Melanie was able to discover new opportunities and niches, such as the speaking business, which significantly enhanced her income streams.
Heather Monahan [11:39]:
“I just remember I was in the media business for over 20 years... I didn't realize there was a whole speaking business, which was a multibillion-dollar business outside of my arena.”
6. Content Creation and Drawing Inspiration from Others
Creating compelling content is a recurrent theme. Melanie advises drawing inspiration from successful content formats and adapting them to fit one’s unique voice and industry.
Heather Monahan [16:00]:
“Don’t get too caught up in the idea that everything has to be so incredibly original. Innovation, reinvention, new marketing.”
Melanie shares her strategy of reimagining popular content formats to resonate with her audience.
Melanie Borden [17:27]:
“That's how trends start. That's how things go viral.”
7. Utilizing AI for Efficiency in Content Creation
The conversation shifts to the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in streamlining content creation processes. Melanie introduces tools like Opus Clip, which automate video editing, significantly reducing the time and effort required.
Melanie Borden [18:48]:
“Opus Clip... it essentially takes all the guesswork out of everything that you're doing with video.”
Additionally, Melanie illustrates how AI can expedite the creation of eBooks, turning what once took months into mere hours.
Melanie Borden [21:20]:
“Now it will take us less than a day and collectively would probably take a total of one hour max.”
8. Establishing an Independent Audience Beyond Social Media
Heather and Melanie stress the importance of building an audience that transcends social media platforms to ensure sustained engagement and control over one’s network.
Melanie Borden [22:34]:
“LinkedIn is the professional rainy day fund... what you can control is how you move forward.”
Melanie shares her experience with LinkedIn newsletters and how they effectively funnel audiences to personal websites and mailing lists.
Melanie Borden [25:50]:
“If you're selling a course, if you are launching a book, whatever it is... you can have a conversion mechanism.”
9. Overcoming Hesitations in Content Creation
Addressing common apprehensions, Melanie provides practical advice for individuals who feel they lack unique stories or sufficient content to share.
Melanie Borden [12:47]:
“Start recording your calls or meetings... you can go back to that transcript and turn it into content.”
She encourages leveraging everyday activities and interactions as a rich source of content ideas.
Melanie Borden [15:04]:
“You don't have to know you're going to write a book in the future... Just start positioning yourself for as much success as possible.”
10. Sales and Self-Promotion Strategies
The duo delves into effective self-promotion techniques, underscoring the importance of confidently showcasing one’s value without fearing the label of being "salesy."
Heather Monahan [29:30]:
“A closed mouth does not get fed. You have to raise your hand and ask for what you want.”
Melanie echoes this sentiment, emphasizing that consistent self-promotion attracts the right opportunities and connections.
Melanie Borden [31:08]:
“If you don't share how you can solve a problem, they're not going to get their knee fixed, their problem solved.”
11. Bootcamp Promotion: Elevate Your Influence
In the latter part of the episode, Heather and Melanie announce their exclusive 2024 Bootcamp designed to help women elevate their professional influence. This eight-week live Zoom program offers:
- Weekly Interactive Sessions: Personalized coaching on marketing strategies, sales leadership, and leveraging AI.
- Accountability and Support: Participants receive action items and can engage with peers for mutual support.
- Comprehensive Resources: Access to a Dropbox folder filled with content templates, deliverables, and success metrics.
- Limited Enrollment: Only 20 seats are available, ensuring a focused and impactful learning environment.
Heather Monahan [35:13]:
“When you sign up, we're going to get you an onboarding doc to get crystal clear on your goals... Invest in you.”
Melanie Borden [37:30]:
“Elevate your influence. Bootcamp.com... It will be really valuable for someone who's really serious about taking where they are in their career to the next step.”
12. Conclusion
Heather and Melanie close the episode by reiterating the transformative power of investing in oneself and the unparalleled benefits of collective learning and support. They encourage listeners to seize the opportunity to join their Bootcamp and embark on a journey towards greater confidence and professional success.
Heather Monahan [38:44]:
“Investing in yourself is one of the most powerful steps you can do... We only have 20 seats. Grab yours now.”
Melanie Borden [39:56]:
“Start learning and growing. You don't stop and look around once in a while. You could miss it.”
Key Takeaways:
- Be Specific and Assertive: Clearly define your offerings and actively ask for what you want to achieve.
- Leverage LinkedIn Effectively: Adapt to platform algorithms, utilize video content, and maintain a consistent posting schedule.
- Build a Strong Personal Brand: Be intentional, humanize your online presence, and expand your network beyond your immediate industry.
- Utilize AI Tools: Streamline content creation processes with AI to save time and enhance productivity.
- Establish Independent Audiences: Create backup channels like newsletters and personal websites to maintain audience engagement beyond social media platforms.
- Embrace Self-Promotion: Confidently showcase your value without fearing negativity; the right opportunities will follow.
- Invest in Yourself: Participate in structured programs and seek support from like-minded individuals to accelerate your professional growth.
This episode is a treasure trove of actionable insights for anyone looking to elevate their professional presence, build confidence, and achieve sustained success in their career.