How he’s helping SaaS founders with personal branding
About Mags
Mags: My name is Mags, I am from the Philippines and help SaaS brands with personal branding and community management. Before I landed my first online business, I worked in a manufacturing company for a couple of years, then shifted to corporate. These work experiences have one thing in common, and that is unhappiness. I was not really happy with my job, and I was not happy at all. And then it took so many years before I figured out what I really wanted, it turned out that I wanted to have more time and control of my work at my own pace, anytime and anywhere. I’m very thankful for this online opportunity that I have gotten. Yeah.
How exactly do you help SaaS companies?
Mags: We can’t deny that many SaaS companies come and go. What I notice is that some are obsessed with the trick and those strategies that don’t last forever. Whereas if you have a solid brand, especially for CEOs, if they are very active on social media, if they build their own brand, it is something that will not be taken away from them. It’s very ironic because SaaS companies are online businesses. Still, some CEOs don’t even have their social media accounts in this very competitive market or this very competitive world in general. An online business owner should also be active because customers are all online, so personal branding is one.
The other one is community management. I think we all know that community management is the future. There will be a rise in chief community officers. That will really happen because, as they say, recurring relationship means securing revenue. You build a good relationship with your existing customers and potential customer perspective because it is a subscription-based business. If you allow people to do the boring stuff, don’t expect they will stay.
How did you learn personal branding?
Mags: Just a quick backstory. I did not start my online business with community management and personal branding, I was a VA before. I met many Filipinos doing marketing, where I learned that there is caping. I can be a copywriter, or I can be a community manager, or a personal brand strategist. It was not until 20 that I started doing personal branding for clients, but it was not SaaS at that time. I love it because so many CEOs are now active on social media, and they are very thankful that I came in and they help them build their brand and help them create content.
One common challenge that they have is that they overthink things. They don’t know what to write. They don’t know how to communicate with their clients, which is surprising because they’re the CEOs of the company, but it’s still, as they say, no one is perfect. We all have this little deal in our heads called imposter syndrome, and one way to fight imposter syndrome is by taking action. Don’t overthink what you’re going to write. Just write, start to write. Start with your story because people love the stories. If people know the story of the company’s founder, they will relate to it, and eventually, they will become fans and purchase your product.
Best piece of advice for CEOs that want to start personal branding
Mags: If you do not start to build your brand, you will be chasing your customers for the rest of your life. That is the truth. If you want your customers to come to you, if you want your customers to be buying, then let them see you and talk to you. Allow them to reach out to you personally on social media and not just reach out through customer service. As a buyer, whenever I get to talk to the owner, founder, or CEO, it feels good because I know that this company is legit. This company is trustworthy, I know they are after quality, the quality of the service, and building a relationship with their clients and potential clients.
Why should people follow you on LinkedIn? What do you post there?
Mags: Well, I give tips on personal branding and community management. I do that by copywriting, social media copy, and some who are not ready to become clients. We happen to an appalling, and I give them advice freely. Being kind is not wrong at all. Being generous is not bad at all. As long as you know your limit at not giving everything because this is still business, and you have your intellectual property. But giving a portion of what you have is not bad at all. That’s my principle. The pricing of my services depends on the need of the client, but in general, I price my clients based on their problems and the solution that I can help them with.
How big is your team?
Mags: Now I have five people, I have a team, but not a regular one. I just outsource them whenever I need them. Before I onboard a new client, I always make sure that I’m ready to accept or that I am ready for the responsibilities because the last thing I want is to underdeliver. I don’t want that. I have a registered business in the Philippines called Higher Digital. I’m a responsible taxpayer, and eventually, I want to put up my own agency because of my ultimate vision to become the go-to person for B2B or SaaS community management. That’s my very big vision for my company in the future.
