Mid-last week, I spoke with Sachin Yadav, an expert media buyer, and marketing agency owner.
He shared his personal journey from employee, to freelancer, and now to marketing agency owner. We discussed positivity, content and personal branding.
The article was written by Claudia Lee, Founder of NEXUS. Speaking with Sachin Yadav, professional marketer, and media buyer.
Earlier Days
Sachin started a few years back, learning about media buying at a digital institute, and then moving on to working at an agency. He adapted between content creation, all the way over to media buying when realising it was a great service to provide to the fast-growing e-commerce industry.
We joked when you start your own business, you are now the one with the pressure, there’s nowhere to hide, and it can be very stressful when growing and building your systems.
“When you start your business or agency or you start doing freelancing if the client goes from you or anything should happen with you or your client, you are the only person responsible.
So you are the person who is going to cry, who is going to be happy or this person... So whatever is going to happen. You are the person who is going to face that.”
I asked how he dealt with the loss of clients. As a marketer too, I’ve been in the same boat.
“…We all are human and we all are we will get failures, we will get losses. So there you have to cry. But inside I'm very self-motivated and to keep me self motivated I listen to good podcasts like Gary Vee. And in India, there are some good podcasters like they record good content.”
When Others Said No
He explained how his family, never stood up for him to begin with, having a lot of doubt in whether he could achieve the things he was going after.
“Because what I feel (is that) if you know you are right, (you will do) whatever you are going to do. And, what you see, no one can see, right?
Because you have a different perspective and I have a different perspective and you cannot wear my glass(es).”
Motivation is a critical component of success, as it provides the drive and energy needed to achieve our goals. I've spoken to lots of entrepreneurs and business owners, and they all seem to have a healthy level of delusion.
When we are motivated, we are more likely to put in the effort and take the necessary steps to reach our desired outcomes. Whether it's in academics, career, or personal life, motivation plays a crucial role in helping us overcome obstacles and persevere through challenging situations.
Discipline is crucial and it's about building conscientiousness but, I would add, you must be disciplined and staying motivated.
“From there, I started reading books. I had started reading or listening to a good thing. I would like to watch good videos like motivational videos and self-motivated things.”
“If you listen to bad things, always, in your subconscious mind, it will be bad for you. Right? It is a good moment or a bad moment. You will face the bad things.”
We both unanimously agreed, that within the business space, the leaders all do one thing…
“They all surround yourself with the good stuff.”
Socials And The Danger Of The Repeating Feed
We joked about Instagram etc, and how bombarding it can be to focus, in this age of interconnectedness.
“Social media are designed to reflect yourself. So whatever I have an interest in Facebook or Instagram or other social media platforms shows me only that. So if someone is interested into politics, they will get news of what is going on in society.
But in my case, …I don't care about what is in this market … or whatever happening badly in the market. Because at the end you have to do your stuff. Either politicians are doing for you or not, but you have to do your stuff.”
You are your own social mirror, and the algorithms are designed to mirror back to you, what you have been stimulated by.
If you are getting distracted by socials it's because you have consumed that content, and allowed the social platforms to reinstall it back to you.
Remember a bad habit is no longer a bad habit when you know of it. It’s a choice.
Digital Marketing in 2023
As we’re both marketers we discussed paid media and how advertising is changing.
Paid media, and digital marketing in general, is a powerful tool for scaling a business or promoting a product or service. You have access, faster, to a wider audience.
However, and I learnt this the hard way, I would always encourage proof of concept first. To truly connect with your audience, businesses must also be able to share their story effectively. This means crafting a compelling brand narrative, that resonates.
By understanding storytelling, you build an experience of the product, not a sales pitch.
This is often where people confuse, sales and marketing.
“Some of my client's story-based content is working best. because that is in one case they are sharing their own personal story how they transform their life."
We also joked about how poorly some advertise, simply reselling the same ad over and over. We agreed ad fatigue is such a poorly understood concept because so many tv and radio stations, play the same things for months.
In the age of digital, it can't be like this.
Quantity and variance is what build's a successful campaign.
Copying vs Imitating
Copying others with your own twist can be a valuable tool for developing your own unique style and creative voice, especially if your working on being time effective.
By studying the work of others and identifying what you admire about it, you can learn new techniques and approaches that you can incorporate into your own work. It's important to note that there is a difference between copying and imitating.
Imitating involves directly replicating the work of others without adding your own personal touch. This won’t necessarily get you anywhere, as your always chasing the movies, others make.
Copying with your own twist can help you develop your own style and voice, as you are able to experiment with different techniques and approaches, you have seen be successful.
Moreover, copying with your own twist can also help you to build your confidence as a creator.
“I've been reading a book that is “Steal like an Artist by Austin Lyon. He says there is nothing new under the sun. So to start something, you have to start copying others, copy doesn't imitate, right?
The Power Of Personal Brand
Personal branding is the practice of creating a unique identity for yourself that communicates your skills, values, and personality. It helps you differentiate yourself from others in your industry and build trust and credibility with your audience.
This can open up new opportunities for you, such as speaking engagements, collaborations, and media features.
“Everybody now going into the branding, everybody's going into the marketing, because they have understood the essence of this, they have understood the importance of this.
I have seen some of the entrepreneurs, who were not into marketing, they were not into personal branding, but once they got understood the power of it, now they are going into marketing.
They are going to others in an interview and sharing their own story, their own journey, how they built that business etc…”
Final Thoughts
It was like talking to a mirror with Sachin as we are both in the same field of work, and I truly enjoyed the conversation.
I love how positive he is, and how self-motivated he has become over the years.
I think it's something we can all learn, and how you are accountable for your own thoughts. And know, full well, those thoughts dictate how far you go.
Thank you Sachin, for speaking with me.
