In this episode of The Remarkable Project Jay speaks with keynote speaker, futurist, educator and author Mark Schaefer, about why personal trust is more critical in community building than ever, how the pandemic highlighted customers’ need to belong, and the importance of preserving community culture

Mark W. Schaefer is a globally-recognised keynote speaker, educator, business consultant, futurist, and author who writes for {grow} – one of the world’s top marketing blogs. Mark has worked in global sales, PR, and marketing positions for more than 30 years, and now provides consulting services as Executive Director of US-based Schaefer Marketing Solutions. He specialises in marketing strategy and social media workshops, with his clients include both start-ups and global brands such as Adidas, Cisco, Johnson & Johnson, Dell, Pfizer, The US Air Force, and the UK government.

Mark has advanced degrees in marketing and organisational development, and is a faculty member of the graduate studies program at Rutgers University in New Jersey.

He is the bestselling author of 10 books including ‘The Tao of Twitter’ (the world’s top-selling book on Twitter), ‘The Content Code’, named by INC magazine as one of the Top Five marketing books of the year, and ‘KNOWN’, the all-time bestselling book on personal branding. Mark’s new book ‘Belonging to the Brand: Why Community is the Last Great Marketing Strategy’ describes an essential new path to connect to customers in the modern digital world. His written works are used as textbooks at more than 50 universities, have been translated into 15 languages, and can be found in more than 750 libraries worldwide.

He is a regular contributing columnist to The Harvard Business Review, and continues to be a popular guest on many national television shows and periodicals including the Wall Street Journal, Wired, The New York Times, CNN, National Public Radio, CNBC, the BBC and the CBS NEWS.

Remarkable Takeaways

Why personal trust is becoming increasingly critical in community building, as people seek more meaningful experiences and less standard value exchanges with brands.
How the recent pandemic highlighted the unchanging and permanent need of customers for community and belonging, cementing its status as a crucial marketing strategy for businesses.
The importance of protecting the culture of a community, to ensure it remains safe, nurturing and validating for likeminded people to step into and collaborate, co-create, and advocate for something they want to change or achieve.

Connect with Mark

Find him on LinkedIn

Follow him on Twitter

Learn more about Mark’s work, books and beyond via his website

SGS: The Art of Letting Go