Why Right Now Is the Perfect Time to Work With a PR & Digital Marketing Mentor

Sep 05, 2023

Finding an effective mentor is a necessary part of growing your business as an agency owner. Mentors work closely with you to help you push past obstacles (including mental blocks), elevate your mindset, and scale your agency. A PR & digital marketing mentor could be a peer in your niche who has more experience than you, or a professional coach who specializes in helping your industry’s entrepreneurs. Whatever you choose, your mentor will become a vital part of reaching your goals!

Why You Need to Start Your PR & Digital Marketing Mentor Search ASAP

No matter how long you’ve been running your business, a PR & digital marketing mentor can help take you to the next level. Having someone in your corner, totally focused on supporting your growth, is a game changer at any stage of your career. Let’s dive into why you need to start searching for your perfect mentor, like, yesterday!

#1: Doing the Hard Work Now Sets You Up for a Successful 2024

Q4 is nearly here! And between all the fall and winter holidays, gift guide pitching, and year-end launches, your time to focus on agency growth will be limited. Take advantage of the calm before the storm to work with an experienced, knowledgeable mentor who’s been there before. They’ll know the best strategies to navigate this busy season, adapt to unexpected obstacles, and still have time to concentrate on your agency.

The more you work with a PR & digital marketing mentor now, the more momentum you’ll build for the year ahead. You can start to identify and let go of limiting beliefs, streamline your agency’s processes, and develop targeted goals for 2024. The work you do now will put you in a better, stronger position in January — partnering with a mentor can set you up for maximum success next year!

#2: A Good Mentor Knows How to Pick You Up Out of a Low

If you’ve been stuck in a plateau, unmotivated, or overwhelmed with your workload, a PR & digital marketing mentor could help you find your way out. Your mentor might not relate to your exact circumstances, but they’ve experienced their own version and have gotten out of it. They wouldn’t be an effective mentor if they were still stuck spinning their wheels!

Work with your mentor to get to the bottom of why you’re feeling so trapped in your agency. As you figure things out, they may also spot warning signs for bigger issues like burnout and exhaustion. Your mentor can pass along the strategies they’ve used to restart their growth, find inspiration and motivation, and redirect their workload to focus on their zone of genius. This is a major part of my Elevate group coaching program, and my mentees have been able to use these tools to take charge of their careers.

#3: Your PR & Digital Marketing Mentor Will Help You Improve Your Niche Skills

You wouldn’t go to a basketball coach to become a better dancer, right? (I mean, you could, but I don’t think it would work out…) Your mentor should work in the same industry and niche as you do — and with all their experience, they’ll know the exact skills you need to set yourself up for success. They can identify your weaknesses and help you work to improve those areas.

But just because you focus on your weaknesses doesn’t mean you shouldn’t uplevel your existing strengths! A PR & digital marketing mentor can introduce you to new tactics and strategies that might save you time or add that extra oomph to your efforts. If you’re a killer pitch writer, they could give you the inside scoop on their tried-and-true strategies. Or, they could introduce you to new peers to collaborate with inside your zone of genius!

How to Find the Perfect PR & Digital Marketing Mentor for You

Working with a PR & digital marketing mentor is often a significant financial undertaking, but this is an investment in your and your agency’s future! They’ll show you the right places to focus your efforts and help you build a powerful action plan to achieve your goals. Here are my key tips for finding the perfect mentor for your needs.

#1: Figure Out What’s Most Important to You & Your Agency

You and your mentor should be aligned on much more than just your industry and niche: the right PR & digital marketing mentor will share your values and your agency owner mindset (or maybe possess the mindset you’re trying to cultivate!). A nose-to-the-grindstone, hustle culture mentor will do nothing for you if you want a better work-life integration for yourself. Honestly, a mentor who isn’t aligned with your values and mindset will do more harm than good — they’ll likely push you toward a future you don’t want!

Before you start your mentor search, take the time to list out your most important goals and values. Think about your overall vision for your life, both in terms of your agency and your home life. Ask yourself questions like:

How do you want to feel when you start work every day? What about when you finish?
What’s your ideal schedule? When do you not want to work?
How do you want your team and agency to be structured?

A good PR & digital marketing mentor is ready to help you achieve those goals and create a life that truly serves you. In my Elevate group coaching program, we work to establish a clear vision for your business so you can easily know what’s right for you and what shouldn’t be part of your agency going forward.

#2: Put Yourself Out There!

The perfect mentor isn’t going to fall out of thin air (if only!). You need to take the initiative and do the work to find the right PR & digital marketing mentor. To get your foot in the door, you could:

Join communities of like-minded entrepreneurs online (like The Pitch Lab and The Agency Accelerator) and in person.
Attend live events in your niche, whether locally, out of state, or even internationally.
Follow role models and thought leaders in your industry on social media and engage with their posts.

Once you have a shortlist of people who you’d like to mentor you, reach out to them directly. Write an email that’s thoughtful, personal, and shows them why you think they specifically would be a good mentor for you. Do your research to learn more about your prospective mentors so you can connect with a deeper level. Focus on fostering a meaningful relationship with them even if they don’t end up becoming your mentor.

#3: Pick Your Path and Fully Commit

Decide if you want to work 1-on-1 with your PR & digital marketing mentor or if you’d rather do group sessions. Lots of mentors offer multiple options, so you can pick whichever works best for you!

If you want intense, purposeful work that pushes you toward a certain goal or helps you work through a tough issue, go with 1-on-1 mentorship. You’ll develop a strong, trusting relationship with your mentor as you share your struggles and create an action plan. Group sessions, on the other hand, let you get opinions and advice from other like-minded entrepreneurs as well as your mentor. Note that you have to be open and honest about your personal & professional struggles with the whole group in the process.

Whatever you choose, always come to your first session fully prepared. Be honest with your prospective mentor about what you’re looking for and what your current circumstances are; they need to know the full picture of your situation to know if they can truly help you. Ask any questions you may have regarding their coaching philosophy, the time and financial commitment, or their coaching structure.

Finding a PR & digital marketing mentor takes time (and can be a major investment when you do find one), but it’s a crucial part of building a career you love. Whether you’ve been an agency owner for 12 months or 12 years, a mentor can bring in the fresh perspective you need to push your business forward!