By Gary Bloomer

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In mid-2008, I began looking for an online marketing forum to contribute to.

I’d set myself the goal of increasing my visibility as someone worth paying attention to in the world of small business marketing strategists.

Over a few weeks of searching I kept circling back to a website called Marketing Profs on which there was a forum called the Know-How Exchange (KHE).

I procrastinated for almost a year before I summoned up the courage to submit an answer to a question because I let my imposter syndrome hold me back. of Marketing Profs an odd series of events unfolded.

Because I lacked a traditional background and the typical experience in marketing (that is, at that point I hadn’t worked in marketing and had no experience to speak of to give me the usual kind of credentials you might expect a top contributor to an online forum to have), I was looked at by a few people as being somehow less than; as someone lacking in substance.

There were a few barbed comments on the forum—interesting comments—and not interesting good.

There were two individuals in particular who prided thrown being the unofficial police of the forum—individuals who were, well let’s just say that were less than complimentary.

Who was I to be contributing? Who did I think I was? That sort of thing. It seemed a few folks thought I was diluting the gene pool.

But I didn’t let their negativity put me off. In fact, the negative nonsense inspired me to make even more of a contribution.

It’s that resolve and commitment that’s earned me a place as one of the forum’s top-three contributors.

It’s that focus and strategic insight that’s helped me help one of my nonprofit clients generate over $2.4 million in fundraising in just eight months.

It’s that attention to what matters and to thinking about marketing in ways that break with accepted norms that help my clients stand out.

They laughed when I set out to become a leading contributor to a major marketing platform. No one’s laughing now.

And while I like to have fun, I see marketing as a serious business. Maybe I can help you.

To learn more, read one of my articles, or scroll through the resources page.

About Gary Bloomer

Gary Bloomer is originally from the UK. These days he lives just outside Philadelphia. Since 2009, he's answered over 5,000 marketing, branding, and social media strategy questions from small business owners from all over the world on the Know-How Exchange of MarketingProfs.com. An award winning graphic designer and a staunch advocate for the little guy, his website is a love letter to the world of small business marketing. To learn more, read the About page.