CEO Megan Hodgkiss’ Interview with Canvas Rebel

Meet Megan Hodgkiss! We were lucky to catch up with Megan Hodgkiss, JD, PhD recently and have shared our conversation below.

Megan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So, let’s start with trends – what are some of the largest or more impactful trends you are seeing in the industry?

For the past couple of months, I’ve been reading about ChatGPT and how AI-powered programs will revolutionize the content marketing and copywriting industries. Am I worried? No, not at all. Programs like ChatGPT are useful for getting the ball rolling on basic content. But when you’re working on something high-level like a white paper or educational article, ChatGPT just does not have the sophistication to explore nuanced and complicated concepts. An artificial intelligence platform is not going to replace subject matter experts.

Megan, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Hodgkiss Consulting LLC provides content marketing and copywriting services for busy law firms, non-profit organizations, and other businesses. I serve as the company’s CEO and Principal Writer.

I didn’t set out to form a communications company. I was planning to be a First Amendment attorney. But then, as law school graduation neared, the economy took a dive and there were fewer opportunities in my preferred practice area. A few of my friends who worked with smaller law firms or had hung their own shingle reached out about communications work. So I started blogging for one colleague, creating newsletters for another, and managing social media accounts for a couple of legal organizations. I slowly began to realize… there’s a need here. So, I changed career paths and started my own company, Hodgkiss Consulting LLC.

Currently, we offer content marketing and copywriting, which includes: web content, blogs, newsletters, articles for third-party publications, white papers, social media management, press releases, employee bios, award submissions, and other long-form content. We help take the writing projects off your plate so you can focus on your own clients. Our content is custom, timely, and designed to engage readers.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

One of the best things about being a professional writer is that the overhead is minimal. All you need is a laptop, a strong Wi-Fi connection, and a good place to work. When I first started Hodgkiss Consulting LLC, I tried to keep expenses down as much as possible. I worked from home. I set up a free Gmail account and a free Google Voice phone number. I created free social media accounts. My highest startup costs were probably registering the company and paying for my website. Over the years, I have invested in better computers and office equipment. I also regularly pay for subscriptions to Canva, Grammarly, Microsoft Word, and some photo/video editing software. Currently, I would say my largest expenses are my business coach and my memberships in business networking groups — but these are an investment in my company and well worth it!

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience.

When I’m working with a client, my first piece of advice related to social media is to go where your potential clients are. Do they use Instagram? Facebook? YouTube? LinkedIn? Make sure you are sharing content on the platform that they’re already using. My second piece of advice is to start with one or two of those social media platforms and make sure you’re regularly putting out quality content. “Quality” means useful, timely, and engaging. Post at least twice a week, and shape your content for that particular platform. What you post on Instagram, for example, isn’t always going to translate well to a LinkedIn post. When you share your content, you want to engage with those who like/comment/share. Build your audience by being responsive and sharing useful information.

For me, I use LinkedIn to promote myself and my company. At least three times a week, I will post about projects I’m working on, company accomplishments, or communication news that my followers would find interesting and valuable. I’m very intentional with what I share. I want people to think Megan = content marketing and copywriting, so my posts are almost always related to communication. I also want to share that just because someone isn’t clicking that “like” button, that doesn’t mean they aren’t seeing your posts. At networking events, people will mention how much they liked a blog or article I’ve shared (even though they didn’t engage with the post itself). They still see the posts!

This article was originally published on Canvas Rebel, whose mission is to create a space for artists, creatives and entrepreneurs to be able to learn from their peers through the magic and power of storytelling.