Meet the Team: Michael Ruth

Next up in Wilkes-Barre POWER!’s Meet the Team series is our resident redhead, Michael Ruth !

If you’ve met Michael, you probably remember it—his quick wit, his knack for telling a great story, or just the fact that he’s tall and impossible to miss in a crowd.

Michael is the goofy, cat-loving voice behind Wilkes-Barre POWER!’s content strategy. If you’ve read a POWER! nonprofit community spotlight, member profile, or our educational professional development content, you’ve seen some of Michael’s work in action.

His engaging content drives POWER!’s message, uplifting organizations and inspiring members to connect with the Greater Wilkes-Barre community.

Basically, he is the cream of the crop.  

We caught up with Michael to talk about writing, SEO, and how he keeps his content fresh in a world where AI is even after his job.

What first drew you to content marketing? How have you developed your skills along the way?

Michael Ruth: I didn't even know what content marketing was when I got my first job in digital marketing in 2018. I just knew there was a place for writers in this modern and growing industry.

Once I discovered that the search engine optimization (SEO) industry is built almost entirely on producing high-quality content, I started seeing the career possibilities for someone like me, someone who has always had writing jobs and intends to keep having them.

What draws me to content marketing is the ability to use my skills to communicate helpful information to people who are making important decisions. I spent the first few years of my digital marketing career just learning the basics of how content and SEO go together. But my industry is always developing with the times, and so I've had to keep learning along the way.

Today, the most significant advancement I've made in my approach to content marketing is to focus less on "marketing-centric" writing and more on unique content that helps businesses to brand themselves to the public. Think fewer "What Is..." posts and more "Here's Our Philosophy of Doing Business."

With everyone and their iguana being able to produce generic AI-written content today, staying fresh and unique is what keeps a content marketer employed.

What do you love most about writing?

Michael Ruth: I love envisioning the final version of something at the beginning, just as I'm about to start. I know I have to achieve that vision, but the process of arriving there can take any number of forms.

It usually involves numerous starts and stops, editing myself in real time, and writing lots of bad sentences that I know are bad but that I just can't refine until later.

Writing can be such a tedious and frustrating practice sometimes, but seeing that final version out there in the world, after all the personal turmoil it took to produce it, is really satisfying.

What do you love about your role as director of content marketing for Wilkes-Barre POWER!?

Michael Ruth: It's fun to be able to define the content strategy for an organization that didn't previously have one.

Our content focus right now consists of nonprofit spotlights, member profiles, and educational content on networking and professional development. The shape of POWER!'s overall content strategy came from many conversations with our president, Rich Perry, and the entire board of directors about what we wanted the nonprofit to project to the public.

I love using the established POWER! brand presence in our area to spread the good word about our featured nonprofits' activities while helping our members to level up their networking skills along the way. 

What have you gained from being part of the Wilkes-Barre POWER! network? How has it shaped your career and connections?

Michael Ruth: If I look back to my professional network even just two years ago, I knew maybe two people.

Today, I walk into a Wilkes-Barre POWER! event, and I know probably more people than I can think of right now, and I at least recognize the faces of those I don't know yet.

POWER! has been the driving force of my professional networking over the last two years that I've seriously committed to attending events. The networking that the group facilitates for professionals like me has led to me meeting so many people from different industries.

Whether they work in real estate or accounting or leadership development, I know I wouldn't have met these folks without gathering once a month at POWER!'s networking events.

For anyone looking to collaborate with you on writing or SEO services, what’s the best way to get in touch?

Michael Ruth: Currently perfecting the website for my business, 1900 Digital Marketing LLC, so at the moment, the best ways to reach me are either right here on LinkedIn or at michael@1900digitalmarketing.com.

_________________________________________________________________________

Written by Rachael Stark

A lifelong NEPA resident and King's College grad, Rachael Stark is the NEPA Program Manager at the Pennsylvania Environmental Council. She loves all things nature - like National Parks, hiking, and bug catching - and is dedicated to her community roles, including as vice president of Wilkes-Barre POWER!