Dear ,
Happy New Year!
During the holidays my professional life got frozen in time. (I’m sorry if you missed my newsletters.)
Without giving me any advance notice, the creative side of my brain took a
vacation. (Creatives often refer to this as "writer’s block".)
I can’t explain it.
To be honest, I didn’t think that it could happen to me.
Unfortunately as a solopreneur, I didn’t have anyone to whom I could delegate my writing. The only saving grace was that most of the world was on vacation.
Here’s what smart marketers do (and you and I should too!):
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Refill your articles and newsletters pipeline. (How many of you are missing this easy-to-avoid option? Don’t worry I won’t tell.)
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Schedule your major social media streams at least a week or two in advance. At a minimum schedule your evergreen posts and curation favorites for a month or longer. I use Hootsuite and Agorapulse. Also, CoSchedule is another good
option (but my webmaster won’t let me use it.)
Last week, a friend who is a visual artist confided, “I’m busy working.” Since
her intricate, highly layered visual art takes time, she has created a work schedule to support it. (BTW, if you’re going to be near Allentown, PA, check out her exhibit at The Baker Center for the Arts.)
God Loves Us No Matter What" – ©2018, Leslie Tucker. Used with permission
Art, visual and other forms, requires developing your skills and related
habits over time. As Stephen King says, “ Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.”
Beyond taking care of the people you’re responsible for and paying the bills, your art is a choice you make. If what you’re doing no longer inspires you, pivot to a related option.
While gyms and diet-related businesses focus on resolutions that vanish almost as quickly as they’re made, I believe that the New Year’s is about accounting for your personal activity.
Take time to appreciate the good things that
happened to you in 2018. (Come on--even the most cynical of you have at least a few!) Need help? Check out Austin Kleon’s List of 100 Things That Made My Year.
Remember that no matter how many family members, friends, colleagues and social followers you have, you are the only one who has control over your life. Further, like everyone else, you don’t know how long it will last.
So why not make the most of each day?
The best way is to set personal goals.
Joe Pulizzi does this well. He sets goals and tracks them. (BTW, Pulizzi got his inspiration from Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.)
Alternatively, write a letter to your future self, namely at the end of 2019. (Fast Company has an article that may help you.)
But the real gold is creating specific, measurable goals that have meaning to you since accounting to yourself empowers you to move forward to do those things you always wanted to do.
Here’s what some of my goals look like:
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Workout at the gym at least once per week (Versus: Get into a fitness routine.)
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Write 1,000 words per day in my journal. (BTW, I do this online since it’s easier than writing by hand.)
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Write 50 email newsletters that my readers want to open. (Note: This is a very specific form of audience communications.)
Your list doesn’t need to have a specific number of goals but this is a case where less is more. Otherwise, your thinking gets too fragmented and nothing happens.
Think about your goals across these
categories:
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Professional work
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Creativity or personal passion
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Financial
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Relationship/love
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Family, friends and colleagues
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Spiritual
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Health & fitness
Once you’ve taken care of your personal goals, think about your professional ones. Even better once you’ve done this, talk to your boss or a colleague to determine how achievable they are and set milestones.
Heidi Cohen,
Actionable Marketing Guide
Happy Marketing,
Heidi
Get a jump on assessing your 2019 marketing plans. These predictions provide the related data you need to adjust your plans.
 As social media matures, how are you going to use these platforms to build and support your
marketing activity?
 Before you need to revise your 2019 sales forecast, learn what it really takes.
Don’t worry--this article doesn’t require more than 5th grade math. (Yes you can do this!)
Join Me and top social media marketers in San Diego, March 20th – March 22. Register now and save – prices go up every week! Heidi Cohen Around the Internet
Terrific! You made it this far. Now here's the fine
print:
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Social Media Marketing World 2019
