Dear ,

 

For me 2019 is the year of building community.

Community isn’t code for collecting social media followers and connections.

 

While social media reduces distances and enables to keep up with family and friends, we still need real life relationships.

 

But whether we want to admit it or not, we all suffer from FOMO to some extent.

 

Because, in our Instagram filtered world, everyone shines brightly and flawlessly unlike the gritty reality we live in.

 

Instead we need to reach out to connect and communicate in real time.

But I’m not the only marketer asking these questions. MarketingProfs worked with Mantis Research to develop their 2019 Marketer Happiness Report.

 

They discovered that marketers are isolated.

• 74% don’t meet colleagues in real life more than a few times a year.

• 79% don’t speak to colleagues in one-to-one conversations more than a few times a year.

• 64% don’t exchange ideas with colleagues on social media.

Since as marketers we need personal support systems, what does this mean for you?

 

Follow my easy-to-implement approach:
Reach out to colleagues to talk in real time via phone or Skype. Ask people you know but don’t usually take the time to really talk with.

 

For solopreneurs and consultants, this is even more important. Because you spend a lot of time working alone.

 

As a result, the only voice you may hear is the one inside your head. And it has as much chance of being right as being wrong.

RECOMMENDED READING:

• Women In Marketing: Career Challenges

• Women In Marketing: Career Advice 

For the past several years, I’ve toyed with the idea of hosting a series of Marketing Salons. Each time I’ve told senior marketers about it, I received positive feedback.

 

But I still didn’t test it.

 

When I heard that Socially Sorted’s Donna Moritz was going to be in NYC after SMMW19, I decided to host a test event.

 

My biggest challenge:

Not having a current email address or mobile number for all of my contacts.  

 

While I used Facebook and LinkedIn messaging to reach out to my New York based colleagues, not everyone checks these messages regularly.

 

Marketing Lesson:

Expand your connections beyond social media to include email and mobile.  As I type this, I hear Joe Pulizzi’s voice in my head telling me, “You need to build your email list!”

 

Despite the short timeframe, a group of New York based marketers gathered for cocktails and conversation. Even better, people wanted to keep the group going!

RECOMMENDED READING:

• How To Build Your Conference Into A Community: Case Study

We accomplish more together than we do apart. Humans have always done better together than apart and you have the power to change this.

 

Despite the work that needs to get done, get out of your office.

 

If you’re in the New York metro area, consider attending.

Click here to get this and previous AMG newsletters on the Web.

Join me in New Jersey to meet tomorrow’s unicorns. Check out 40 startups pitching to investors at the 2019 @NJTechCouncil Venture Conference on April 11th in Newark!  Use promo code Sara25 for 25% off the registration fee.  #thetechcouncil #ventureconference @DraftKings @NJTechCouncil. Register Now: https://events.njtc.org/vc19/

 

Don’t worry--we’ve got you covered!

 

Just follow our 5 step blog post approach to improve your blog creation speed and quality!

 

RELATED READING:

• How To Get Awesome Blog Results

• How Does Your Blog Compare To The Best-In-Class

 

RELATED READING:

• How To Forecast Sales (Step by Step Tutorial)

• Finance For Marketers: Costs

• Why Pricing Isn’t About The Numbers (Note: This article applies to businesses but the tactics help solopreneurs as well!)

 

Instead let’s take some time to understand and recognize their contribution to making our business a success. Without them, we’d have nothing to market!

 

RELATED READING:

• How To Celebrate Your Customers: 100 Tactics You Can Use

Spoiler alert: I recommend using a blog! (BTW, skip the blogging blarney!)

 

The fine print: