Mighty Marketing Mojo

Author: Jennifer Burke

  • Instead of same old resolutions for 2013, try Un-Resolutions

    2013Resolutions Road Sign
    Image courtesy of [FrameAngel] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

    It’s that time of year …  a new year equals new starts. We all resolve to do things differently.

    Again.

    How about really doing something different in 2013? Instead of the same old resolutions, how about some Un-Resolutions?

    Un-Resolutions? What are those?

    Instead of focusing on a list of things ‘to do’ – do better, differently, more of – in our personal and professional lives – let’s think about the things that we know have NEVER worked for us and vow to stop wasting time doing them. That’s an Un-Resolution. Free yourself personally, professionally or both.

    What might you STOP doing?

    • stop eating chocolate?

    No, no, no. That’s not realistic, it’s not achievable and it’s not terribly smart. [You know about SMART goals, right?] How about telling yourself to stop feeling guilty about that piece of really good chocolate you might have once or twice a week? Or try telling yourself to stop bingeing on chocolate? More reasonable, right?

    But what about in business? If you are a small business owner, a freelancer, consultant, or an entrepreneur (or just think like one) – What will you stop doing this year?

    Un-Resolutions for you and your business:

    • Stop thinking it’s about ‘you’.
      It’s not. The truth that most won’t tell you is our customers and clients do not care about us. They care about themselves – they care what we can do for them. We’re there to help them solve a problem and that’s what they care about. So stop focusing on you – what degrees you have, what experience you have, what you did lately, and put the language and emphasis on ‘them’. How you are best positioned to be the one to help them.
    • Stop making things more complicated than they need to be.
      Sometimes that old mantra of KISS (Keep it simple, stupid) is really the best. So think about what aspects of your business are draining you, taking too much energy and time to do – what can you simplify? What can you delegate? Can you hire a virtual assistant for some things?  Is a task really essential? Is it truly moving you forward to a specific goal and can you measure what you are getting out of it? It’s a bit like that closet organizer’s trick – if you haven’t worn it in 18 months, get rid of it. Same principles.
    • Stop talking just to ourselves.
      If you’re a small business owner you can often spend your time just talking to others in your niche. Or perhaps if you’re a really small business owner just starting out you might be taking the ‘talk to yourself’ thing a little too literally!It’s too insulating. Get outside! (metaphorically and literally)  Talk to your customers or clients. Talk to friends and colleagues in other fields. Ask them what they’re doing, what’s working and what isn’t. Listen. Talk to people in roles different from your own. Talk to the information tech folks, the marketers, the accountants. Talk to people in fields or interests you don’t know much about – and listen. You’ll likely learn something that can change what you are doing or bring new insights. There are more points of commonality than we all think.
      And by all means get out and talk in person as much as possible! And if that’s really, really not your style – then do some research. “Talk” to your customers via surveys, polls, emails and more. Dig up some tidbits from other fields, join a different group on LinkedIn, read a new blog, watch a webinar.

    Go Stop sign

     

    • Stop undervaluing yourself.
      Stop under charging. Take yourself and your business seriously, so others will too. [This may be one of the hardest un-resolutions for all small business owners, freelancers or solopreneurs – TheInfoHound included!]. But do the research among your peers and similar businesses and know what you are worth in the market. Know what your time is worth. Stop taking the first offer that comes especially if it’s a lowball one. Target clients who respect what you can do for them – and will pay you appropriately to do it.
    • Stop holding on to the past.
      Business is different now. Have you changed with the times? Customers are more informed than ever before. Buyers know more before purchasing and a sales person is likely not the first place they turn for information about your product or service. They are studying you. So give them the information they want while they are studying and deciding. They are also talking about you. So go out on the social platforms and listen.
    • Stop trying to do it all alone.
      Go collaborate with like minds. Partner up, trade services, share recommendations and referrals with synergistic partners. Connect with other small businesses or solopreneurs – some might be in your field, some might be in connected fields who have similar client targets. Figure out ways to mutually benefit each other. Ask what you can do for them. That’s right, it’s not about you (remember Un-Resolution #1?). By offering first to see what you can do to help another business grow, you gain in reputation, credibility and general positive goodwill. And goodwill can be good business.So, what will you be NOT doing in 2013?

    h/t to Forbes, for inspiration https://www.forbes.com/sites/sap/2013/01/02/7-things-marketers-should-stop-doing-today/  and  https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikemaddock/2012/12/30/ten-resolutions-the-most-successful-people-make-and-then-keep/

     

  • 12 Last Minute Business Book Gifts for Entrepreneurs & Small Business Folks

    The 2013 Business Book-a-Month List

    The kind of New Year’s resolution we can all get behind – read more! Here are 12 business books to read in 2013. Read a book per month. Ok, read more. I won’t tell.
    Some of these business books are classics, others are new to the scene – all have come recommended from some of the best minds, or hives of minds, in the business world today.

    • The Startup Playbook by David Kidder – insider’s views of the highs & lows of entrepreneurship from top innovators (Spanx, LinkShare, Flickr, LinkedIn, TED,etc); a guide for small and large-thinking entrepreneurs [ via Fast Company]
    • The Half-Life of Facts: Why everything we know has an expiration date, by Samuel Arbesman;  the world, and its knowledge, advances. Science, technology, medicine, our ability to measure things, and even our understanding of history, are all advancing – so ‘facts’ are changing. Smaller, regular changes often precede and foreshadow larger ‘breakthroughs’. Learn to question assumptions and to gather quality information [hear, hear!!  Info pros have long said that the right info, for the right question, is always an improvement. Need help with that? See below!]   [via Inc]
    •  The One World Schoolhouse, by Salman Khan – understanding the power of online education; founder of the Khan Academy – goal of free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere; Khan Academy gives free videos and software on numerous subjects; Khan is rethinking assumptions about education in form, technique, structure and more
    • The Book of Business Awesome (and the Book of Business UnAwesome), by Scott Stratten; the power of the customer experience; case studies of successful businesses and “train wrecks” of unsuccessful ones

    [above three from Content Marketing Institute’s “Gift Ideas for Content Marketers”]

    Business Books to Read in 2013
    Photo from https://www.flickr.com/photos/horiavarlan/
    • The Art of the Start: the time-tested, battle-hardened guide for anyone starting anything, by Guy Kawasaki – a classic; whenever you need to go back and remember why you’re starting something and how to turn your ideas into actions
    • The Dip: A little book that teaches you when to quit (and when to stick), by Seth Godin; don’t quit too early, but don’t stay in too long when you should really get out; help with perspective on quitting
    • The Zen of Social Media Marketing: An easier way to build credibility, generate buzz and increase revenue [2012 ed], by Shama Kabani; clueless on where to jump in and begin using social media to really propel your biz?  here’s some help and a confidence boost

    [above three via Social Media Today, Natalie Sisson’s “13 Must-Read Books to Kick Start your 2013”]

    • The Lean Startup by Ries – a nearly cult hit in the small business, entrepreneur, startup communities; logic and guidance for using a ‘lean’ methodology in starting a company [via Forbes]
    • Commitment Engine, by John Jantsch [see also his best sellers The Referral Engine and Duct Tape Marketing]

    [above three via Seth Godin]

    I have more business books as must-reads for my 2013.  What else is on your must-read list?

    Thumbs-up Reviews Want more recommendations and maybe some reviews of other business books? Good! Because they’ll be coming in the new year. Check back often to see which of my reads from 2012 get a thumbs up and review.

     

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     Worried that the ‘facts’ are changing or that you can’t keep up with information overload? Need to always look smart and work smarter? Then head to IntelliCraft Research and see how we can help!

  • Tips for new entrepreneurs

    It might be questionable to make my first official post about an article with “stop f**king around” in the title. But there are some salient points raised here.

    First-Time Startup Entrepreneurs: Stop Fucking Around | TechCrunch.

    At first I read it and griped that it is focused on tech start-ups, coders, programmers, the next big app thing. What about the rest of us? What about those who ‘start-up’ something that isn’t a Silicon Valley wunderkind, or going to get Y-Combinator funding, or maybe any funding at all other than our savings accounts? But yes, the article is from TechCrunch, so a techie focus should likely be expected.

    However, a few universally salient points are made:

    – Don’t waste time. Don’t meet people for sake of meeting people, or code because you can, or do whatever it is that seems cool and  a ‘must’. Instead … work.

    -But … don’t work to the complete exclusion of everything else. Find your ‘me time’ thing and keep it on your calendar. Always.

    -Define your goals first. Sounds simple and common sense, right? but apparently it’s easy to just jump into the ‘doing’ and forget about the ‘why you’re doing’ or ‘who you’re doing for’. Don’t forget. Plan around the ‘why’ and the ‘who’ and take your time to figure out how you’re getting there — first.

    For other non-techies out there, what did you take away from this article that could help you?

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