For many small business owners and entrepreneurs, a big draw of self-employment was the ability to design our own work life. We want to be in charge, yet sometimes that gets overwhelming. We may even have the occasional fantasy of showing up somewhere, punching a clock, and having someone else make all the decisions.
Luckily, there is plenty of room in between extremes. We can seek out and use guidance from those who’ve come before us, and still ultimately claim the autonomy we seek.
I recently came across three blog posts that help you get out of your head and learn from others about how to market and grow your own business.
The true purpose and power of social media
On The Digital FA, a blog geared to financial advisors, Sherry Carnahan shared a touching and potent story of her father’s business success as an electrician.
“My dad didn’t have monthly newsletters or a website to market his business,” she notes, but he was a true pro at social marketing. Sure, the media was different, but the intention and results were the same.
If you’re not getting results from your own social media marketing, maybe you’re missing the crucial relationship piece. If so, you could learn a lot from Sherry’s dad.
Always keep a blog post in your pocket
While I covered this topic myself in 2012, I never tire of looking for ways to draw on the wisdom and practices of intrepid journalists, whom I greatly admire.
Over at the TopRank Online Marketing blog, James Anderson shares how marketers can use a journalist’s approach to content planning. My favourite is the advice to “keep a post in your pocket.” With my own daily blogging ritual, I find it crucial to have several posts on the go.
A systematic method for learning from other business bloggers
Speaking of planning, in my free Four-Step Blogging Plan guide I suggest that business bloggers look to other blogs for examples of blogging goals in action.
Other people’s blogs can be a source of inspiration and ideas, as well as a warning of things you don’t want to repeat on your own blog.
Darren Rowse of ProBlogger suggests you choose one blog every day to carefully review, and he offers a comprehensive set of questions to guide you. Though Darren’s site is meant for many different types of bloggers, his process will still definitely give you lots to think about for your business blog.
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This article was syndicated from Business 2 Community: Improve Your Marketing With a Learner’s Mind
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