Work Gets in the Way of Life

Sometimes work gets in the way of…well…everything...especially at this time of year. I've got more than enough to do shopping, baking, wrapping and pretending I'm enjoying all this, thank you. I don't need something like WORK to get in my way.

Wait. Yes, I do. I mean...if I want to eat and pay bills and stuff, I do.

Juggling is one of the hardest parts about being a solopreneur or small business owner. It’s easy to get sidetracked and lose your focus, which is what’s happened to me these past few days. BUT, a few extra minutes after hours, when the phone has stopped ringing and clients have stopped making perfectly reasonable, albeit time-consuming requests, and I’m back on schedule. So, away we go…

Guerilla Marketing—No, this has nothing to do with Dian Fossey. The term Guerilla Marketing was coined by legendary ad man, Jay Conrad Levinson, to describe a form of marketing and advertising that is inventive, original and aggressive on a small or even non-existent budget. Think unconventional, unusual and inexpensive—exactly what you’re looking for.

Help—While there are a multitude of “H” words we could explore (HTML, Hits, Hypertext, et al) for our purposes, HELP is the best “H” word you can focus on at this point. In other words, ask for it when you need it. Don’t try to go it alone, even if most people spend more at Starbucks on a daily basis than you have in your monthly ad budget. Find online forums, free web sites, info articles, blogs (like this one) and ask for HELP!

Inbound Marketing—The opposite of Outbound Marketing. These days, there are a million ways for your audience to BLOCK your outbound message. Think no call list, spam blockers, TIVO (to fast forward through those annoying commercials), satellite radio, etc., etc. Inbound marketing works on the premise that tools such as Facebook, Twitter, web sites, blogs, free downloadable white papers and e-newsletters bring warm, qualified leads to YOU! More about Inbound Marketing in the weeks ahead.

That’s it for today kids. Keep studying and whatever you do, DON’T GET BEHIND. (In other words, do what I say, not what I do.)