The new year for me starts with reflection. I found my blog from 2015 about the ‘huge’ changes in marketing (like the rise of ad blockers and the introduction of Facebook Canvas, both of which now seem historic). The marketing landscape changes rapidly and the need for businesses to be staying up to date with marketing tactics is non-negotiable.
Technologies upgrade. Brands innovate. Consumers continue to be time poor. Trends evolve. In 2018, we saw Facebook reduce the reach of all content and overhaul their Group features; YouTube rolled out Stories, Instagram launched IGTV, and I haven’t even started on Google’s changes. Let me help you get on top of your ongoing learning to stay ahead of the curve.
Face to Face learning and education
Some of the most indepth learning you can do is in a face to face environment, ala classroom style, where you can engage with your tutor and ask all those specific questions for your business. The benefits of learning with (and from) those around you, includes group brainstorming, different perspectives and hearing how others may have solved the problem you’re having. Banter Group will be launching a brand new training offering in 2019, with a new brand, new courses and new formats to make learning engaging, useful and fun. Sign up to our newsletter to hear about this imminent launch first.
1:1 Mentoring / Coaching
If you’re not up for group learning, 1:1 facilitation might be for you. With a little preparation of your ‘hit list’ of things to discover, 1:1 can provide you with efficient, spot-on solutions for your business. I run numerous sessions like this for small business and national organisations, at ad-hoc and scheduled intervals, for 1 person or a group, face to face or via conferencing technology.
Reading
Signing up for newsletters from Facebook, Instagram and Google are a no-brainer. But there needs to be a commitment and discipline to a) actually read them and b) actually do something with the information. Signing up is easy and ignoring them is even easier. By creating a Feedly account, you can organise those sign ups into categories that appear like a magazine-by-topic. With greater organisation of what you need to know, you’re far more likely to actually do that reading.
Watching Others
Actively watching your competitors’ activities and those of great businesses can give you some great ideas about what you could or should be doing. Follow others. Sign up to competitor newsletters. See what’s working and learn what isn’t. You can avoid great pitfalls by spending just 1 hour a week watching others. Don’t be afraid to ‘respectfully steal’ a good idea from other industries too, but be careful not to copy-cat. No-one likes a copy-cat.
It isn’t rocket science, but it does take a commitment and discipline to follow through. Start by prioritising your learning and taking action with at least one of these four steps. The ideas will start to flow, and you’ll begin to see the ease of planning, the precision of your decisions and the impact on your business.
