What has it got to do with marketing in 2020?
Pretty much a lot.
Today I got to sit down to lunch with a friend and my twin sister. So this friend owns and runs a ballet school and was introduced to me by my yoga teacher and mindfulness coach a little over a year ago. In a small but bustling city like ours, word gets around quickly enough so that people know about me and what I do. I am grateful to our community for spreading love and sharing their experience working together on projects!
My friend forwarded an article about a 45-year old learning how to dance–taking a cue from our conversation, it was an inspiring and insightful read. Made me think about embarking on a journey this year while building on an idea for a new book.
One of the biggest frustrations I have is dancing. I like listening to music, singing and I appreciate the performing arts a lot. I like watching people enjoy themselves on the dance floor. I attempted to learn how to dance but found myself laughing self-consciously more than I paid attention to the actual dancing part. Somehow the mental image of me swaying like a bamboo pole never left my mind (nope, not about to say it is pole dancing). The experience was both exhilarating and shockingly funny. I could jump and wave my arms but dancing is another story. I’ll share my journey with you when I go in for the free trial. 😉
1. Never Stop Learning.
Knowledge is expandable. A good book makes for a good mental workout. The amount of information we have access to today is indescribable (whether we are talking gigabytes, terabytes or pages). Imagine consuming and making sense of all the information you are served on a daily if not hourly basis. Just imagine. Critical thinking keeps me ‘on my toes’. Ask questions. Join conversations. Learning is a never-ending process.
The following books shaped my view on business marketing for keeps. If you were to read one book a month here are 12 of my favorite go-to references:
– Timothy Ferriss’, ‘ Tools of Titans ‘
– Kevin Kelly’s concept, ‘1000 True Fans’ (Here is quick YouTube video with nuggets )
– Harry Beckwith’s ‘ What Clients Love ‘ and ‘ You, Inc. ‘
– James Clear’s ‘ Atomic Habits ‘
– Keith R. Reynolds’ ‘ The New Content Culture™ Publisher’s M.O.™
– Jonah Berger’s ‘ Contagious: Why Things Catch On ‘
– Mark W. Schaefer’s ‘ Marketing Rebellion: The Most Human Company Wins ‘
– Donald Miller’s ‘ Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen ‘
– David Weinberger, et.al. ‘ The Cluetrain Manifesto ‘
– Kindra Hall’s ‘ Stories That Stick: How Storytelling Can Captivate Customers, Influence Audiences, and Transform Your Business ‘
– Robert B. Cialdini’s ‘ Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion ‘
– Gino Wickman’s ‘ Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business ‘ and his other titles
If you have read any or all of these titles, shoot me a message #YOVEODigital or @lornsbondoc and let me know what you think.
2. Build New Things With Others.
Dancing teaches people how to both lead and follow. Last week, I was invited to join my friends from Publi.io Keith Reynolds and Greg Pings on the latest episode of Chris Mateo’s podcast, ‘ iDayDream ‘ in which we talked about the new book, ‘ The New Content Culture™ Publisher’s M.O.™ ‘. In our conversation with Chris and Kevin, we touched on the practical steps anyone can take that leads to building a business. The book’s premise and framework is designed around a content strategy and system that works. You can learn more about this here.
3. Participate in Communities and Events.
You can dance solo but it is more fun with company. Volunteering in various communities has helped me cope with business challenges and learn from others. When I open my heart to new experiences, I find that there are more people who are willing to give and to receive help. This month, our company is holding our first meet-up in 2020 for Connected Women Cebu. Over 43 simultaneous meet-ups all over the world! We are also helping promote a 2-day wellness event (now on its second year!)– Vegan Om Fest.
4. Set intentions not just goals.
Clearly hung over from James Clear’s Atomic Habits. So I share this quote which is my wake-up call this month:
“You do not rise to the level of your goals; You fall to the level of your systems.”
Practice makes perfect. Not just in the performing arts but life in general. What we teach ourselves eventually become habits that shape our lives for the better or otherwise. In order to find our passion, we must search for what sparks our interest and pursue a path that confirms and brings us to higher levels of self-awareness and a deeper sense of gratitude for what we learn, and the opportunities to learn them.
5. Start somewhere.
I am just getting started with my intentions. I have yet to set foot in a dance studio let alone take my first step at the barre. But it was a beautiful lunch hour today, so I take a breath and count 5-4-3-2-1 then G-O! I am definitely intending to surprise myself at what I accomplish!
The ‘pointe’ of this marketer learning how to dance is, start somewhere.
Hope your year is exciting!
