As we head towards the end of the year it’s a great time to reflect on how your business has performed. What methods of marketing did you use? What worked and what didn’t, and based on that what you will be doing in the coming year.
I am bombarded almost daily with emails for the latest course or tool to market my business and turn me into a “six or seven figure business” (don’t you just hate that term?) There are now so many “experts” out there who claim to have had a tough time, an epiphany on how to do it right and then created a programme to solve all your problems. My first New Year resolution is to unsubscribe from almost all the emails I receive, leaving only those that are genuinely useful.
Don’t get me wrong I am not saying all of these programmes are worthless, there are some genuine, hardworking business owners who I do follow, but what is interesting is that they don’t have to do the sob story and the hard sell. Their material doesn’t need it.
Here are a few of those who I will continue to be happy to hear from in 2012 – and without trying to be biased they are all female!:
Firstly, Mari Smith – a facebook whizz – who always gives valuable information and whose facebook updates I rely on for information on the latest changes. The other thing I like about her is she thanks you for retweets and follows back all those who follow her on twitter – many of the so called “gurus” are far too important to follow me!
Another great lady to check out whose blog is always informative – and genuine – is Lynn Terry, you can find her at Clicknewz. If you are interested in doing affiliate marketing Lynn has been doing it successfully for many years and has some great blog posts on the subject, as well as how to really run an online business.
My final recommendation is Natalie Sisson, the Suitcase Entrepreneur. Her travels alone make really interesting reading but she is also a great example of how to run a business from anywhere and her blog posts are always either thought provoking or full of useful social media tips. And she takes the time to respond to comments left on her blog.
What success in your business means to you is personal and different for each person. It’s hard not to be caught up in the hype of the latest sure fire way to market your business, but focus on which direction you want your business to go, and take the Christmas period to do some planning and business goal setting for 2012. Once you really know what you want you can then start working on a marketing plan that will help you get there. Take into consideration what your brand stands for and your budget – you can’t do everything so deciding what is a priority, what you can do without and what you could outsource is time well spent.
Happy planning, enjoy the Christmas break and I wish you a prosperous 2012. If you would like any help with your marketing plan, please get in touch.
Well this is like the best Xmas gift ever. Thank you so much for such kind words and I’m glad to know you are such a great part of the Suitcase Entrepreneur community. Mari is great indeed and I’m looking forward to checking out Lynn too. Always more to learn about affiliate marketing.
Have a fantastic festive Xmas and I look forward to seeing your marketing plans for 2012. Working on mine now!
Natalie
You are welcome Natalie – Hope 2012 is great for you.