S.T.A.R.T. The Year Off Right And S.H.I.N.E.
You want to succeed in business and life, am I right?
You want measurable success?
You want a bit of fame, or at least, a bit of recognition?
There are plenty of things you can to to improve your life and your business RIGHT NOW.
- exercise on a regular basis
- volunteer
- donate to charities
- read with a child
- take continuing education classes
- attend webinars
- spend more time with your friends
- go on a family vacation
- rescue an animal from a shelter
- and many, many, many more…
Whether these actions would improve your life or affect your business positively, many of these actions turn into New Year’s Resolutions once January 1 comes around. Many of these resolutions also never make it to February on the calendar of the New Year.
Personally, even though it might even seem a bit hokey to you, I strongly believe in starting off any new adventure/business venture/life changing event with a solid, written plan of attack! For those among us who did not make a plan or stick to a plan in 2011 there is still time to make an excellent plan for 2012.
As my experience lies within the Social Media field, I will stick with that and leave all other actions and planning to those experts.
~ Side Note: I run marathons and I would never, ever, run a marathon without first having followed a set 16 week training plan. Planning works! It sets expectations, goals and prevents over-training and injuries. It guarantees a finish, not a personal best. A personal best can only be achieved by doing something you’ve never done before: Running a bit faster, going a bit longer, changing your nutrition, getting more sleep, drinking more water etc. It’s the extra little things that are changed that will make a big difference. Read on, and see how this applies to Social Media. ~
Here’s a simple recipe for Social Media success in 2012!
To be successful in 2012, plan to be super! Give a bit more, be more.
- Social – Engage with your customers, clients and colleagues. Seek out those that do what you do. Learn from them, emulate them, engage with them. Surround yourself with successful people and be social!
- Terrific – Pull out all the stops! Don’t hesitate, don’t fret. Be you x 10! Amplification is key; make your Social Media signal stronger.
- Amazing – Be startlingly impressive. Amaze yourself and you’ll amaze others. Don’t hold back anything and surprise those that might have doubted you.
- Remarkable – Be striking and noteworthy. Make people take notice! Remarkable is what will make you stand out from the rest of the Social Media crowd.
- Top-dog – Be the authority in your niche. Become the one to go to for answers. Establish trust and develop meaningful customer relationships.
Start off 2012 with a bang!
Do this by changing a few things. Plan for the New Year.
- Strategy – Plan your Social Media by week, month, quarter. Set goals, do an audit, plan your strategy, analyze data and adjust at least quarterly.
- Habits – Create new Social Media habits and stick to them. Make a posting schedule for your Social Media posts to save time. Turn away from your computer several times each day for improved productivity. Process emails once a day and answer, save or delete right away.
- Ingenuity – Be resourceful, clever and original. Be different and think of ways to improve upon proven Social Media methods and habits. Think outside the box!
- Newsletters – Send more newsletters, more frequently. Add a call-to-action (to all correspondence) asking your customers and colleagues to join you on Social Media platforms. Use newsletters to build your data base.
- Enthusiasm – Dig deep. It was there when you started your business. Find it. Use it. Spread it.
Your Turn:
Have you thought ahead to 2012?
Can you describe, in one word, how you can make your business S.H.I.N.E. in 2012 ?
- How can planning help your business?
Leave us a comment and tell us how you will ‘knock the socks off of 2012′!
‘We wish you continued social media success and hope to connect with you on all social media platforms.’
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Great reminder that we need to make a written plan to hold ourselves accountable. I do have a list started, but it’s far from perfected.
I think my word for 2012 is Evangelism. If I act as an evangelist to educate jobseekers about how they can combine old and new search strategies, I suspect my business will naturally blossom.
Karleen,
nice to see you here again!
Glad to be the helpful reminder to make that written plan for 2012!
I love your new word for 2012: Evangelism.
It has a very positive ring to it.
I suspect your business will naturally blossom!
Fondly,
Dorien.
Great article! I felt the enthusiasm and gave me even more encouragement for the new year. We have set very high goals for 2012. Aimee Mobile is on track for 6 new clients per month and we are ready for the challenge! Thanks for the good read!
Wow,
great goals for 2012.
Set the bar, high, girlfriend!
Rock on.
Dorien
Dorien I always love reading your posts. You are always so creative, and offer such great advice and even though we are both in the same industry I happily recommend people to your blog and Facebook fan page because you are so knowledgeable, so personable, so creative! You’re the whole package girl!
Being called ‘creative’ means a lot coming from my friend the artist!
Mutual respect!
Dorien.
As always great advice. Short, to the point and valuable.
Fred,
‘Short, to the point and valuable’
~ Your comments are a reflection of my blog posts
Always!
Dorien.
People often forget that planning helps with social media. Great post!
Monyelle,
I won’t let anybody forget!
Strategic Planning is what makes you have real Social Media success.
‘Flying by the seat of your pants’ only works for so long, but will NOT get you to the point of being a leader in your field.
That takes careful planning, a lot of hard work and lots of details behind the scene.
I am off to read your post now. Curious to find out why you do not like or recommend resolutions!
Dorien.
Hi Dorien,
When I first started my blog I was clueless about social media. I started with Twitter first since it seemed to be the least complicated. Then I went onto Facebook and learned as much as I could about it. And last but not least, Linked In. I am still learning how to best utilize it.
Justin,
did you really start with Twitter?! Good for you!
Most people with small businesses start on Facebook, since most already have a Facebook profile.
I like LinkedIn and I got several new clients through that platform. There are a lot of wasted opportunities if you do not use it right.
I invite you to browse my blog and get some new tidbits and social media know-how, useful for your own business dealing and social media set up.
Dorien.
Top dog! Love that! My goal for 2012 is to break out MORE and be everybody’s top dog!! Thanks for a super motivating post!
Thanks, Martha.
I want to be the Top Dog, too! 2012 is going to be MY year as well.
I really broke into the local market in 2011 and I want to take it over in the next year.
So many plans, so little time to get it done, but the holidays have helped get some things in order!
Go Martha Go!
Hi Dorien, this is a great post. The start of a new year is a great time to really think about what you want to be doing. What are you doing in your life and are you happy. If not, what are you doing to change that? Sure there are hurdles and obstacles to work around, but why live your whole life wishing things were different. You can’t change the people around you that are holding you back, but you can start hanging around inspiring people more often and give yourself a little more space from those negative people. 2012…make it happen!
Thanks, Bill!
You sound like a positively positive guy.
I am looking forward to connect with you on your blog and other social media platforms.
Glad you found the https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheBlogandCommentExchange/298246190211604/ and wanted to be part of it. Spread the word!
Dorien.
Great motivation to start 2012 off right! As per your question about having a plan after 2012, I have a 5 year plan in mind I just haven’t put it on paper yet, Happy New Year to you!!!!
Karla,
thanks for commenting.
I am SUPER impressed to find someone who had a 5 year plan.
I have an 11 year plan that has me living in a house w/o kids
Nothing business related, yet. Maybe I need to plan that!
Happy 2012 to you and yours.
Great post as always! Actually, my resolution for next year is to reorganize and prioritize, so that I don’t feel so inundated and hopefully what I end up doing will be more purposeful and more meaningful.
Sandra,
if you need help with your resolutions, just say the word…
Sometimes accountability to friends is all it takes to be successful.
But you know that:
You are writing books and know all about finishing things you’ve started.
Happy 2012 Sandra!
I know, I know. I used to write down my plans, my goals and my plans to reach those goals. Then I got busy and ended up somewhere else. Planning is instrumental so, thanks to your reminder and a few other recent nudges, I’m back on it.
Kim,
my husband wrote a great blog post about ‘shiny objects’. People who get distracted on the way to their goal. As long as your goals are written out, the road leads back to your goal. However, if they are not, you do end up somewhere you’d not planned to be.
Go write!
Hi, Dorien,
Love your new banner, the electrical blue really makes a huge difference, trust you not to use a conventional blue!
Your post is so invigorating – thank you. Also, starting off with gently reminding us to find some work-life balance, you are right.
My plans for 2012? I will bloom right into the next year, continuing with my business plan and lists (monthly plans with very flexible adjustments), I could use some more discipline in time management, though! Less reading, commenting and getting sidetracked with mails … more creative writing and finally using some tools.
Top dog, I like that and BTW I daily learn from my dog to keep my own work-life balance!
Here’s to top dogs and a glorious 2012!
Barbara
Aww,
thanks Barbara.
Happy New Year to you and yours in Europe, you are just a bit ahead of us.
Glad to know a little nudge here and there is just what you need to recharge your batteries every once in a while.
Good luck on your 2012 endeavors.
Smiles,
Great post!! I really intend to use your START SHINE and to become more organized and scheduled for 2012!! BIG GOAL!!
Look forward to you class on Friday, January 6th. AND really looking forward to “Business Aide” that we are doing together on January 20th!!
Great things are coming for us all in 2012 and I am excited!!
Smiles
Wendy
Wendy,
how can we be so busy together?!
Hope you got lots of planning taken care of during the holidays.
Looking forward to collaborating in 2012!
This jumped off the page at me, Dorien …
“Process emails once a day and answer, save or delete right away.”
I am SO guilty of not doing that. My inbox is a mess. Thanks for the gentle little kick in the butt.
I’m a humongous fan of “engagement” and social media provides us with all the right opportunities to engage with colleagues, friends, fans, and followers.
Outstanding post — love it! What a fabulous piece of work to read as we dive into a brand new year and brand new possibilities.
Melanie,
I am so excited I found you (and 400+ other bloggers) in the FB group I joined today.
It will be so exciting to read, learn and share blog posts and interest, as well as business wisdom with so many seasoned new friends.
What an exciting year 2012 promises to be!
Fondly,
Dorien.
I quite like how your original list of ways to improve your business and get a little fame are more on a personal level than anything else, nothing work related. It shows how the work life balance can do wonders!
Thank you for the compliment, Claire!
I am one for balance and getting your personal life in order before you can succeed in business.
I am a marathon runner and I definitely need a balance of work and pleasure ~ if you can call running 20 miles on a Saturday morning ‘pleasure’ ~ and I was assuming the same would be true for others. So many people just work and work and forget to enjoy.
Isn’t life a balancing act?