Surely that was a typo in the title, right?  We just wrapped up 2015.  How could we possibly look back over 2016, already?  Rest assured, it wasn’t a mistake.

2016 Will Fly By You. What’s Your Plan?

So many of us get surprised by how quickly the end-of-the-year actually arrives. Sure enough, if you look at your new calendar, you’ll see it’s made up of 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days, 8,760 hours or 525,600 minutes.  Yet, for many of us 2016 will seem to have passed by more quickly than we planned.  Having a plan is the key to making the most of the opportunities which lie ahead.

By now, you’ve probably looked at your business results from 2015. You’ve identified some areas you’d like to improve. You may even have begun to implement some new changes. I’ve done the same for my business.

It’s important to come to terms with the fact that we tend to be creatures of habit. We easily fall into routines that are routine and comfortable. Routines, however, can be dangerous. I challenge each of us (myself included) to commit to doing at least a few things differently in 2016.

It may be helpful to close your eyes and visualize how you want this year to end.

• What will you have accomplished?
• Where will your business be?
• How will it be different from where you began?

That simple exercise may help you to identify a few of the things you’ll need to change. Some adjustments may be relatively easy. Other changes will require much more effort. Instead of getting overwhelmed by the enormity of the task ahead, take a step back. Can you identify actions or activities requiring little, additional effort?

You may find that it’s not the size of the step you’re taking, rather it’s the cumulative effect of steps consistently taken.

Read more →

7 Tips to Blog More Effectively

If you want to blog more effectively, I invite you to read a post my Michael Hyatt (“Blogging Gone Bad: 7 Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make”).  I’ve followed him for several years.  Michael definitely knows this stuff.

Since early 2014, Michael has been featured in Forbes, Inc. magazine, Entrepreneur magazine, Success magazine and the “Thirty Most Influential Leaders in Business” by the American Management Association.  I think you’ll find his blog, video and advice well worth the read.

http://michaelhyatt.com/blogging-gone-bad.html#more-30226

Blogging has become a great tool for increasing your online visibility and enhancing your professional reputation.  It seems everyone is doing it these days.  However, if you want to blog more effectively, it takes commitment.  You don’t have to get overwhelmed by the thought of it.  It’s really not that difficult, but there are always ways to blog more effectively.

One tip that I’ve offered in the past is to simply listen to the questions your clients ask during their initial meetings with you.  If the person sitting across from you has a specific question, you can be sure that many others are wondering the same thing.  Here’s a link to some tips for identifying blog topics.

I’ve spent much of this year writing articles, blogging and giving CLE presentations on the topic of incorporating video into your blogs.  A video-blog post can be a nice way to enhance your content, as well as user experience.

Regardless of the medium you choose, be consistent.  If you’re blogging about topics and issues related to your profession, remember that you are the subject matter expert.  The key is to avoid trying to tell your audience everything you know in just one post.  Consider dividing your topics into a series of related posts and adding page links to each of them.  It’s a good way to spread out the effort for both the reader and the search engine.  Multiple posts provide multiple opportunities to search engine optimize the information.  That increases the likelihood that a prospective client can find information about you, your services and the value you add.

I hope you take time to read Michael’s post.  You can blog more effectively if you follow some simple tips.  If you’d like to discuss improving your firm’s marketing efforts, feel free to contact me on my cell phone at (502) 208-9639.