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60 Minutes To Become A Smarter Marketer

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When do you find the time?

This is the question that I am most often asked about these new media channels. When do I find the time? The truth is that it doesn’t take that much time at all. In fact, if you’re looking to get up to speed, here’s what you can do in 60 minutes to jumpstart your Social Media engagement…

60 Minutes to become a smarter Marketer:

  • News Reader (15 minutes). Head over to Google Reader, sign up and grab five Blogs from my "Check out these Blogs" column on the left-hand side that look interesting and read the last Blog post from each of the Bloggers.
  • Add interesting people on Twitter (5 minutes). Send out a tweet to your Twitter followers asking them for the 5 most interesting people that they follow who are not considered a "Twitter Celebrity." Start following those people… start engaging with those people.
  • Update your LinkedIn profile (10 minutes). LinkedIn is an amazing way to connect to like-minded business professionals. Most people’s LinkedIn profiles are either not completed 100% or are out-of-date. Update your profile! If it is up-to-date, link LinkedIn with your email addresses and add/connect to more people who you know.
  • Watch a TED Talk (20 minutes). There are tons of Marketing related TED Talks. You can watch 18 minutes of glory from people like Seth Godin, Malcolm Gladwell, Clay Shirky and many more.
  • Order some Marketing books on Amazon (10 minutes). Blogs, Twitter and Facebook are great, but there’s nothing like deep diving into a topic, and nothing can beat a great book. If you’re not sure where to start, simply type "business book" into the search box above and you’ll find countless Blog posts about business and marketing books that continue to inspire me. Another option is to head over to Amazon and look at the Marketing and Sales section (under Business and Investing) for some inspiration.

You can do it.

These were just three, random thoughts on how anyone can get smarter in 60 minutes. The truth is that by applying yourself and doing these five things, it won’t just make you smarter in one hour, it has a compounding effect. The more you tinker with these channels, the more you’ll uncover and the more you will learn and grown. The truth is that you can do one or two of the steps listed above and get moving in 30 minutes.

One hour to grow and learn seems reasonable… doesn’t it? 

11 comments

  2. Great list, Mitch. In a world where more and more information is quickly becoming free, there is just no excuse not to consume. TED is one of the most valuable resources ever created: the smartest people in the world in high quality video giving the talk of their lives in under 18 minutes. Life is good.

  3. I will absolutely do this! I do a couple but not all, so will kick it up a few notches. GREAT stuff. Thanks Mitch.

  5. PS: Mitch, I clicked “Tweet this” and nothing really happens. It does open up a new window with Twitter, but no shortlink or any message of any kind. I use a Mac with OS 10.6.7, and Safari.

  6. Great list, but even more important is your point about the “compounding effect.” I find that, just as with physical exercise, it’s important to make small, manageable changes. When people think they have to “do it all”, all at once, it really just gives them an excuse to not do anything.
    Your tips are manageable, and once they’re started, they’ll snowball. Thanks Mitch! Kaarina

  7. Great post Mitch. Two other ways that helped me do the things you recommend are
    1. to watch a little less tv (or PVR to cut out commercials) to make time for reading and
    2. I started using an article curator app like Zite or Mashable to find info on topics that interested me before I knew who wrote the articles

  9. I don’t watch tv anymore these days. Instead I fire up a TED Talk. Also, I currently have a 45 minute commute to work. Instead of listening to the radio, I have podcast episodes fired up (yes, including the TwistImage podcast, heh).
    Basically, I use my free time to try and soak up more info.

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