People always ask me – “how do I keep up with the latest in online marketing?”
Well my basic answer is – “I don’t sleep & I still can’t!”
Fortunately I manage to stay ahead of most people …well at least my mom, the neighbors and a few others!
I do make staying current a priority. This is what I do:
1. Follow other experts on Twitter and list them so I can find them quicker.
2. Hang out with other experts in my own local area who share resources.
3. Listen to other speakers on my topic and connect with them afterwards on LinkedIn or their fan page.
4. Belong to meet-ups and associations related to my industry.
5. Subscribe to RSS feeds for top marketers.
6. Listen to educational podcasts or videocasts in the background.
7. Hire people who know more than me.
8. Write about what I’ve learned in my tweets, blog and create ebooks.
9. Ask clients and colleagues about their online successes.
10. Update my workshops with the latest information.
Finding a great resource that aggregates a lot of information can save you time. One of my favorite emails I receive is from Who is Blogging What. It provides a summary of the latest posts in marketing.
Other good online marketing resources are:
Hubspot
Search Engine Land News
Mashable
Web Marketing Today
Seth Godin’s Blog
Keeping up can be overwhelming. Start off small, learn to skim and keep track of the resources that you want to look into further on a list. I retweet them, then subscribe to my Twitter RSS feed so I have an automatic record of my favorites in Outlook. This way I have it even if twitter deletes the old posts or changes the rules! I have an assortment of podcasts on my ipod to listen to when it’s convenient. I also save to my laptop good e-books and print out the odd article to leave in my briefcase. This way I always have something to read if I’m waiting somewhere.
And my last bit of advice…. DON’T PANIC! Everyone is worried about keeping up in this industry. You need to enjoy your work. There’s no point stressing over keeping up. Do what you can do and start off slowly.
