This is Week 35 of a 52-week project/experiment in DIY marketing. Armed with nothing but a copy of the 2009 Grow Your Business Marketing Plan + Calendar and my bare wits, I’m applying the skills you need to grow a business in real time, day by day, and reporting on them week by week here, on the podcast, and at the Marketing Mix blog.
While the entire thing was pretty much magnificent from stem to glorious stern, arguably the best thing that bubbled up from last week’s Creative Freelancer Conference was a quote from one of last year’s attendees during a panel on what had happened between this year and last: “You learn from your mistakes; your successes just give you a big head.” (I’m paraphrasing, but I think Tim Read, the very smart and nice illustrator behind the quote, will find it in his heart to forgive me.)
To that end, I’m going to list what worked for me this time (i.e., mistakes I learned from in the past) and what will work for me better in the future (i.e., mistakes I made this time around).
Stuff that Worked at this Conference!
Constant improvement to my presentation. Honestly, I’ve never been one to rest on my laurels; I have a different set of default problems. But I’ve learned from having faulty title cards and gluey transitions to always be improving my presentations. They’re never done. Never. As in, I grabbed some screenshots of Twitter during the lunch break between the morning program and my own, and totally changed the beginning of my show to help address some big-time Twitter doubting that had surfaced around the conference over the previous 24 hours. Chris Brogan is the master of this. At a conference last fall, I watched him swap out “pods” of a preso mere moments before he went on. It made it fresh, and probably kept him fresh.
More resting and solo recharge time. I learned this the hard way: at SXSW, last year’s CFC and many other conferences. They are always-on; I’m not, nor can I be (at least, not effectively). I came early enough to have some walking-around time, I (regretfully) declined to host breakfast round tables and a lunch on the day I was speaking, and I went to bed when I was tired. Or pretty soon after I was tired. While I was still exhausted by the end of the three days, I was much better by the following morning.
Scheduling posts to run in advance. Okay—the jig is up! I front-loaded an entire week’s worth of blog posts last weekend, so that I wouldn’t have to worry about writing on the road. While I’m not crazy about taking days off from writing (writers write, no matter what), I also have finally started to realize there are only so many hours in the day, and, as I’m constantly advising my consulting clients, one has to focus one’s energy to be effective.
Stuff that Didn’t Work at this Conference!
Not checking my reservations carefully. Somehow, I’d shifted the dates I’d be staying over in San Diego by one. Fortunately, the hotel was able to accommodate me, but it will not always be so easy. This is a triple-check, two-sets-of-eyes thing from now on. As they say re: SXSW, hold up your airline reservation. Hold up your hotel reservation. Make sure they match. ‘Nuff said. I’m going to get together a system for subsequent trips, maybe hitting up my friend and road warrior extraordinaire, Jason Womack, for some tips.
Not enough resting and solo recharge time before. I’m probably at the outside edge of what I can get away with at an event, but there’s no reason that (once again) I can’t set up a better system that has me prepping trips further in advance, so I’m not scrambling. This means getting a better handle on how long things take. I’m consistent in underestimating here.
Inadequate tools. I love my sweet little 12″ traveling companion more than you can know. But computer technology marches on, even if not in the form factor you’d like, and it’s time to retire my PowerBook from active duty and get an Intel Mac replacement. It’s one thing to be frugal; it’s another to tie yourself to equipment that slows you down. Sorry, baby—we’ll find you life in some other form.
And finally, a small note of the administrative variety
In order to better manage my time and energy, I’m going to shift my Calendar posts to Friday, starting this week. That’s right: a double-header, as we head into Labor Day weekend. It’s only fitting, right?
REGULAR MARKETING ACTIVITIES for the week of August 17, 2009:
- WEB: six blog posts (one here, five at the main blog)
- NETWORKING: in the halls, at meals, in the jacuzzi, on a morning walk—you name it, I did it
- …and the (abbreviated version) of various and sundry daily tasks: Facebook, Twitter, email, etc.
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holy cape-wearing, Colleen: you are the mistress of simultaneous rock-the-house; shore up the lolly posts and innovate a gluten-free dessert everyone can love. I’m continuously amazed by your praxis. Thank you for taking the risks you take, so we can not only revel in your juicy power; but be inspired by, supported by and entertained by what you are up to.
Your CFC presentation was amazing–and I learned some really good info that immediately shifted my twitter practice–thank you! Now, since you do so much for us, what can we do for you?
Dyana