It’s hard to believe that I’ve written 200 articles.
I wonder how many words that is?
Almost 4 years ago I committed to writing a weekly blog post article/email every week and got started on a Saturday in late fall.
Since then, I have published an article every week on Tuesday morning without exception.
As I write each of these articles, I find that it’s a nice break in my week. I get to sit down and express myself, what I’ve learned, what I’m thinking about, and get to share it all with you.
Along with providing information to you, it forces me to organize my thoughts and bring them to you in a clear concise way.
As I look back at where I’ve come from and what I’ve learned, I have a few thoughts.
First is the importance of commitment.
There was the one time on Monday night at 10:07 PM that I realized I hadn’t written an article. That was a late night and a shorter article.
Or the time that I woke up at 4 AM and thought “Oh no, I forgot to schedule the post to go out”. So I got out of bed and went to my office to get that done.
I made a commitment to you when I stated that every week you would have an article from me, and I take that commitment seriously.
Next is the volume of subjects and topics I’ve covered over the past 4 years.
As I look back through my past articles, I’m amazed at the topics I’ve covered.
There are some topics that were big issues back when I wrote the articles and now are accepted as common knowledge.
Such as, “Why waste time on Facebook?” There are so many success stories about using Facebook available now, that it’s no longer “should I use Facebook”. Many times, the issue now revolves around setting realistic expectations for new clients and students.
“No, just because you started advertising on Facebook yesterday, you don’t need to hire new staff for all the new business today.”
Or, “A $5 per day Ad isn’t going to bring you 100’s of new leads a day that are all ready to buy from you”.
Setting realistic expectations is one of the biggest changes, and there are many other differences that have arisen over time. Go to our blog at www.gosocialexperts.com/blog and scroll back through some of the old articles to see what’s there. Who knows what article will speak to you.
How much things have changed and how much they’ve stayed the same.
Some of my early articles talk about some tactics on Facebook that are no longer allowed.
Who remembers “Like-Gating” your page or scraping groups to put together an audience?
One isn’t even possible anymore and the other will get your account shut down instantly now.
However, at the time they were both accepted by Facebook even if not totally endorsed.
I also look at some of my early articles and see how much has stayed the same.
Things that have stayed the same:
- Having an offer in every Facebook post and ad
- The importance of knowing your ideal customer
- The importance of knowing the lifetime value of a customer
- Why Facebook Likes are important
- And many more similar topics
All of these are issues I still talk about today.
These are all marketing concepts that are important no matter what media you are using to reach people.
Having a good grasp of these marketing concepts will put you a step ahead in all your marketing efforts.
The longer you do something the better you get at it.
My writing has changed immensely from this routine. I’m amazed at some of the first articles that I wrote, in both their structure and the writing.
Before I started I hadn’t written anything since school, almost 30 years earlier.
Now with the weekly articles and other content I create, I write 1,000’s of words every week and looking back 199 articles ago, I can hardly recognize the writing. I wince when thinking about the fact that I published some of those articles.
When I started I didn’t think I could even come up with 10 subjects to write about.
To make sure I always have something, I started an idea file in Evernote.
I now have over 50 unused ideas waiting for their time, and then every week I usually find some other fresh ideas. In fact, at a meeting right before I started writing this, one of the attendees asked a question that sparked a new blog idea (maybe next week).
The hardest part about writing the article is narrowing down the topic to what I feel is needed now by you my readers.
I have moved into creating videos too and use topics off my list for those. Videos are a little harder for me and take more time for me to create so you don’t see them every week. Maybe in the future, you will see more videos in addition to these articles. I’ll let you know when that happens.
The Importance of creating content consistently.
What have you done for me lately?
This is at the top of everyone’s mind. If I miss a week would anyone miss me? Maybe, maybe not, but if I missed a month or two would anyone remember me?
Every one of us has multiple opportunities for obtaining information. We don’t have to follow anyone.
By being consistent you’re showing your followers that you respect and honor them.
Being consistent in small matters shows that you will be consistent in big things.
If I know that I can trust you to publish an article each week that means I can trust you to follow through on other matters as well.
How you do anything is how you do everything.
I look forward to publishing another 200 articles for you.
My commitment to you is to continue providing you with up to date information, thoughts, and guidance to help you succeed in your business.
Most of the articles will be about Facebook, followed by marketing, and how you can be a better you.
I read and study many different subjects and you never know how seemingly unrelated topics may combine and become a new angle.
If you would like to sign up for these articles via email go to www.gosocialexperts.com/signup.
Thank You
Brian