How to Achieve Your 2020 Content Marketing Goals + Recommended Resources Help You Get There

Blessings on your Holidays and wishing you vibrant good health, chuckles of happiness and easeful prosperity in the New Year.

Setting yourself up to achieve your 2020 goals sounds simple… and it is!

But, doing what you want to do does require taking some simple action steps. And, you have to take them! ???? Some essential elements of embracing your goals are illuminated in this week’s Video Mojo:

This Weeks Power Briefing, How to Achieve Your 2020 Content Marketing Goals + Recommended Resources

In the world of content marketing, there are also strategic steps that you can take to get where you want to go. One of those steps, finding my “content tilt,” is at the top of my list of 2020 goals. I’m learning a lot from the book, “Content Inc.” as you will see.

The resources that are offered in this video (links below) can also help point you and your online presence in a more productive direction as well.

I am wishing you all the Happiest and Healthiest New Year Ever!

Here are the RESOURCE LINKS mentioned in this week’s video:

​Content Marketing Institute
https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/

Joe Pullizzi’s book, “Content Inc.”
https://www.joepulizzi.com/books/content-inc/

Bullet Journaling
https://bulletjournal.com/

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:

How to Achieve Your 2020 Content Marketing Goals + Recommended Resources Help You Get There

Hi and welcome to another episode of Video Mojo. My name is Jon Leland and I’m your guide on this exploration of both timeless marketing communication principles and up-to-the-minute resources, tools, tips, and that kind of thing. 

Today we are taking on goal setting and how to achieve your goals for 2020 and the year to come.

Recommended Resource: Joe Pullizzi’s book, “Content Inc.”

I want to start with a couple of resources. One is Joe Pullizzi and the Content Marketing Institute and, in particular, his book Content Inc. It’s a classic. It’s been around for a couple of years. I’ve been following Joe and his “partner-in-crime,” Robert Rose, on their podcast called This Old Marketing. And that is also a recommended resource. They are two of the most intelligent, resourceful, strategic people in the whole world of content marketing. Joe’s book, Content Inc. is particularly powerful because of its model and its model has inspired one of my goals for 2020. I’ll get into that in a minute. 

A Fundamental Action Step: Write Down Your Goals on Paper

The first tip, in his book which is about content marketing and a strategy… he has a whole methodology for it. Pulizzi starts out talking about goals. I really appreciated the down-to-earth practicality of it and he says two things that I think are crucial for anyone to achieve their goals next year or whenever.  

The first one is very basic but very few people do it: Write Your Goals Down. It’s really important to write them down. I will also share another resource which is called Bullet Journaling. Not everybody knows about Bullet Journaling. This is my bullet journal and pen right here. It’s something that I’ve used extensively. 

The tactile experience of writing to-do lists, of writing a goal, of writing a plan has really had a profound effect. It’s been really good for me to get away from the screen, and to be present to that. 

And that is one of the, everybody agrees, main thing with goals. I know a lot of people are afraid to set goals. I’ve personally experienced the vulnerability of “God, if I write this down and I set this goal, what happens if I don’t achieve it?” The worst thing that can happen is you had a vision and a goal and you didn’t achieve it. It’s not the end of the world and we could do a whole podcast about failures and how everybody, including the most successful people in the world, has had their share of failures. So it’s really not a horrible outcome but we all have our fears. 

Some people resist goals, they’re afraid to write goals. Don’t be afraid and write them down. 

Fundamental Action Step #2: Look at Your Goals Daily 

The second thing that Joe points out, which I think is even more challenging, is to look at those goals every day. So I’m reinforcing that and also offering the resource. 

Then in my own spirit of vulnerability, in the adventure, I want to share that the second part of Joe’s strategy about content marketing really hooked me in. He talks about how important it is to have a “sweet spot” that overlaps your passion and your skill set. Then, the second phase of the content in Content Marketing Model is called “Content Tilt” and that is where you get your unique voice. 

You’ve picked a niche, you’ve found where the overlap is between your passion and your skill set. But then, what’s unique about you and your voice? And that’s something that I’ve really been exploring for myself and that’s one of my goals for 2020. I’ve made progress on this. 

A friend of mine helped me see just this morning that a lot of what I do is Timeless Marketing Communications Wisdom. For decades I’ve been doing marketing communications, in video before digital media. And the principles that apply in terms of relationship building, authenticity, having a real message, that’s the kind of thing that I’m very committed to. 

I also am – a friend of mine calls me – the “Google of Marketing Technology.” I test out, experiment with, play with, all kinds of marketing tools from software, to digital strategies, to social media, to, as I hope you know by now, online video in particular. 

So next week I’ll get into some online marketing technologies but that’s my second goal—to really do more. This year has been a big breakthrough for me because I’ve started this video blog. Next year I want to really bring these tools to bear with more consistent video communications for all of my friends, relationships and in particular clients and prospective clients. 

Bonus Fundamental Tip #3: Share Your Goals

So what are your goals for 2020? A third technique that I can recommend, call this the “bonus,” but this is where some real juice can come into it, is to share your goals. You can share it with another person. I certainly recommend you choose one of the people who you find really supportive in your life because your goals can get trampled upon by somebody who’s a “Doubting Thomas,” as they say. 

So another way to do that would be to share it with us. You can put it in the comments on the podcast, the comments on the YouTube video, or the comments on any social media where I post these video blog posts and podcasts. I’d love to hear from you; but there’s something in it for you, if you share your goals publicly and with other people. Again, be careful and if you don’t feel that’s appropriate no problem. 

But if you’d like to share your goals for 2020 I would love to hear them and see what I could do to support them. I’m always so grateful for your time and attention and I really look forward to your comments suggestions and feedback.

Thanks again for being here. Happy Holidays! And I’ll see you next week!

Hey Podcasting! Meet My Video Blog – A Content Marketing Distribution Innovation

What?!? You turned your video blog into a podcast? Yes, I did! ????

If you want to know how and why I did this, please watch this video:

This Weeks Power Briefing, Hey Podcasting! Meet My Video Blog.

What I did is: To get started, I stripped the audio off of a few of my video blog episodes, successfully put the Anchor.fm online app to work, and my video blog—now named “Video Mojo”—is now available via all of the major podcast distribution platforms. Here are a few links, in case you’d like to listen:

Join Us for a Free “Beyond Storytelling” Video Session

I’ve added a new service: Free Video Sessions. This is new way for us to connect as a virtual community, and for me and my friends to offer you complimentary support. You might think of these as a kind of “enhanced” Ask Us Anything experience. Basically, there will be a short interview followed by open Q&A so we can interact and be as helpful as possible. There’s no telling what might happen.

The first Free Video Session will be next Tuesday, December 17th at 11am PT / 2pm ET via Zoom Video. My guest will be my soul-full friend, the inspiring and empowering, Michael Kass, who takes storytelling to a more meaningful level. We are calling this session, “Beyond Storytelling” and it’s a chance to truly enliven your online communcations… well, all of your communications!

Yes, I will record this session and distribute via the podcast, video blog channels, and these emails; but if you have a question, problem or challenge that you think Michael or I might help with, think of this as an opportunity to get free coaching in a virtual group setting. Register Now for Free Here

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:

Hey Podcasting! Meet My Video Blog.

Hi there, and welcome. Welcome to Video Mojo which is my short-form podcast and video blog about making more meaningful online connections for a better world. 

Today’s subject is “Hello Podcasting! Meet My Video Blog.”

Connecting Vlogging & Podcasting

As some of you know if you watched earlier episodes, one of my axioms is “It’s Not HOW to Distribute the Content that you Create, It’s HOW ELSE to Distribute the Content that you Create.” And I’m reporting success in walking my talk in that regard, because the video blog that I’ve been doing on YouTube, I’ve also been putting on Instagram TV, Facebook, LinkedIn, and so forth. It is now also a podcast; and it’s available on Apple Podcasts (the iPhone app), available on Spotify, and on all the major podcasting applications.

I had this idea: I know that there are a lot of people distributing podcasts on YouTube, and I decided to follow the example of some people I admire. Derek Sivers is a great author and entrepreneur who founded CD Baby. He does a short-form podcast that’s just a couple minutes. Likewise, Naval Ravikant, who’s a VC financial guy, also does a short-form podcast and puts it on YouTube. They both do the very short form kind of podcast like this one. 

One difference is that they don’t do video. I originate with a video, do the video distribution, and have made the bridge the other way from YouTube and video into podcasting. I think that’s kind of innovative. I’d love to know your point of view about it. But the point is that it makes this content more accessible. As long as I’m producing content, it makes sense to have it out there. 

A Great App for Podcast Distribution

I do have an application tip that I want to share with you. I’ve made the podcast happen through a free application called anchor.fm. They did a great job! All you need is a title, a description, and some cover art. They’ll let you do some very simple cover art (within their app), but we created a custom graphic for Video Mojo. They literally took care of the rest at no charge. So I really recommend this app. It is a big time-saver. 

Free Video Sessions

I also want to tell you about an exception because occasionally I will do long-form episodes of this podcast and video blog. Those (longer episodes) will come out of some free public open group sessions. I’m calling them “Free Video Sessions.” The first free live video session is going to be with my good friend Michael Kass, who is an amazing storytelling expert. In fact, he takes storytelling to a deeper level of authenticity that I find inspiring and valuable. We’re calling the session “Beyond Storytelling” because we’re really going to talk about how to approach storytelling in a way that is not about transactions or selling stuff, just like I’m not selling anything here. It’s a free conversation and we’re not going to be selling anything in that free session either. 

It’s going to be Tuesday, December 17th at 11:00 a.m. Pacific and 2:00 p.m. Eastern. The link is here on the screen for you. And please join us by registering. You’ll get the recording if you register or it’ll be available via the podcast a little bit later. 

So, thanks so much for your kind attention. I love sharing this information with you. Questions are welcome. Comments and feedback at any time. Thanks again we’ll see you next week!

3 Reasons Why a Website Is NOT a “Web Presence” & What It Takes to Be EFFECTIVE with Digital Marketing

Fact: Websites are totally over-rated as marketing tools. 

Websites aren’t even an “online presence” anymore. If you’re living in the past and think all you need is a website in order to be “present” online, then this video is for you:

This Weeks Power Briefing, 3 Reasons Why A Website Is No Longer An “Online Presence”

Online marketing or digital marketing is constantly changing, especially if you are interested in (or committed to) making authentic, meaningful connections with your prospects, customers, clients, or community.

The video above summarizes three key reasons why a website alone is no longer an effective strategy for online marketing. It also offers a fresh approach that can help you build more meaningful connections online. Enjoy!

Resource Link, an earlier Video Blog Post that was mentioned:
Why SEO is so YESTERDAY for Online Marketing.”

If you are so inclined, please share, comment and all that good stuff. It really helps!

Happy Thanksgiving, one and all (US & otherwise).

NOTE: By this time next week, in addition to being on my ComBridges blog, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, this video blog will also become a podcast. And it will be known as Video Mojo! It’s already on Spotify here. Whoo-hooo! ☺️

VIDEO Transcript:

3 Reasons Why a Website Is No Longer an “Online Presence”

Hi there, my name is Jon Leland and this is Video Mojo, where we talk about making meaningful marketing connections for a better you, a better me and a better world. 

Today’s subject is “3 Reasons Why a Website is No Longer a Web Presence.”

Reason #1: Marketing Is About Relationships

When people think about being present on the web and doing any kind of marketing online, the first thing they want to do is create a website; and then maybe they think about search engine optimization or SEO. That’s another video I did earlier about “Why SEO is so Yesterday.” 

It’s even more fundamental than that. A website is not a web presence because number one, marketing is about relationships. And that’s a theme here on Video Mojo, we’re always talking about how we build better relationships and make better connections for meaningful marketing. So, if you want to make better marketing and you have to make better relationships. And, at the end of the day, a website is just a brochure. 

So, the number one reason that a website is not a web presence is because it really doesn’t create relationships. There may be a need for you to have an online brochure. That’s perfectly valid. But if you want to reach out and you want to create new relationships, then a website is not sufficient at all. 

Reason #2: Relationships Require Multiple Touches

The second reason is that if you want to build relationships it requires time. It requires multiple touches and that doesn’t happen on a website. 

People visit your website and they’re there and gone very quickly. If you want to have multiple touches and create a conversation—which is what it takes to have a meaningful relationship—then you have to be consistent. You have to be putting out what we call in marketing “multiple touches.” So, that happens via email, that happens via social media, that’s where the real interactivity or engagement happens. 

It happens on social media. It happens on email because you’re reaching people where they spend time every day. They don’t spend time on your website or looking for your website, but they do spend time scrolling through Facebook or Instagram. They do spend time in their email inbox… God knows. 

So, those are the places where you need to show up on a consistent basis. 

Reason #3: You Must Be Consistently Valuable

The third reason that a website is not an online presence is that it takes that kind of consistent value, being consistently valuable in order to build a relationship. So, you have to offer things on an ongoing basis. I am an advocate of a weekly minimum frequency, just like we’re doing here on Video Mojo. I’m doing my darndest to create a weekly video blog post and podcast in order to be consistently valuable. 

I’m walking my talk in that regard, and I think that’s what it takes to build a new kind of engagement with a conversation. 

So, just having a website is not sufficient if you want to create engagement, if you want to create meaningful connections. 

A Website is Not a Web Presence!

Being consistently valuable online via social media and email, that’s where you can create a conversation. That’s where you can have multiple touches, and that’s how you create a meaningful connection. 

Thank you so much for watching. I’m really grateful for your kind attention.

Happy Thanksgiving if you’re watching in that kind of timeframe and Happy Holidays. I look forward to seeing you next week!