I begin my day in the office with a cup of coffee and a quality handful of media-related e-newsletters.
I always, always, always dedicate at least half an hour to scrolling through the emails, clicking on the articles that sound interesting to me, and skimming each article for at least 3 minutes each. If I find an article that inspires me, I print it out and file it into one of these folders: general content marketing, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Instagram.
When I find that I have downtime or need inspiration, I refer back to this folder for fresh ideas and applicable tips. Every couple days, I take a few articles and slip them into my padfolio so when there’s a lull before a meeting, I have something to peruse. When my folder gets too full, I stick post-it notes on the particularly helpful ones and mark the start and end date on the front of the folder. Then I begin a new one.
I’ve been doing this for about 6 months already and the results are pretty transformational. I can carry myself further in conversations with my colleagues because I know a little bit about the latest social media and technology trends. It also helps inform my overall messaging and inspires my content calendar.
It’s not rocket science and I’m sure I’m not the first person to come up with this strategy, but I thought I’d share it as a “best practice” tip.
Are you following any media/marketing related e-newsletters? Please share some gems below!