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WebiMax Blog

Digital marketing tips and advice.

Things I'm Doing When I Should Be Working

admin, May 15, 2012

 

(Looks around)  Psst.  Hey you, come here.  I have a secret.  I'm not always 'working.'  Well, better defined, I'm not always doing what I'm paid to do.  You see, I'm not being disobedient or having a Peter Gibbons moment.  I love my job.  I'm just not always doing it.  (Gets up, stretches, does some pushups, takes a sip of coffee, then looks out the window.)

Here are a few things I'm doing when I should be working.

Reading
(Puts down US Weekly)  I don't believe 'reading' is in my job description; yet, I do a whole bunch of it throughout the day.  I've taken it upon myself to become completely immersed in my particular vertical.  In my vertical of online marketing, many bloggers and associated sites exist.  My eyes ravenously encounter a litany of lines during business hours.  Shh – don't tell my bosses I'm becoming more proficient in my respective area of concentration!

Well, maybe it's not so roguish.  A little while ago, one of our strategists of SEO, Chris Countey, sent me an email.  It was to commend me on my ability to engage the community and vertical.  He asked how 'we' can replicate such behavior for our clients.

I told him it's sort of difficult to make suggestions without knowing particular clients' verticals and goals.  Actually, I caught one of Todd Bailey's suggestions in a recent CNBC Google Penguin post:

"Businesses need to get rid of the philosophy that they need to get as many links and as much content out as there as they can," Bailey said. "They need to look at a public relations strategy and try to produce quality content by pitching news outlets, doing press releases and guest blogging.

Wait.  Todd's thinks a PR strategy is a sound marketing decision.  Well, that's not in my job description either; yet, I think I've found something else to do when I should be working.

Actually, I read a great post on using social media for prospecting and building relations recently.

PR
I used to engage in PR activities; now, I'm technically a copywriter; yet, I might as well summons what I've learned while I'm not working.  There are a number of social sites like Facebook, YouTube, Reddit, Pinterest, LinkedIn, etc.  Personally, I've cultivated an affinity for Twitter.  I can cover a lot of people and information that way.  It works for me in my particular situation.

I know I suggest otherwise in yesterday's social media post; but, I'm a rebel, remember?  Actually, I share a lot of other peoples' stuff.  As a result, I think people who want to learn more and be exposed to different information appreciate my shares and passion for knowledge.

As a peer mentioned yesterday, I'm an 'outstanding Twitter citizen.'  That means a lot, to me and to the brand; because being a diligent and considerate socialite helps us make more connections and get more solidly ingrained in our respective space.  Shh – Don't tell my bosses I'm building rapports within our vertical!

Thinking
I'm not sure if thinking is listed on my job description verbatim; but, I'll assume it's indirectly implied; though in my younger years, I've heard, "You're not paid to think" a time or two.  Why would my bosses want me thinking when I could be working?  Hmm..  I recently read a good post by Jon Morrow at Copyblogger (Do you want to learn how to write better copy for the Web, and just period?  Read Copyblogger.)  Jon's post speaks of sleeping while making money.  I haven't tried sleeping while working yet…but, I'll leave that to Jon for now.

In his description of learning 'how to sell,' Jon suggests listening to salespeople, or those who know the product/service.  I'm ingrained in the online marketing world.  I'm a worker bee.  I know the service.  As Jon suggests, brand messages should reflect that of those who know the product/service; because, those souls better understand how a service/product addresses a client need.  Moreover, being on the internal squad, I'm marketing a marketing company; so, I also have suggestions on how to market 'our' company too.  Shh – don't tell my bosses I'm always thinking of ways to improve things for us and clients.

Those I report to encourage any ideas or thoughts of mine, which I believe could improve the internal and client process.  There's no quota or specific time of suggestion.  I relate ideas and processes when such inspiration strikes.

Conclusion
As you can read, this was another tongue-in-cheek post.  I want to get you thinking, and doing PR, and reading too; but, only if it makes sense r

Need an Expert Contributor?

Ken Wisnefski is a seasoned web entrepreneur and a frequent contributor to news outlets and business publications. Ken’s vast knowledge of how to make online businesses succeed has made him a sought after consultant from businesses wishing to improve their online initiatives. Contact pr@webimax.com to collaborate!

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