I always love writing the yearly trend and best practices blog. It has given me permission to dig-in, read, browse, and research many different topics and areas of interest in the tech, equipment, communication, marketing, storytelling, AI, and science.
So, you can imagine my excitement for the November 2019 issue of
WIRED Magazine, with the title: Have a Nice Future, Stories of 25 People Racing
to Save Us From Ourselves.
I’m still digesting, and that issue has traveled thousands of miles as I’m reading and researching the stories (ok, less dramatic: it traveled to Switzerland and back with me for the holidays).
To my absolute delight: of 25 stories, 11 where about female innovators, with one story (see #3) both genders being represented. This is assuming that the women identify as she/her.
Here my top three favorites from that WIRED issue:
2020! So much to be excited
about, plan, set goals for, read, learn, change, refine, innovate! And so much
to talk about, that this is going to be more than one post.
This first post will be about:
Envisioning Your Future, and
Stepping out of the Comfort Zone
The next post will be about:
Keeping an Eye on Innovations That Shape our Future
And I’ve been so wrapped up
in the Innovations of the Future post that I haven’t gotten yet to the Video
Marketing best practices, innovations, trends and latest “fads”.
So, here goes:
1. Envisioning Your Future:
About a year ago I set 1, 5 and 10 year-goals for all aspects of my life thanks to a lovely workbook called the “Bliss Book” by Lara Land.
The book gives a structure of fulfillment by working backward from your 10-year goals – or your ultimate bliss-state – to figure out where you need to be at the 5-year mark and then 1-year mark.
Then, you define 12 steps to
take over the next 12 months to get you closer to your 1-year goal.
I did the exercise with a
close friend, and we stopped there. The book goes into further detail down to
daily actions and keeping your “bliss state” present.
We had to go back and forth several times to set goals that were “bliss” AND achievable.
I had the hardest time figuring out what “bliss” meant to me and all I could come up with ways to be “free”. One of my goal for 2020 is to define what “free” means to me.
A first stab at it in the video below:
The interesting part is,
though, that throughout the year I refer back to my 1, 5 and 10 year goals and
make sure that I’m fulfilling on my promise for the 12 goals for the first
year, which are spread out, one per month.
And, it is powerful to be
connected to the bigger “why” and to not just move from task to task and be
reactive.
It reminds me a lot of a goal
I set in early 2000 to run the New York City Marathon in 2002. I started from
scratch as a runner.
The planning and the focus it
took to build mileage, endurance, physical strength, and most of all, mental
stamina – an unexpected and very welcome side-effect – was an incredible
experience that I have been able to use in all areas of my life ever since.
My “bliss state” goal is more
like an ultra-marathon with a few Ironman races thrown in.
As any goal, it should be a SMART goal – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound. Ok, maybe it took a bit of going out of the “Realistic” part, but where would be the fun if I aimed too low?
Do you know where you want to be in 2030? What’s one of your goals?
2. Stepping out of the Comfort Zone
If you’re not living at the edge, you’re taking up too much space.
I am, for one, stepping up my video content creation. Which is not only a business goal but also a creative, emotional and personal challenge: What (early) mid-fifty woman wants to see herself on video 😱 – and not be Madonna?
We’re also preparing
ourselves for an even busier future and a bigger team with a few new
productivity software platforms, and – very exciting – a branding upgrade,
across the board. It’s again an opportunity to put ourselves out there, be real,
approachable and super accountable for everything we create, do, and say.
With that comes an expansion of our services and products, which are now ready to be formalized and systemized to make sure we deliver every single time, are efficient and focused on clients and not some silly repeat-task.
What are you challenging yourself to do in 2020 that takes you out of being comfortable and doing “same as every year”?
A few summers ago I was asked to participate in a summer program
for girls from underserved high schools in New York City, called EDSnaps –
education snapshots.
It was a pro bono project for which I prepared a short workshop on
how to shoot and edit yourself on your smartphone, and I also agreed to shoot
short interviews with all the girls in the program.
I had two 45-minute sessions to get my video marketing workshop across, including a field trip into the high school’s parking lot for some filming.
I was sure that I didn’t make much of an impact until I saw this video:
As we all descend into pre-holiday shopping, and other madness, we wanted to take a moment and share with you what we are thankful for this year – with a video, of course!
Wishing you and your loved ones a very happy and relaxing Thanksgiving holiday and weekend!
Cheers, Nina & Robin
P.S.: As every year we give thanks by supporting the Making Headway Foundation.
Making Headway Foundation provides care and comfort for children with brain and spinal cord tumors while funding medical research geared to better treatments and a cure.”
Please consider joining us by donating to their annual fundraiser: MAGIC. If you have kids get tickets for the entire family. It’s an awesome and memorable event every year!
Remember Erica from our last blog post/email? Yes, the realtor from Brooklyn who also flips houses in the Catskills.
Well, Erica took it a step further and became a VLOG client of ours as well.
Erica’s Vlog Template
The single most important thing is to be consistent with video when you are video-blogging, or vlogging, especially if you’re talking to prospects and clients.
Being able to create content and shoot yourself when the opportunity arises is crucial to remain consistent with posting new videos!
When we have our eye on efficiency, we recommend shooting at least four, if not more, Vlogs in one session, that way you optimize your time and effort.
Yet, we actually do have control over who we work with: From how we present ourselves, to our offerings, and pricing.
Doesn’t it sometimes feel like we have a sign out that says “Wanted: Any client who will help me pay the bills”?
It would never occur to me to go into a Hermes store or a Porsche showroom. It’s just not on my radar as a consumer. It’s nowhere near my price range, my lifestyle, my (perceived) needs, and I’m just not “that kind of customer”.
It’s the same for service providers. How we present ourselves is how we attract our clients. It’s simple, really. Our copy, our visuals, and pricing reflect what client we want to attract.
