Week 29 Focus – LinkedIn
Focus Question: What does your LinkedIn profile portray?

Story
LinkedIn is an important social media vehicle especially for those who are looking at working in organizations and corporations. Many HR professionals or leaders may go to LinkedIn to check out the resources.
 
What are the things you want to include on LinkedIn? You might consider:

• Posting articles or a new resource through LinkedIn Pulse
• Sharing a photo of you at work with clients (with permission of course!)
• Share an update regarding a recent award or other
• Sharing a press release
• Post in a group and keep the conversation going

​Activity
Review and update your Linked In profile. What does it showcase? What needs updating?

• Who are you connected to?
• What are the things you want to post on LinkedIn?
• How much time do you want to dedicate to it?
• What traffic do you get around what you have listed? Note these in your tracker.

Using the following chart make a list of engagement points:

Connection to the Workbook and Planner
Use any of the content scheduling tools to plan for and track your LinkedIn focus.
 
Download a one-page copy of this week's 52 Weeks of Plan, Do and Track here.

Best wishes, 
Jennifer

Read and download the initial weeks of the 52 weeks of Plan, Do and Track

​Jennifer Britton - Potentials Realized
Author of PlanDoTrack (2019),  Coaching Business Builder (2018), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013). Pick up a copy of any of her books at Amazon
Book Jennifer for a coaching session to explore productivity, teamwork and business issues.
Contact her by phone at (416)996-8326
Follow the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series on Instagram

​Many professionals today operate in an environment of distraction and rapidly changing sands. While this may be our context, having concrete action steps to keep focusing on can mean the difference between satisfaction in getting the important things done, and feeling like we have “whiplash” when buffeted by ongoing change.

One of the sections you’ll see in some of the 28 different planning tools included in the PlanDoTrack and Coaching Business Builder are an invite to share your Top 3 to 5 goals. In offering different learning options and presentations I will also ask “what are your three action steps?”.
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What are the action steps you want to take this week? What are you going to do to keep that visible to yourself? (Note last week’s different suggestions in Weekly Planning Hack 21 on Making It Visual.)
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What are the three action steps you want to take this week?

Best wishes,
​Jennifer

​Jennifer Britton - Potentials Realized
Check out the Weekly Planning Hack Facebook Live each Wednesday or Thursday here. Be sure to like our page to be updated each week!
Author of PlanDoTrack (2019), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013)

This week’s Weekly Planning Hack is all about “Making things Visual”.
How often do you find you:

• Lose items
• Forget things
• Let non-important tasks usurp the more important tasks?

One of the reasons why I was passionate about creating an analog workbook and planner for Coaches (Coaching Business Builder) as well as Virtual and Remote Professionals (PlanDoTrack), was to create a place where what’s in our minds, could find a home on paper.

Paper planners are great for some, but even then, things can get lost.
What’s another layer to make those important things stand out? Have you considered:

• Using a post-it to highlight the things that are REALLY important?
• Using a chalk pencil to leave yourself a note on the mirror or the fridge?
• Linking a photo you love to your vision of your business, and placing it as a screen saver?

Where the visual cues that will keep what’s important to you visible and in front of you?

Best,
​Jennifer

Week 23 Focus – What’s your message?
Focus Question: What are you doing to create a message that is clear, crisp and consistent? What is important to consider?

Description
We have spent the last few weeks exploring different marketing approaches which will have been of interest to virtual professionals and entrepreneurs. For those that are leaders and professionals internal to an organization, a reminder that positioning your message internally, and building a business case, draws on many of the marketing principles we have been talking about.

This week’s focus on “What’s your message?” is important to all virtual professionals and business owners. Being clear with your message, and its delivery is key to business success.

Across the span of a week we are constantly communicating. From formal presentations to meetings with your boss, to connecting with peers, communication happens formally and informally throughout the day.

This week’s focus is what’s your message? We’ll explore it in the light of making a presentation.

It’s often said that you have 7 seconds to make a good first impression. What’s going to capture the attention of others with your message?

Consider the following:

• Distilling your message down to 3 bullet points. Take a look at this week’s quote.
• Starting your presentation/communication with a factoid, photo or graphic to capture their attention.
• Asking a question to get people thinking about how the topic relates to them.

What’s going to make the impression you want? In today’s business context, being heard and being understood is critical.

Activity
Think about an upcoming presentation or message you need to deliver. It could the announcement of a new program or offering. Work through these questions:
What’s your core message? What is it that you really want to say? Distill it down to 3 bullet points. What’s your intent? What do you want others to do as a result of the presentation?
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Key to creating memorable messages is that it is:

• Memorable – What will make this stand out? Is there a story or image you can share?
• Clear – Review your message. What’s unclear?
• Understood – what are the terms or issues people are looking for? What are people listening for?

Connection to the Workbook and Planner
Using the content planners and brainstorming space found towards the back of the planner can support you with your messaging. Also consider referring to some of the tips in Section 3 (Marketing and Promotion Essentials) as well.

Download a one-page copy of this week's 52 Weeks of Plan, Do and Track here.

Best wishes, 
Jennifer

Read and download the initial weeks of the 52 weeks of Plan, Do and Track

​Jennifer Britton - Potentials Realized
Check out the Weekly Planning Hack Facebook Live each Wednesday or Thursday here. Be sure to like our page to be updated each week!
Author of PlanDoTrack (2019), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013)

Week 22 Focus:
Marketing–Creating Continuous Content
Focus Question: If you were to create content around different themes, what would those themes be? 

Description
Marketing can take a variety of different forms. It can be useful to look at it from different time frames including:

• Short-term
• Medium term
• Long term

What are the different types of vehicles you would use to generate buzz about your work and offering in each of these different ways?

Ongoing marketing is critical for business success. It’s easy to run out of ideas. This week’s Tip gets you thinking about Creating Continuous Content.
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Whether it’s Facebook or a blog, Instagram or Pinterest, here are some of the varying ways to get your ideas out:
1. Create a series – i.e. 31-day series around the topics of your choice;
2. Create an A- Z series (take a look at my A-Z for Virtual and Remote Team Members);
3. Do an infographic about the different steps in the process;
4. Do a 60 second sound byte around the most important topics in your area;
5. Do an in-depth step by step guide with a series of different posts for the different areas of focus;
6. Create a Top 10 list of books
7. Prepare a top 10 list of videos to check out
8. Make a list of 10 Websites to check out
9. Create a go-to guide
10. Produce a user’s guide to (insert main questions or how tos)
11. Create a Top 10 trends from the year
12. Make a list of Ted talks to explore on the topic
 
What will help to make your message more strategic and targeted?
What is of interest to your clients? What will help to focus the conversation for people?

Activity
Get in to action around one of your key priorities in marketing. Use the list of 10 series above to create a series of marketing tasks. You might:

• Host a Facebook live, or Instagram call around a topic of your choice.
• Do a podcast around your topics
• Write an
• White post
• Linked in Article on Pulse
• Create an assessment or self assessment. For example, if you are working with leaders, have them identify what are the key skills they need to be successful.

What is the one that you have not explored AT ALL?
Who can help you expand your marketing reach? We talked about use of the Top 20 list in an earlier marketing post. Who could help you expand your message?

Connection to the Workbook and Planner
Section 3 is dedicated to Marketing Essentials. What are your key priorities around marketing?
Use the One Page Plan (page 275/277) to create a focused plan around marketing
Use the trackers to track the outcome or impact of this activity – note visits, likes, what gets traction.
specific activities or results for each of the activities.

Download a one-page copy of this week's 52 Weeks of Plan, Do and Track here.

Best wishes, 
Jennifer

Read and download the initial weeks of the 52 weeks of Plan, Do and Track

Taking time to stop and pause is critical for success.
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"Big thinking precedes great achievement."— Wilferd Peterson

As I wrote in the 19 for 2019, review is critical for success.
Part of productivity is about building in pause points to reflect and think about what’s working and what’s not.
Building in time for regular review helps to:

• Identify where we are getting our results
• Observe the patterns that are occurring
• Think about where we want to go
• Identify what is important to be able to move forward

What are the blocks of time you want to set aside for review?

Best wishes,
​Jennifer

Week 20 Marketing - A Different Perspective
Focus Question: What’s another way to approach marketing to get unstuck or breathe new life into your efforts?

Description
The Evil Twin - Marketing
Marketing is often seen as a “necessary evil” or To-Do in any business. To make it a little more fun, it can be useful to consider an alternative perspective,  twin or personality to take on. Perhaps you have always wanted to be a diva. What would it be like to step into that personality as you approach marketing?
One of the most important activities which coaches can undertake is that of the Sweet Spot Exercise. While I did not publish this in the Coaching Business Builder, you will find it in the digital chapter on marketing in the From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching book (do check it out at https:/www.from12many.com/downloads.html - use code 4411 to access the Marketing Chapter on Group and Team Coaching).

The sweet spot gets you to consider three questions:

1. What are you good at?
2. What are you passionate about?
3. What do your clients want, need and prefer?

If you have done this before, take a look at the opposite or negative space. Reverse it by asking:

• What’s the flipside of the Sweetspot?
• What are you NOT good at?
• What are you not interested in?
• What do your CLIENTS NOT want, need and prefer?

Reviewing these questions regularly can provide some interesting insights into where you potentially might want to focus more of your marketing efforts.
Some other questions to provoke new perspectives around marketing are:
If you were to look at this activity rather than a time sucker, what could it look like as an enabler?

If you see it as a community builder, what else might it offer?
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Thinking about things from an alternative perspective can be useful in terms of focus and application and breathing new life into areas you might have gotten stuck around.
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Over the new few weeks we’ll be exploring several of the different vehicles and approaches. Much of this will return back to these strategic questions of what are you good at, and what do your clients want.

Activity
Work through the questions posed around marketing – what do you notice about your 5 Ps?

Connection to the Workbook and Planner
Section 3 of both books covers nine different promotional strategies you might want to employ.
Always remember that your clients will dictate what approaches are going to be most relevant and impactful.
Take some time this week working through the 5 Ps of your business, and activities you can undertake to further clarify the 5 Ps.

Download a one-page copy of this week's 52 Weeks of Plan, Do and Track here.

Best wishes, 
Jennifer

Read and download the initial weeks of the 52 weeks of Plan, Do and Track

We operate as part of a larger web. As Buddha wrote:
“As a net is made up of a series of ties, so everything in this world is connected by a series of ties. If anyone thinks that the mesh of the net is an independent isolated thing he is mistaken. It is called a net because it is made up of a series of interconnected meshes, and each mesh has its place and responsibility in relation to other meshes.”
​

• What are the relationship webs or meshes you are part of?
• What are the ties you have made in your business?
• Who do you rely on to make things happen?

Even as solopreneurs or someone working remote we are a bigger part of a web. Being clear on how we connect and interrelate can help us be more focused and intentional in our messaging, marketing and communication.

This week take some time to draw out your web of relationships.

• Who are the people you connect with internally? Externally?
• Who are the people in your web that are influencers? Connectors?
• Which relationships need attention? Which new relationships do you want to develop?

Have a great Wednesday!
​Jennifer

​As virtual businesses, solopreneurs and service-based businesses, content and educational marketing may be a significant strategy in marketing, and letting the world know what we have to offer.

As someone who has been a long-term blogger (I published my first blog in 2005 – which is still active today – the Group Coaching Ins and Outs blog), creating content on a regular basis can be an ongoing endeavor. While we may feel like we need to constantly create new content, there are ways to recycle and repurpose our content in creative ways. As we say in marketing, it can take 7-11 times for a message to be heard. We don’t want to send the same message, the same way every time, but rather share the same message in different ways.

Consider this situation. You have spent time developing a presentation on the skill of influence – a key skill for virtual professionals today. You spent a lot of time doing research and pulling it together.

As you delivered the presentation, people really enjoyed it an asked for more. You realize that there are several different ways that you can expand on this content including:

• Taking some of the section headers and creating an article
• Making a one-page tip sheet of the key bullet points
• Creating a reading list of 10 must-read books
• Doing a blog series on each one of the topics more in-depth.

I shared this activity recently in the 19 Productivity and Business Tips. 

Activity
Take a look at all the content you have created. Note it down. This could include blog posts, Instagram stories, Facebook Lives, etc.

As you look at what you have created already, consider:

• What are the things your clients are looking for related to your already created content?
• What are the vehicles they would like that in? (Think blog post, Instagram post, video, e-book, other)?
• What would the 3Rs look like – repurpose, reuse, recycle?

Best,
Jennifer

Week 17 Focus – Content Creation
Focus Question: What role does content creation (or distribution) play in your world?

Description
At the heart of many virtual organizations, and service-based businesses is content creation. Whether it is designing a new course, writing a blog post, leveraging a series on Instagram, content creation is key. This is why the CBB and PlanDoTrack, includes the Content Pages. As a reminder, included in the Content Pages Section are:
Monthly Content Trackers – Use this to capture what you are posting every day of the month. Include the streams you are posting on, how many visits, likes, comments or other things in notes. You have space in the bottom right corner to note any themes which you are focusing on for the month. This information becomes a gold-mine for years to come!
The Monthly Content Journal – Use these to capture one word reflections on the day . Perhaps you are doing some research. Maybe focusing on capturing new ideas, thoughts than need an anchor somewhere.
31 Day Challenge – Don’t just do it once. Series create energy and generate community. What could you focus on daily for 30 or 31 days in your business to create a baseline, or spread the world?
Content Collaboration Plan - Who can you collaborate with? What do they do? Who do they serve? What could collaboration look like? Why would you want to collaborate or have a joint venture with them? What can you offer them in return for your partnership?

Activity
Review the different Content Tools available. How could you leverage these in your work, and around your current priorities?

What is the content you have created? Make a list and/or note how you might repurpose or repackage the material for different platforms. For example, if you have a blog post, could it be combined with others to create an article, or be converted into a video.

Review your current content calendars. What’s working? What needs to be developed? When are you scheduling in time to create content?

Need some inspiration? Check out the 31 Days of 1BizStepaDay. You’ll find it over at the CoachingBusinessBuilder website.

Connection to the Workbook and Planner

Download a one-page copy of this week's 52 Weeks of Plan, Do and Track here.

Best wishes, 
Jennifer

Read and download the earlier weeks of the 52 weeks of Plan, Do and Track series