Putting Information to Work

I received a lot of valuable information these last couple of days. I sat in the “I Tweet therefor I am” panel discussion with See Jane Write. I listened to Tony Marino on The Strategist Blogtalk Radio program. I made notes from posts around the internet.

I have a lot of information.

The other day, I sorted through a pile next to my desk. I discovered a lot of notes with a lot of information . . . sitting in a pile doing nothing but taking up space. Information only becomes valuable if I invest that information into my life.

Investing the Information

1. Put the information into practice. One of the best tips I received from the See Jane Write event was how to work my posts on Twitter. I have struggled to be consistent (another tip I hear over and over) with my Tweets. Mitzi Eaker (@mitzi_eaker) recommended that you post something related to your blog post three times in a day, three days in a week, at three different hours of the day. My answer is to schedule three times during my day to work on twitter. I am also going to look for “sound bites” in my posts that I can utilize to write out three tweets for each one. It will be a little more work for my blogging but might help me develop that consistency I desire in Twitter.

2. Build relationships – IMMEDIATELY. Relationships are the most valuable tool when it comes to building anything. Just try building a home on your own – just you. It is impossible to accomplish some tasks without assistance. All of the panelists last night recommended connecting with others DURING the event if possible but definitely as soon as you got on your computer. If I have heard “relationships” once from Tony Marino then I have heard it a bazillion times. Not just quantity relationships, but quality relationships. I made the investment in this tips by adding the panelists to my social media as soon as I started my online activities. Chanda Temple (@chandatemple) also reminded us that each social media may have a different following and to know how to engage them accordingly.

3. Find what works for you. One of the best things I have heard so far (and knew but never put into practice) was that you need to excel at what you are doing before you add to that doing. Every time I think I have found my balance, someone adds something new to the scale. It gets frustrating – until you realize that you will never excel at everything so excel at one thing . . . and then once you excel you can add to that. Q: How do you eat an elephant?

4. Utilize the technology, but be personally involved. There are many different widgets to help you schedule out posts, tweets and other social media interactions. Make the most of them – according to Jennifer Warren (@jennwarren85) – only never allow the automated to replace the personal. Respond to those that engage your social media posts. The only way to drive a growing viewership is through engagement and active relationship building.

5. Have a strategy – write down what you are doing, why you are doing and ideas for how you will do it. You need to have direction for where you are going or you may spend all of your time chasing your tail. This leads me back to point #1. Write it out and then put it to work.

I have several pages of notes from the last events I have attended. I could put them with the notes from all the other past events and hope that one day they might come in handy. I could file them into folders so that they would be even easier to dig out down the road. Or I could just take that information and begin implementing what I have learned right now.

Right now is all I have – and if I want to make changes to begin moving in the direction of my success then right now is where I start.

What are you doing with the information you receive? Please share you tips and suggestions either by linking to your post on the topic in a comment below or just sharing your tips in the comments.

Be blessed,