Our Three Words: Building a Boutique Marketing Agency in 2019
In 2014, my friend and mentor Jay Baer introduced me to Chris Brogan’s “3 words” ritual/idea (see below to read Chris’s post this year). The way in which it allows you to focus on your goals for the year in a simple and succinct way appealed to me. Even as Jay has evolved his thinking around how he plans is year, I continue to find the three words framework helpful, especially for the small and nimble team here at Media Volery.
Over the last year, we’ve had team members come and go; we’ve had clients wrap up and others come back for new work. 2018 was everything I could have asked for, after the roller coaster of a “building year” that was 2017.
In 2019, here’s where we’re going. And we thank you for coming along for the ride.
Hone: Improve the Little Things that Make Things Run Smoothly
At this point, we’ve done dozens upon dozens of digital marketing strategies. We are great at the research and, I believe, delivering clients strategic plans that truly guide them into the next several years of their marketing programs.
However, we still reinvent the wheel too often. And quite frankly, we probably rely too heavily on me to dictate what shape and form things should take. In 2019, we’re focusing on more templates for standard practices like client check-in meetings and reports, as well as reference materials that make it easier for new team members to jump into projects.
Build: Grow the Team and Our Resources
We’ve got a bench of sharp people with great skills, both academic and real-world. The majority of our team have (or are working on) graduate degrees in marketing and communications, and all of our team members have about a decade of experience or more.
But we need to be better about expanding our network, so that we have more resources for the areas that we’re not as strong with. As our clients have expanding needs, we want to make sure we are introducing them to the right partners and resources. You may have seen some of our partner organizations on this very blog. Expect more this year.
Story-tell: Tell More People Who We Are and What We Are About
I’m not naturally a self-promoter, and the vast majority of business we have comes from referrals and inbound leads. However, I recognize that there are a lot of opportunities that we should be taking to share our insights with others.
Therefore, in 2019, I will be putting more emphasis on outreach. With that, if you have an organization who would like a workshop or a talk by a seasoned speaker in the digital marketing space, let’s talk.
What are your plans for 2019? I’d love to hear from you.