|
Visibility Generating Authority Building * Writing and Marketing Information
|
|
April 29, 2015 / Newsletter 042915
|
|
It’s Not About Ideas, It’s About Making Ideas Happen
By Karen Cioffi
"It's not about ideas. It's about making ideas happen." ~Scott Belsky
We’ve just entered a brand new year. This is the time to think about
where you’ve been and where you’re heading. It’s time for ideas.
According to Business Dictionary, an idea is “a thought or collection of thoughts that generate in the mind.”
They’re usually derived from intent, but they can also be unintentional.
Ideas are the foundation of all advancements. And, they’re at the foundation and growth of your business.
"It's not about ideas. It's about making ideas happen." ~Scott Belsky
The year is almost half over. This is the time to think about
where you’ve been and where you’re heading. It’s time for ideas.
According to Business Dictionary, an idea is “a thought or collection of thoughts that generate in the mind.”
They’re usually derived from intent, but they can also be unintentional.
Ideas are the foundation of all advancements. And, they’re at the foundation and growth of your business.
While ideas may be the initiating force behind success, they’re powerless without action.
Action is the implementation of an idea. Action is taking deliberate steps toward an end. Action is what makes dreams a reality.
So, how do you turn an idea into an actionable plan?
Four basic steps you will need to take to get started.
1. Create a plan.
First: Take that idea and actually write it down, don’t just type
in your laptop or computer, actually write down what you’re idea or
goal is. Then you can put it in your computer.
This IDEA should be considered your long term objective.
Second: Divide your long term goal into short term goals with actionable steps you can take to reach your objective.
Suppose your objective is to boost your social media marketing in order
to build a large and loyal following with conversion potential. Divide
that into sub-categories. They may be:
• Two to three social media channels to devote more time and effort into
• Who will handle this strategy (if you’re a solopreneur, it’ll be you)
• Time to be allotted to this new strategy
• Budget for this new strategy
• Create user engagement and connections
• Actionable steps needed to accomplish this new goal
Why write your goals and action steps down?
According to an article on writing
at Entrepreneur.com, “Warren Buffett has described writing as a key way
of refining his thoughts.” And, “Richard Branson once said, ‘my most
essential possession is a standard-sized school notebook,’ which he uses
for regular writing.”
Along with this, an article, 5 Reasons Why You Should Commit Your Goals to Writing,
explains, “Dr. Gail Matthews, a psychology professor at Dominican
University in California, did a study on goal-setting with 267
participants. She found that you are 42 percent more likely to achieve
your goals just by writing them down.”
Writing goals down takes more thought than typing This makes you more
conscious of what your goals are. It adds, if you will, emphasis to what
you want.
So, it’s easy to understand that writing your ideas / goals down is a key to fulfilling your goals.
Third, keep your goals and action steps front and center. You
need to see them daily (throughout the day) as a reminder of your
intent.
TIP: Make sure your action steps are realistic and doable.
Nothing will squash your motivation and efforts more than not being able
to fulfill your action steps.
2. Implement your plan.
You goal and actionable steps are on paper and in your computer. Now
it’s time to actually take action. Follow through and post more to the
social media channels. Engage with other users by Retweeting, Following,
Liking, Sharing, and so on. Take all the actions you’ve listed in your
plan.
3. Keep it up – persevere.
Whatever action steps you do, do them wholeheartedly and regularly.
Don’t give up because you don’t quickly see results. Give it time to
determine if the steps you’re taking are the right ones for you and your
business.
4. Analysis and Revise.
While you do need to give your actions time to generate positive
results, you also need to test what you’re doing. Determine what’s
working and what’s not. Then revise your plan accordingly.
Don’t waste time on efforts that aren’t working. Try a different approach or marketing strategy.
Your time and efforts will be much more productive if you regularly test your results.
Summing it up.
There you have it, four basic steps to creating and implementing a
business plan. Take the time to write your ideas / goals down and create
and implement actionable steps to help you achieve them.
Action is the implementation of an idea. Action is taking deliberate steps toward an end. Action is what makes dreams a reality.
So, how do you turn an idea into an actionable plan?
Four basic steps you will need to take to get started.
1. Create a plan.
First: Take that idea and actually write it down, don’t just type
in your laptop or computer, actually write down what you’re idea or
goal is. Then you can put it in your computer.
This IDEA should be considered your long term objective.
Second: Divide your long term goal into short term goals with actionable steps you can take to reach your objective.
Suppose your objective is to boost your social media marketing in order
to build a large and loyal following with conversion potential. Divide
that into sub-categories. They may be:
• Two to three social media channels to devote more time and effort into
• Who will handle this strategy (if you’re a solopreneur, it’ll be you)
• Time to be allotted to this new strategy
• Budget for this new strategy
• Create user engagement and connections
• Actionable steps needed to accomplish this new goal
Why write your goals and action steps down?
According to an article on writing
at Entrepreneur.com, “Warren Buffett has described writing as a key way
of refining his thoughts.” And, “Richard Branson once said, ‘my most
essential possession is a standard-sized school notebook,’ which he uses
for regular writing.”
Along with this, an article, 5 Reasons Why You Should Commit Your Goals to Writing,
explains, “Dr. Gail Matthews, a psychology professor at Dominican
University in California, did a study on goal-setting with 267
participants. She found that you are 42 percent more likely to achieve
your goals just by writing them down.”
Writing goals down takes more thought than typing This makes you more
conscious of what your goals are. It adds, if you will, emphasis to what
you want.
So, it’s easy to understand that writing your ideas / goals down is a key to fulfilling your goals.
Third, keep your goals and action steps front and center. You
need to see them daily (throughout the day) as a reminder of your
intent.
TIP: Make sure your action steps are realistic and doable.
Nothing will squash your motivation and efforts more than not being able
to fulfill your action steps.
2. Implement your plan.
You goal and actionable steps are on paper and in your computer. Now
it’s time to actually take action. Follow through and post more to the
social media channels. Engage with other users by Retweeting, Following,
Liking, Sharing, and so on. Take all the actions you’ve listed in your
plan.
3. Keep it up – persevere.
Whatever action steps you do, do them wholeheartedly and regularly.
Don’t give up because you don’t quickly see results. Give it time to
determine if the steps you’re taking are the right ones for you and your
business.
4. Analysis and Revise.
While you do need to give your actions time to generate positive
results, you also need to test what you’re doing. Determine what’s
working and what’s not. Then revise your plan accordingly.
Don’t waste time on efforts that aren’t working. Try a different approach or marketing strategy.
Your time and efforts will be much more productive if you regularly test your results.
Summing it up.
There you have it, four basic steps to creating and implementing a
business plan. Take the time to write your ideas / goals down and create
and implement actionable steps to help you achieve them.
Stop by the post page for the reference links. And, it'd be great if you stopped by the post to comment and share!
===============================================================
|
|
Is Your Business / Marketing Stuck in Neutral?
Get Traffic to Your Website with Inbound Marketing
This 4-week, interactive, in-depth e-class through WOW Women on Writing covers the four fundamental elements of inbound marketing: Website Optimization, Blogging Smart, Email Marketing, and Social Media Marketing.
What does this mean for you? Simple: More traffic, increased authority, better rankings, and more conversions (people who click on your call-to-actions)!
It’s must-know stuff (and easier to do than you think) for ALL marketers, including business owners, writers, authors . . .
Check it out today! Just CLICK HERE.
===================================================
|
| PERMISSION TO REPRINT
You may reprint this article from "The Writing World” in its entirety in your own blog or print/electronic newsletter. But, please include the following paragraph:
Article reprinted from The Writing World newsletter. Want more must-know writing and marketing information along with updates on free webinars right in your inbox? Get access to The Writing World (http://thewritingworld.com) today.
|
|
Karen Cioffi, Freelance Writer For Individuals (Academic Papers, Essays, Editing, and More)
The Article Writing Doctor Your Content Marketing Prescription (For Small and Home Businesses)
karencioffi [at] ymail [dot] com
I'm an affiliate for some of the products I recommend. I only tell you about products I've checked out.
|
|
HAVE A QUESTION?
Send me an email with your question and I'll do my best to give you an answer.
|
|
| |