Tell me again why I should care.

You told me once before, but I’ve forgotten what you said. It was just too much to remember.

I’m busy and overwhelmed and late for something. (I’m always late for something.) I have forty-seven yet-to-be-done things on my To Do list and I still don’t know what we’re having for dinner.

What was it you wanted again?

I know you said you did something with somebody and I should really check it out because, because …

That’s the part I can’t recall.

Tell me again why I should care.

It’s not that I think you’re doing a lousy job. I actually think you’re pretty cool. It’s just that I have so much on my plate and there’s so little time in the day and I only have the energy to address the really important things.

Is your thing really important?

Tell me again why it’s important.

Tell me again why I should care.

I don’t mean to be rude and what you’re saying is fascinating, but do you think maybe we could just cut to the chase?

Are you trying to change the world?

Are you trying to change my world?

Really? My world?

Hang on.

Can you tell me more? What is it exactly that you do again?

Background Image: Wikimedia Commons 

It’s a New Year, all bright and shiny and full of potential.

Until it isn’t.

I don’t want to be a Debbie Downer. Not at all. I love the New Year. January is one of my favorite months. Here in New England, we get all Currier & Ives in the snow. It’s pretty. It fills us full of optimism and good intentions. We are sure that this will be the year we (finally!) stick to our resolutions: more sleep and exercise, fewer sweets and cocktails, etc., etc., etc.

We do the same with our businesses. This will be the year we sort out all our systems, cut the dead weight, and get strategic. This will be the year we really make our mark. We can feel it – we’re so close to the tipping point. Everything we’ve been working for is just around the corner, if only we can … if only we can …

What? 

And there, whether you’re a solopreneur or a global enterprise, is where it often falls apart.  Because although you may think you have everything beautifully planned out, all you really have is a bunch of moving parts. It’s a shot in the dark which (if any) of them will turn out to be the X Factor that puts your business on the map.

You do not need a new tactic, the latest technology, or a celebrity endorsement. You need a BRAND. 

Mark Schaeffer posted earlier this week about why content marketing is not a sustainable strategy.  Mark’s a super smart guy and he’s not making this up. I’m a writer. I love content. I love content marketing. But (and it’s a BIG but), to stay competitive in content marketing is becoming more and more challenging.

When content marketing was a new pond and there weren’t many fish, it was easy to stand out just by being there. Today, we’re packed in gill-to-gill, making it almost impossible for any one fish to stand out from the school.  Companies are trying to be seen by publishing more content more frequently, but (as Mark points out) that’s a losing battle in which only the business with the biggest budget wins. 

If you’re not that lucky business, how can you hope to compete?

There’s only one way. You have to have one hell of a strong brand – the kind of brand that customers LOVE. 

That’s right. I said LOVE. 

I’m not making this up either. Lots of really smart people are constantly talking about the importance of creating emotional connections through branding:

Just yesterday, Amy Taylor over at Brains on Fire wrote about how Simple bank is inspiring love with the not-so-important things that matter most.

Peter Singline at the fabulous Truly Deeply agency in South Melbourne recently shared his thoughts on Jim Stengel’s idea that the most successful brands are built on “fundamental human values,” things like “eliciting joy” and “inspiring exploration.”

Bernadette Jiwa (The Story of Telling) uses salt as an excellent example to demonstrate how the belief in a brand’s story creates value.

That’s what a brand is – belief. A brand is a reason to believe. It’s something to believe in. It makes people believe in themselves. If you have that you don’t need to have the most content or even the best content. You just have to know what stories to tell and why you’re telling them. You have to know not only who you are, but why you’re here and how you’re making a connection with and a difference for your customers.

Once you’ve done the work to figure out your brand, you’ll know exactly which marketing tactics will hit their mark. You won’t have to waste time (or money) on experiments because you’ll know which types of content and communities are the right fit for your brand. You’ll have a much better sense of not only what to say, but how to say it. You will be able to stop worrying about “capturing eyeballs” or “going viral” and instead start focusing on delivering delight and creating enthusiasm.

THIS should be what your 2014 is about. 

THIS is how you will be able to blow past those New Year’s resolutions like they were yesterday’s news. 

For more from the Branding Soapbox, check out this series starting with Branding is Not Optional – a Cautionary Tale.

Photo Credits:
2014 Sparklers: dordirk via Compfight cc
Currier & Ives: Wikimedia Commons
Fish SChool: wwarby via Compfight cc
SWAK Lips: Enokson via Compfight cc

And, not just your typical, Tolkien-quoting LOTR geek, either. (Though, I am totally one of those.)

I get geeky about things like the perfect notebook, calendaring, and a really well done Excel spreadsheet.

I also get seriously geeky about mind mapping. Seriously.

Mind whatting? If you have no idea what mind mapping is, you can get a quick 101 from my post, Secret Marketing Weapon: The Brand Mind Map.

After that (or, if you already kind of know what a mind map is), I’d like to invite you to take a listen to a podcast on which fellow mind mapping addict Michael Tipper (he’s the one with the lovely accent) interviews me about how I discovered mind mapping and just how I use it in both my personal and professional lives:

The Mind Mapping Show: Episode 8 – Discover the Possibilities of What Mind Mapping Can Do for Your Personal and Professional Lives

I will warn you that the first seven or so minutes are a bit chatty, so you may want to skip those and get right to the meat of the conversation.

Michael and I recorded the interview waaaaaay back in January and he broadcast it over the summer, but somehow I never got around to sharing it. (Couldn’t be because of my unbridled gushing and a few too many mentions of cats, could it? Maybe.)

ANYway … I thought this would be a great time to share the podcast. The end of the year is creeping up on us (or, more accurately, bearing down on us), so it’s the perfect opportunity to take a step back and do some mind mapping to look at the year behind and the year ahead. Maybe mind map that new project you’ve been contemplating, or perhaps you could use it to rough out a 2014 editorial calendar. Anything is possible. You never know where a mind map will take you.

I hope you’ll give a listen and indulge my attempt to get everyone mind mapping.

Oh! And if you have ANY questions, don’t hesitate to drop me a comment or a private email. I am always happy to talk about mind mapping. Always.

This is also traditionally the time to say “thank you” to your customers.

Before I had my own business, I worked for companies that routinely gave generic corporate gifts. Each year, some unlucky intern or admin would be drafted to make the rounds through the office, collecting the names and addresses of clients from various account teams. After sorting the list by “appropriate gift value,” a massive bulk order would be placed with one of the same old-same old corporate gift companies … Harry & David or some similar outfit. (You know the kind of thing.) Nothing against Harry & David, but I always found the mass production approach a bit depressing. Where was the imagination, the personal touches, the element of delight?

How can a generic gift accurately express your gratitude for your customers’ patronage? (Hint: It can’t.)

My first few years as a freelancer, I wasn’t able to send actual gifts, but I sent handwritten and heartfelt cards to each of my clients, thanking them for their business and for being great human beings. (I only work with great human beings.) When I finally found myself in a position to send gifts, I felt like one of Santa’s elves. Even though this is unquestionably one of the busiest times of the year, I really enjoyed creating special packages for each client.

Some of my packages did include yummy treats from Harry & David, but those holiday snacks were bundled along with other treasures like ornaments, funky notebooks, and beeswax candles. I filled each gift box with a unique collection of gifts that I hoped would inspire smiles during the holidays and beyond.

With this year’s holidays just around the corner, I’m once again preparing for my role as Santa’s Helper and would like to share some thoughts and suggestions that might provide a spark of inspiration for your business gift giving:

• Give gifts that have nothing to do with your business. Just because you’re a baker doesn’t mean you have to give cookies. The gifts you give should be about the people receiving them, not about you. You don’t give your family gifts that reflect who you are (at least, I hope you don’t); you give them gifts that reflect their interests and style. Do the same for your customers.
• Give a variety of gifts. It’s absolutely okay to give multiple people the same gift if it’s a good fit; BUT if you’re inspired to give different things to different people, that’s great, too. People appreciate unique presents.
• Consider virtual gifts. I love putting together packages and traipsing down to the post office. (I know, I know – I’m a little weird that way.) However, virtual gifts can be really fun, too. A year of PandoraONE makes a great gift. (I actually gave that to my Dad and he loved it.) Online classes and programs can also be really thoughtful. I’ve gifted people with writing classes and meditation programs. Lumosity is a fun brain training tool that I have given several times. Think about the products and tools you love. Is there someone on your list who would enjoy them as much as you do?
• Make gift cards personal. I’m not a huge fan of gift cards, but adding a special note explaining why you chose a particular one makes all the difference. You can also make a gift card personal by purchasing one from a small business that’s local to your customer – an indie bookstore or coffee shop, for instance.
• Skip the usual suspects and explore renegade gift sources. I love Amazon as much as the next gal, but I love discovering cool products (especially handmade things) via “indie” sources even more. Check out smallish operations like Uncommon Goods, The Grommet, and Etsy, to find unusual and even one-of-a-kind gifts.
• Think like a kid. Just because these are “business gifts” doesn’t mean they have to be serious. I love giving toys and picture books to grown ups. Inspire someone to let her inner child out to play with a funky and fun gift that’s just a little left of center.
• Think small. Some of my favorite gifts to give and receive are collections of “small pleasures” – little things that make people smile and deliver just-right doses of TLC. The types of things that fall into this category include miniature notebooks, special teas, beautifully packaged skin care products, letterpress cards, and so on. These are the kinds of things people don’t usually buy for themselves, but will appreciate as a gift.

I hope these suggestions give you some ideas for how to make your business gifts more fun to give and receive. Go ahead and let your personality and feelings shine through. Choose gifts that let people know you not only appreciate their business, but you appreciate them for who they are.

Merry-Merry & Happy-Happy and may your holiday season be warm & bright.
Photo Credit: Chris_J via Compfight cc

An unexpected gift from Mother Nature – a heart in the mud. Delightful.

Yesterday was a gift of a day.

Despite being only a week away from Thanksgiving, the temperature soared to sixty-five degrees under nearly cloudless, bright blue skies. The unseasonably beautiful weather lifted spirits, dissolved the Monday Blues, and incited several spontaneous acts of truancy.

The day was truly delightful.

Delightful (n): great pleasure; joy … [Middle English delit, from Old French, a pleasure, from delitier, to please, charm …]¹

Delightful is not a word we use very often. It seems, perhaps, slightly antiquated for our times – a little too naive, a little too simple.

Such a shame.

To me, delight is more than just pleasure or even joy. Delight embodies a more complex feeling that is layered with the sense of having been given a gift (as in when we say, “Delighted to meet you”) and a sense of surprise – of happily coming upon some unexpected goodness, beauty, or kindness.

So, to be delighted is to be gently jolted out of your everyday existence by someone or something presenting you with an unexpected gift.

As I strolled down the sunny side of the street on my way to the deli, I thought about things that bring delight: receiving a smile from a stranger, watching a dog’s exuberant play, or hearing a favorite song. I remembered the way an unexpected note from a friend (written by hand and sent via old-fashioned snail mail) warmed my heart with its unanticipated arrival and generosity of time and emotion.

The things that bring delight are usually small and simple. They are unasked for treasures that brighten our day and restore our faith in the virtue of humanity. They are the unassuming tokens, words, and experiences that pull us, for a moment, outside the daily grind and into a new, more positive perspective.

Delight opens us up.

Without requiring vulnerability or confession, delight invites us to be in a space where good things happen. It invites us to see the best in people and situations. It reminds us that, as savvy and cynical as we might be sometimes, we never really lost our capacity for joy and wonder.

Delight can come from many quarters, but it rarely turns up in a business context. When it does, it is so unexpected and feels so much like a gift that its presence creates a dramatic shift in how customers perceive your brand and your brand’s value. It can transform your relationship and open up new opportunities to interact on an entirely different level.

So, I’m wondering, is delight a part of your brand? 

¹ The American Heritage Dictionary of The English Language, Fourth Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2000

My beau and I had come to see The Waterboys, a band that neither of us knew much about. We were there because I’d been at a loss for a Valentine’s Day gift. Waking Ned Devine, one of our all-time favorite movies, features The Waterboy’s song, Fisherman’s Blues, so I bought the tickets. It seemed like a romantic idea at the time.

A warm smile, a shared joke – Freddie Stevenson knows how to make an audience feel loved.

Before the headliner came on, a pair of New York musicians took the stage: Freddie Stevenson and Teddy Kumpel. They played their opening set with a street musician vibe that invited the audience into their world. Though they were up on the stage, they gave the impression of being in the crowd –of experiencing the evening alongside us. We became collaborators and co-conspirators. We were in on the joke, nodding in agreement with Stevenson’s quirky banter.

Both musicians interacted with those of us sitting at the tables closest to the stage. They acknowledged our presence and participation with nods and eye contact. Their demeanor and presentation created an inclusive space that embraced the entire audience, drawing us in and making us feel welcome and appreciated.

After their set, the two performers signed CDs and posed for fan photos. As we waited for our turn to meet them, my beau and I talked enthusiastically about the musicians’ skills and the wonderful worlds and stories of Stevenson’s songs. When I reached the head of the queue, Stevenson shook my hand warmly and seemed genuinely grateful that I was there and had enjoyed his music.

My beau and I returned to our seats, still talking about the music we’d just heard, and a few minutes later, the headliner took the stage.

The Waterboys: Looking down on you

The Waterboys launched into their first number without any greeting or introduction. Unlike Stevenson and Kumpel, they assumed you knew who they were and what they were all about. (I did not.) The band members did not make eye contact, except with each other. They often appeared to be sharing a private joke; I had the impression they were rolling their eyes.

The set continued with a series of songs that featured long, indulgent guitar solos and predictable crescendos. The lead singer (who appeared to fancy himself an amalgam of Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, and Jim Morrison) provided intermittent commentary on the origin of and creative process around certain songs.

The entire band seemed turned inward – playing to each other, or to themselves. It was almost as if the audience was an afterthought – I felt like we might as well have been watching them on TV.

Finally, my beau (who had been enduring this ego-show because he didn’t want to hurt my feelings) turned to me and said, “Whenever you’re ready…”

I laughed and said, “Let’s get outta here.” We hadn’t even made it to the first intermission.

As we bolted for the parking lot, we agreed that The Waterboys’ performance could be summed up in one word: pretentious. Instead of making us feel like part of something special, they just made us feel like they were something special and we were lucky to be there to witness their genius.

Stevenson and Kumpel, on the other hand, made us feel like part of an inner circle. We felt like we were having a conversation with these two musicians, like our presence added something to the music. There was an energy between the performers and the audience.

Walking away from that evening, I am now a Freddie Stevenson fan. I am actively seeking ways to support his work. I liked his Facebook page, followed him on Twitter, learned about a great crowd-sourcing project he did (which, sadly, is closed, but which happily clocked in at 194% of his original goal), and I’m going to download more of his music to my iTunes collection.

The Waterboys? Meh.

Exclusive vs. Inclusive – which one is your brand? 

PS – Here’s a fun song from Freddie for your listening enjoyment:

You’ve heard it before, right?

People buy from people they know, like, and trust.

So…

How do you get known?

How do you get people to like you?

How do you earn their trust?

Those are Big Questions with long, complicated answers.

… or, are they?

I may be an audience of one, but I know I’m not alone in how I assess the people and brands I buy from. It’s not really all that complicated:

I get to know people by:

• Reading their blogs
• Sampling their social content – everything from Facebook and Twitter to Pinterest and Instagram to LinkedIn and Google+
• Interacting with them on their blogs and social media (and, eventually via email, call, or video chat)
• Checking out their body of work (products, cases studies, portfolio … whatever applies)
• Looking at their associations with other people I know

I decide if I like them by asking myself:

• Do their values align with mine?
• Are they responsive when I reach out?
• Are they generous with their time and knowledge?
• Do they have a good sense of humor?
• Do we have anything in common – hobbies, causes, pet peeves, lifestyle, etc.?

I decide if I can trust them based on:

• Whether their actions are consistent with their words
• How I see them treat other people
• How other people talk about them

The bottom line is this: it all comes down to the old, writers’ adage: “Show. Don’t tell.”

You cannot tell people about yourself – they need to learn who you are by your actions. They need to form their own picture of you based on what you show, not what you say. If you say, “I’m an organic food guru” I may or may not believe you, but if you show me your incredible depth of knowledge and heartfelt passion through the information you share (blog posts, photos, curated articles, answering questions, etc.), I believe you immediately. I can see for myself that you are, in fact, an organic food guru. Each piece of content you create and share online is another piece of the puzzle that shows me who you are, what you do, what you care about, and so on.

You cannot make people like you – you can only put your best foot forward. You are not in control of how people judge you. (And, they will judge you. It’s human nature.) Good rule of thumb: remember The Golden Rule. Think about the people you like. What traits make them likeable? Usually it’s not about them, it’s about how they make other people feel. It’s about how they listen, understand, and help. It’s about how they affect positive change for others – solving problems, providing answers, sharing insights, connecting people.

You cannot force people to trust you – trust must be earned. I may know you and like you, but do I trust you? Trust takes a relationship to a whole other level. Now it’s serious. Trust boils down to whether or not you consistently deliver what you promise. At a low level, this could be as simple as providing dependable content that always lives up to the hype. It might mean shipping a product that exceeds expectations. At a higher level, it might look like showing up when you said you would, or meeting a deadline. Again, this is about actions, not words. Promises are worthless until they have been tested and kept.

Whether you are a solopreneur or a sales person in a global B2B company, a small business owner or the marketing director of a Fortune 500 consumer company, the Know-Like-Trust factor applies in pretty much the same way. Why? Because, at the end of the day, even the biggest corporate deals come down to human relationships.

How do you help people learn about who you are?

How do you put your best foot forward?

What do you do to merit trust?

“Just Some Paintings”

I read an amazing story on Forbes last week.

On Saturday, October 12^th, an artist set up a modest booth on the outskirts of New York’s Central Parkto sell a collection of black and white “spray” paintings, priced at $60 apiece.

Nothing amazing yet.

The artist sat beside his wares for four hours before making his first sale.

Again, nothing amazing. Street artists often spend entire days without a single sale.

Finally, a woman bought a couple of small canvases, but only after bargaining for a 50% discount. A little while later, a woman visiting from New Zealand purchased a piece. And at 5:30, just before closing, a man chose four paintings. He said he was decorating his new house and “just needed something for the walls.”

Total take for the day: $420

Now, the amazing part:

The “artist” (actually a stand-in) who spent the day on the streets of the Big Apple, was actually hawking the paintings of the world-renowned graffiti artist, political activist, film maker, and painter known only as Banksy. Banksy’s works regularly sell for tens of thousands at auction, often for hundreds of thousands, and in some cases for over a million dollars apiece.

And yet the hundreds of passersby who saw his paintings priced at $60 did not see value in his work.

Why?

Because there was no emotional context …

They didn’t have any connection to the work. It didn’t represent anything. They did not have any personal feelings about the art or the artist. The paintings were just paintings.

… and there wasn’t any social context …

There were no social cues to help people understand the work or its value. There was no “buzz” or activity – no conversation around the paintings or the artist.

… and, the physical context told the wrong story.

They weren’t seeing Banksy’s canvases alongside expensive and rare works at Sotheby’s or Bonham’s. They were seeing them in a street vendor’s booth. Based on their perception of “street art,” they assumed what they were seeing was not valuable.

Because they didn’t have any emotional, social, or physical context, Bansky’s art DIDN’T MEAN ANYTHING to the busy people walking down the street.

And that’s the crux of the thing.

It’s meaning that makes it possible for Bansky to charge hundreds of thousands of dollars.

It’s meaning that makes his customers happy to pay those prices.

It’s meaning that makes his authentic work more valuable than another artist’s, even if – on the surface – they look very similar.

Banksy has brand.

And Bansky’s brand is made of stories – the story of the artist as activist, the stories of celebrity purchases of Banksy pieces, and the story of his unknown identity – shrouded in creative mystery like a paint can-wielding vigilante for the people.

As important as these Bansky-centric stories are the stories of the people who interact with and buy Banksy’s art:

• The run-of-the-mill mobile home that, because it sports a Banksy mural, went on the market for half a million British pounds.
• The homeowners who loved the Bansky mural on their house so much that they listed their home for sale as “a mural with a house attached” in order to try and protect the artwork from buyers who wanted to paint over it.

If you think brand doesn’t matter. If you think it’s a “nice-to-have.” If you think a brand is just your name and logo.

Think again.

Brand is often the only thing that makes a real difference in your customer’s mind.

And the brand that tells the best story, wins.

The story of your product’s purpose

The story of your product’s creation

The story of your company’s mission

Even more important, you need to give your customers the chance to become part of your brand story as they:

• Discover your product
• Purchase your product
• Use your product
• Share your product

Each touch point, every aspect of the experience, is a chance to create a new story and strengthen your brand.

Don’t think this only applies to artists either.

We buy with our hearts at least as often as they buy with our heads. In fact, human nature makes us much more apt to make a decision based on emotions and justify it with logic after the fact.

Brands are what tap into emotions:

• I choose where to buy my milk and produce based on the emotional need to feel a connection to my community and a sense of responsibility to the planet (even though I can buy less expensive, organic products at the local chain market).
• I buy my lattes at a local, indie coffee shop because their fair trade values are in line with my values. I want to be part of what they’re doing.
• I buy books at an indie bookstore (even though I can get them from Amazon cheaper and faster) because I believe in what the Jabberwocky brand stands for – independence, service, community, and the power of small business.
• I buy Apple products even though many of my peers and colleagues swear by their Android devices because I believe in the Apple brand’s dedication to creativity, uniqueness, and “the crazy ones.”

People buy all kinds of things based on emotional connections to a brand: cars, clothes, notebooks, airline tickets, insurance, pet food, and on and on. Businesses also buy for emotional reasons. (After all, businesses are made up of people.)

Your brand is what you stand for.

It’s what puts your product into context for your customers.

It’s what gives your product meaning in the hearts of your customers.

Without that meaning, your product is “just another product” – nothing special, nothing worth the extra money, nothing to write home about.

With meaning, your product is a must-have, a way for people to be part of something bigger than themselves, a way for people to express their own values, something to get excited about, something to talk about.

So …

What story are you telling?

What do you stand for?

What does your brand mean to your customers?

Widsom for marketers as well as artists.

You’re at a social event with a friend when someone you’ve met before walks in. You can’t remember this person’s name, where you met, what you did together, or what you talked about. Despite this total lack of recall about the concrete elements of your meeting, you have a feeling that you’d prefer a root canal to interacting with this person again.

Or, maybe you’re cruising your Facebook newsfeed and the profile picture of an online acquaintance catches your eye. You’ve never met in person, and you’ve only had a few casual social exchanges, but seeing this person’s face makes you smile. You’re not sure why (you’re not even sure how the two of you crossed paths in the first place), but now you’ve stopped scanning so you can read this person’s post.

I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

–        Maya Angelou

I do not know in what context writer and poet Maya Angelou originally uttered that now ubiquitous quote, but I doubt it was anything to do with marketing. Still, her words ring true and marketers of all kinds should take heed.

In my post “Is your business the marrying kind or a one night stand?” I shared a personal, real life example of how the dramatically different ways two big brands (AT&T and Verizon) made me feel changed my relationships with those brands. Forever.

I have chosen restaurants, yoga instructors, sandwich shops, books, hotels, hosting companies, laptops, phones, apparel, notebooks and all kinds of other products and services based on the brand’s (whether corporate or personal) ability to make me feel good. Conversely, I have withheld my business from brands that make me feel bad.

How do you make your customers feel?

• Smart? Valued? Respected?
• Stupid? Taken for granted? Frustrated?
• Joyful? Proud? Hopeful? Creative? Happy?
• Afraid? Ashamed? Angry? Bored? Sad?

It’s a really important question.

Ever get that same old-same old feeling?

Strip away all the jargon, technology, and fancy tactics and marketing is just you telling stories about the thing you do. Hopefully, you’re so passionate and excited about what you do that you are animated and engaging when you share your work. Best case, your enthusiasm is catching, inspiring people to join your conversation, get involved with your project, or buy something.

But, what happens when you’re feeling a little burnt out?

Even if you love your work and your business, there will be times when you just can’t muster your usual zeal. Sometimes it’s just a day, but other times that day stretches into a week, or a month, or a quarter. The day-to-day grind gets to you, or business is so good that you’re totally overwhelmed with putting out fires, or maybe you’re up against a new (and daunting) competitor and the fight is taking the wind out of your sails (and your sales).

Whatever the case, we all hit the marketing wall now and again. The honeymoon is over and there’s nothing left to say. Ideas for blog posts dry up. Tweets lack wit. The sales pitch feels hollow. It’s times like these when you might start to doubt yourself. You might start to question your skills, your purpose, even your right to be here.

Don’t worry. This isn’t the end.

You put a lot of energy into your business and your work. You invest your time, your creativity, and your patience. It’s no wonder that every once in a while you’re going to run out of steam. Give yourself a break. Ditch the guilt of “should,” and instead find a way to rekindle the romance:

Step 1: Plan for rainy days with a highlight reel.

Whenever someone sends you a thank you note, gushes about something you did on Twitter, or gives you any other kind of moral support or accolade, save it! Whenever you have a particularly good day – you nailed a presentation or wrote a winning proposal or hit a homerun on the first try – make a note in a special “rock star moments” document. Then, when you feel like you’ve lost that lovin’ feeling, read through your “fan mail” and relive your professional “highs.” I promise you’ll feel better.

Step 2: Look from the outside in to gain perspective.

If you’re lacking inspiration, try reaching out to friends and colleagues for a pep talk. They can see your strengths and gifts more easily than you can. I bet they will be more than happy to point them out to you and remind you about just how fabulous you are.

Step 3: Revisit your “why.”

Finally, take a trip down memory lane. Think back and remember why you started doing what you do in the first place. There was passion there, right? You had purpose? You felt inspired? Go back to that point in time and recall exactly what motivated you. Explore your “origin story” – the story of how you began this journey.

All of this is just to help you stop taking yourself – and your work – for granted. What you do is important. It matters. Though it may seem old hat to you, though it may seem like something “anyone could do” or something that’s been done before, it’s not.

A marketing rut is nothing more than a loss of faith in your own value and uniqueness. To get out of it, all you need to do is recapture your enthusiasm and excitement. Once you do that, you’ll find you have plenty to share … and that’s really what marketing is all about.

So, stop taking yourself for granted and get out there and have some fun with your marketing.

The world is waiting to hear your story, go tell it.