by Deborah Corn
Although June 21 is officially the first day of summer, I can already see the activity on social media, especially in my LinkedIn group, beginning its annual nosedive. Of all the seasons, summer is the one that truly tests my social patience and fortitude, and reminds me of the “if a tree falls in the forest and there is no one there to hear it, does it make a sound” quandary, though I apply it to blogging and sharing info. Being in the engagement biz during the summer, when so may are on vacation or at work wishing they weren’t, is definitely a character builder!
So what do I do with my “free” time? First I look at my procrastination pile, as if a miracle will inspire me to tackle it, and then I quickly abandon that idea. Some things need to marinate and I probably shouldn’t interfere. Next it’s off to YouTube where I can get lost in videos about rogue waves, sharks, and yes – bad kitties! After that, I sort of stare at my computer screen and wonder what to do with the rest of day, and how to be productive in some manner.
My situation is probably different than most of yours since I work at home and I don’t have to make myself look busy if I am not. But just in case you need some inspiration, here are a few suggestions if you have some downtime:
#PrintChat! Every Wednesday at 4PM ET on Twitter. PMC’s weekly chat brings the best and brightest from the print and integrated marketing community together to share ideas, knowledge, and experience. It’s hosted by me, moderated by Sandy Hubbard, and is always fun and informative. All #PrintChat info can be found here – and whether you watch or jump right in, you really should check it out. We recently had a chat on “Surviving The Summer Slump” that you can find along with many others in the chat archives. The archived chat posts also include the questions asked during the chat, chat stats and links to the chat replays.
Webinars! Summer is the perfect time to register AND attend some great programming that’s is available to us – FREE of charge! PMC has a global events listing site that is FREE for anyone to share their Webinar (and event) information, and the trade pubs, industry orgs, OEM’s and paper companies are also great resources for Webinars. Join their mailing lists and follow them on social to get info and updates.
UPDATE! Your resume, your company profiles, your website, your LinkedIn information, your social media bio’s, your social media art and so on. Anything and everything that is updateable can use a little refreshing now and then. This might be on your procrastination list, but move it to the top and get it done before September.
Network! The herd has thinned and it’s a great time to stand out with great content and make new connections while helping others productively pass the time. Keep it light and summery, filled with hope and inspiration. No one wants to hear gloom and doom on a sunny day, or post after post about you. Find creative ways to combine summer into your content… like 31 pantone colors representing 31 ice cream flavors included in a post about color management.
Target! When I’m not staring at YouTube or my computer screen, I use my summer downtime to scan the social channels and see which companies are most aligned to work with PMC. It’s a perfect time to read blogs and get familiar with the company voice and information being communicated. I can then create partnership proposals to help companies amplify their messages and show I understand it. The trick here is knowing when to strike i.e. are the key decision makers making key decisions during the summer? Sometimes it depends on when their fiscal year starts. All things you have time to figure out now – so do it!
Lobby! With GRAPH EXPO and the fall trade show season approaching, start laying the groundwork to attend something this year! Do some research and put together a calendar of everything you want to attend, include costs, and present it formally. Include event recap and follow-up information for the company in your proposal. It’s a bigger picture benefit for the company to share what you have seen and learned.
What do you do with your summer downtime? Let me know and I’ll create another post with your ideas to share, and include your contact info! Think of it as a Summer Bonus!
Deborah Corn is the Intergalactic Ambassador to The Printerverse at PrintMediaCentr, a Print Buyerologist™, Integrated Marketer, Industry Speaker and Blogger, Cultivator of the Print Production Professionals Group on LinkedIn, and host of the weekly industry #PrintChat on Twitter. She has more than 25 years experience working in advertising and marketing, and currently works behind the scenes with printers, suppliers and industry organizations helping with their cross media and social media marketing endeavors.
One Response
I’ve also found that #PrintChat is a great way to speak with other people in the print industry and to stay on top of everything that is happening in the business. Reading and starting discussions on blogs is another great way of staying involved and helps to keep the learning process going. Thank you, Deborah!