It’s a few days before the end of they year, but there might be no better time for reflection. Personally, even though I’m very proud of what we’ve done in our first two years with RankHammer, I still want to push to be better than ever. To that end here are my 4 goals for 2014:
1. More Content Creation
The phrase that you are thinking of is “the cobbler’s kids have no shoes.” I’m a bit fanatical about the importance of great content, but when it comes time to produce it myself it’s often overlooked. It’s hard to be taken as seriously when you aren’t demonstrating what to do. I’m making the following commitment for 2014: One blog post per week and daily social media usage. It’s not lofty, but it’s important.
2. I will say “no”
One of the greatest motivations that I have is to solve problems. When people come to us with to us with one, my first inclination is to find a way to say yes. However, it isn’t always the right answer to help out all the time. When I get over-committed, something has to break. More often than not, that’s my sleep or my charitable efforts. When these go by the wayside, my happiness suffers. It’s a vicious cycle. I’m going to break this by saying no to projects that don’t fit with our resources or goals. It’s just part of getting smarter about business.
3. Break out of the search “bubble”
I’ve been very fortunate to have quite a number of opportunities to speak to in front of my peers and colleagues at a number of search events. We’re strong advocates of advancing our profession to the most cutting edge techniques we can find, from scripts and automation to demographic targeting in enhanced campaigns. Even so, I’d like to expand my repertoire of speaking to places outside our industry. I see search as a strategic medium that can lead to new ways of reaching consumers. The rapidity of search can bring entirely new opportunities to light and I want people that don’t have “search” in their title to see them.
4. Execute Better
Certianly, we perform quite well for our clients and get lots done. Even so, it’s always possible to do better here. I’ve sometimes been described as having a Montessori work culture. Things happen and are directed, but to an outsider it looks a bit chaotic. Having defined project plans makes everyone understand what’s going on better, from clients to our team.
That’s it for now. And these are posted publicly for the primary reason of having everyone hold me to them, from my friends to employees and clients. We’re very transparent here at RankHammer, right down to our business cards.