Five Reasons You’re Reading Marketing Blogs the Day After Christmas

Christmas is over. How did this year fly by so quickly? And, what are you doing reading this blog on December 26?! Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy you’re here, but the fact that you’re reading it leads me to several possible conclusions…

You needed some alone time.

Everyone appreciates the holidays and family time, but it can also be a tad stressful. Catching a minute to yourself is important, so to help with this, we bring you our favorite marketing blogs that you may not know about:

The Content Marketing Institute Blog. This blog is great for helping us keep our eyes focused on the goal: creating engaging and valuable content for our customers. This blog offer a wealth of resources and information for developing content.

PsyBlog. How can you become a better marketer? By better understanding people and the choices they make. This site shares studies and research on how our minds work.

Fuel Your Creativity. We all have those moments when the creative juices just aren’t flowing. This site is filled with inspiration and examples to help you think in a different way.

You are looking for inspiration for a professional New Year’s resolution.

Most of us wait until the Christmas leftovers are gone and we’re back at work, but props to you for thinking about this today! Here are a few resolutions we like:

Peruse one industry leading blog a day. We all get caught up in our day-to-day tasks, but in this competitive and quickly changing environment, it’s important to know what is happening.

Talk to one new person a day. Whether it’s introducing yourself to a new neighbor or chiming in on a conversation online, you never know where this could lead.

Have lunch with one person a week that you want to stay in touch with. Resolve to reach and out grab lunch or coffee with one different person a week. At the end of 2013 you’ll have improved your relationship with 52 people!

You got a new [insert name of electronic device here] and you’re playing around on it.

While you’re getting yourself set up, check out these cool productivity apps and sites we love. May as well start off on an organized foot!

Evernote. Evernote helps you remember everything utilizing your computer, tablet or phone to save snippets, files, websites and anything you need. It organizes it into a user friendly and easy-to-find way.

Newsle. Newsle finds articles about and authored by people in your social network or people you’re interested in (celebrities, CEOs). The content that is delivered to you is relevant to your network, interests and industry.

TextGrabber + Translator. For iPhones and iPads, this app snaps a picture of any text, and you can edit, translate and save it. For example, if you see a recipe in a magazine, snap a photo and TextGrabber will turn it into editable text so you can add your own notes.

You’re actually working.

If you are the only one who didn’t take vacation day today, take advantage of the quiet time to really get some projects done.

Put your calendar in check. With 2012 winding down, if you haven’t put together your 2013 project/editorial calendar, now’s the time. Go through your calendar and note important dates for you and your organization.

Check in on what your competition is up to. While most of us do this regularly, every now and then time should be spent really diving in and checking out what’s going on in their world and what that means for your company.

Update your online brand identity. Is your LinkedIn profile up to date? Are there people you’ve been meaning to reach out to? Have you checked your Facebook privacy settings lately? Often times we stay on top of our company’s online identity, but not our own.

You’re really looking for ideas for your New Year’s Eve party but told everyone you’re “working.” (We won’t tell.)

Here’s a few of our favorite ideas for the big night:

For the families out there… Great idea from Real Dana: blow up balloons and put little notes inside for them to pop on the hour. It’s a fun way to count down the hours and have a full night of entertainment.

Start your food and beverage planning with this fun cheat sheet from ChickaBug based on the number of people attending.

Work on your decorations! I love the black and white theme and free printables from The TomKat Studio.

So tell us, why are you reading blogs on your holiday down time? No matter the reason you’re online today, we’re glad you stopped by. As you reflect back on 2012 and plan for 2013, we would love to continue being a resource to you. If you need more direct help, feel free to contact me at Fandom Marketing.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!