Current Top Tools & Yours or Theirs? [M&M #019]
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Marketing
🛠 Current Top Tools
In the real world we use real physical tools to build things.
In the digital world of marketing, we use digital tools to market things.
Fascinating right?!
Here are a few current tools that I'm using on a weekly basis to run my one person biz. These relate more to the marketing-side of things.
Active Campaign
This is my all-in-one Email/Automation/CRM powerhouse.
Every email you receive is being built, scheduled, and sent through Active Campaign. And all submission forms on my website were built in AC before embedding in my squarespace site.
What I love: The automation and CRM features really help me keep all my customer journeys and contacts sorted so that things don't fall through the cracks. Peace of mind + massive time-saver.
What I don't like: Funny enough as an email marketer... The email builder feels clunky and occasionally goes haywire when trying to format certain elements in an email. But given that they're constantly improving the platform, I'm hopeful that it'll sort itself out soon.
Pricing: I use the Plus Plan @ $50/mo - great value for all the tools and features inside.
Publer
Looking for a good social media scheduling app? Publer has been great as a one-stop-shop for all of my social media posting needs. I like that I can load in one content piece and change the captions and hashtags for each individual social platform. Plus it works with basically every social media channel you use. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, Youtube, LinkedIn etc...
What I love: The hashtag strategy AI and the fact that I can add an additional top comment and even set a delay for when that comment appears (I do this on linkedIn a lot).
What I don't like: Sometimes your scheduled post won't go live when it's supposed to. Defeats the purpose at times, but it happens so rarely that I chalk it up to user error.
Pricing: I pay $22/mo for their business plan, but you can actually do a lot for free which is what I did for a while.
Hypefury
This is my new favorite tool for all things twitter.
In fact, I open up this app more than do Twitter itself! I'm rather new to this tool, but it's designed specifically to help you grow and network at a rapid pace. They've added features to make super useful for LinkedIn and Instagram too. It is hands down the best tool for anyone using Twitter or Linkedin in their marketing efforts. So much so, that I may even drop Publer and use this exclusively - I highly suggest this one.
What I love: The engagement builder feature makes joining the conversation of top accounts frictionless. And the Auto-tweet, IG tweetshot, and Auto-plug features are an absolute game-changer.
What I don't like: I'd prefer to not pay so much to unlock all the best features, and sometimes the auto-plug settings get moved and I have to reset them. But like I said, I'm new and still learning it.
Pricing: I'm paying $50/mo for their Premium plan, but like a lot of these tools, you can get good use out of it for free.
There are so many options out there whether it be for social media, strategy, content development or editing, ads, analytics, etc...
Tip: Leverage free trials if available, and start with a monthly paid plan before committing to the annual plan. Annual plans usually save you money in the long run but will cost more up front. Keep your upfront cost low until you know that you're gonna keep using the tool, then save money longterm by switching to annual plans.
Don't let the process of picking 'the right' tool consume you.
Go with what makes the most sense at the time and get started.
There are way more important things to spend your time on.
*links above are affiliate links
Mindset
💭 Yours or Theirs?
In light of feeling massive overwhelm the past few months,
I had this realization the other day that I may be making it worse without even realizing it...
For the past several years I've been patting myself on the back for filling my social feeds with content on entrepreneurship, marketing, building businesses, and building wealth. I guess I had a chip on my shoulder 'cause I thought this was how successful people operate - they surround themselves with stories and information that push them forward on their desired path.
Until I had an epiphany this past week...
Some of my overwhelming feelings are stemming from the media I consume even though it's not garbage content that de-motivates you.
In one word - Comparison.
In another word - Contentment.
The comparison trap is common in young women never feeling pretty enough, or young men never feeling manly enough. When you see IG feeds full of hot chicks and strong dudes for example, it's nearly impossible for it not to manipulate how you see yourself.
I've fallen victim to this exact thing.
But for me it's been wealth, career, and lifestyle.
I'm opening up and sharing my vulnerabilities because this contentment crisis is at an all-time high for many of us, not just me.
I thought the 'good' content was good for me...
Believe it or not, water can kill you.
And as the saying goes, "Too much of anything is too much."
With the topic of comparison and contentment on our minds, let's round the corner to get to my second "aha!" moment that's worth sharing.
If you've been following me for any length of time, you've likely picked up on the fact that I am a man with many questions. Here's another...
Is what you're chasing after, your dream?Or someone else's?
Similar to how some parents push their kids into careers that they don't want to pursue, I believe my overconsumption of biz and wealth content has imprinted this career/life path onto my psyche as a distorted version of the life I truly crave.
Read that overtly long sentence again.
To make matters worse... In some sense I've lost sight of what I want out of life. This form of identity crisis is very real and can be very scary.
Is my tenacious work ethic (not a compliment in this case) hurting my marriage?
Are all these projects (M&M included) pulling me away from quality time with my 2 little kids?
Is saying yes to all these opportunities sabotaging the chance to dial in expertise and specialties?
Yes. Yes. and Yes.
Am I too far gone? Is it too late?
Hell No. Not even close.
Yet, whether I learn and adapt from these realizations or not, my kids will quickly grow up and those opportunities to hold my child before bedtime, play in the sandbox, or share a dinner on a random Tuesday will indeed vanish.
Time treats us all the same - the ultimate blessing and the ultimate curse.
It becomes whatever you allow it to be.
I’ve been trying to figure out what I really want - who I really want to become.
Even at 31 years old, I'm still sorting this out.
And that's okay.
So if you're questioning yourself or what's next...
It's okay!
We're all in the process of growing into our next best version of ourselves. Take it in stride as best you can.
My Actions Moving Forward:
Limit my consumption of career-related media
Create more space to think creatively and critically with limited influence from the outside
Ease-off the career throttle without losing ambition (how? Not sure yet... but I believe there's a lot to be gained)
For You:
Take a pause, Do you recognize a similar struggle in you? Know that you're not alone.
Is what you're chasing after your dream or their's?
Are you content? If so, how so? What helps you stay grounded? If not, why?
