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Dear Reader,
How are you feeling these days?
I'll tell you...right now...my brain feels like it's swirling. (Which isn't unusual.)
AI is the buzzword we can't get away from.
And even I know it's not a buzzword...it's real, and we've each got to figure out where it fits in our world, whether we're CEOs, marketers, or creators.
I know it's coming at us hard, and I want to be in the group that knows it...and knows it well.
I can't help it, but the phrase that immediately pops into my head when I think of AI is...
Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.
AI can be a helpful thinking partner, but it can also feel threatening.
I think it's foolish for me to ignore this.
Creators like Justin Welsh and Jay Clouse are already thinking hard about it and what it means for their businesses. They're noting the importance of connection and community.
The question I keep asking myself with AI is..."
So, how can I stand out while continuing to embrace it?
If we're all using AI to some degree to get faster and make certain processes easier, what's my differentiator? What value do I bring to the table?
And I think it goes back to the essence of why I believe in building a personal brand so much.
People work and buy from people.
Personalities stand out in the sea of sameness.
Think about it.
When are you inspired?
When are you most pumped up?
It's when I'm working alongside someone where the chemistry is clicking.
Maybe they're on a similar path...
Have ideas they want to execute, just not sure how...
Or contemplating similar questions day in and day out, like me.
But whatever it is, there's an exchange happening, and we're both benefiting from it. Real joy is happening in the conversation.
And from what I can tell, AI still feels empty regarding that human connection.
So...this is where my summertime experiment comes into play.
I need to shift activities to focus more on deeper connections.
#1. The number of published LinkedIn posts/week
Currently, I've been posting for 6 days/week for a while now.
Every Friday and through the weekend I carve out time to make sure posts are written, edited, created, and scheduled for the week ahead.
And a lot goes into this.
Sure...others would say, "Have AI do it."
But it's not like AI is the total replacement. And for those of us who use it, we know that.
When prompted well, it can create a decent start. But I still edit. Still add. Still create an associated image with my branding. Or a video.
Then, once the week kicks off, I'll invest more time...
- Responding to those comments on my posts
- Trying to reciprocate and comment on others' posts
And what I'm noticing is I'm just not getting to the DMs as much as I would like.
So this cadence needs to decrease some.
And then there's this...
#2. The frequency of this newsletter
For over a year, I've been sending out a weekly newsletter, 73 total, including this one.
And I enjoy doing it.
But I do have to say that hearing Caleb Ralston on the Creator Science podcast say that he only sends out a newsletter when he has something important to say did make me reflect on mine.
Do I need to be sending this out weekly?
As you can imagine, time goes into curating this newsletter—hours that could perhaps be spent on other things, like focusing on DM conversations or off-platform calls.
When I take a look at my client roster, I see that clients have come from...
- LinkedIn
- Seeing me speak at events
- Referrals from other clients
And as a marketer, I know I can't immediately discount the effectiveness of how this newsletter may indirectly support some of those individuals who end up saying "yes" to working with me.
But at least currently, it's not an obvious tie.
So, I'm shifting to a bi-weekly vs. weekly schedule for the summer. This also allows me to breathe a little and be more present with my kids - the very reason I started doing this freelance thing in the first place:)
It's not going away. I'm just leaning into a cadence that will help me better reach my goals of connecting more one-on-one.
Final Thoughts
AI is here. It's been a strong player and will continue to be so.
And I acknowledge integrating it into my work.
Oddly enough, I have it to thank for pushing me to do what I think needs to happen next.
That's where my head is at for the summer:) Tell me...what are your plans?
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Talk soon,
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