The Hardest Part of Self-Marketing
I’ve been creating advertisements, campaigns, exhibitions, and articles for years, not including my thousands of school assignments in the editing and publishing program. And yet, despite hearing lecture after lecture and reading article after article on top marketing tips, best practices, trends, etc., writing and creating all this stuff, I still struggle with marketing myself and keeping up on all the different kinds of promotions going on… showing up on social media regularly. Honestly, who doesn’t sometimes?
My secret struggle is consistency. Last summer, during my internship with Pacific Seafood in Portland, Oregon, I was introduced to social media management platforms for the first time. Hootsuite was a huge component of my media planning and made it easier to do those bulk posts, scheduling them out, and then spending a week in deep work.
I’ve never been great at establishing and maintaining routines. Being able to step in and out as I need is enticing, but an account too long neglected means networking and connection opportunities are being lost. It’s hard to balance.
March was a fantastic month of content creation with relatively manageable work projects, school assignments, and life events. But this month, I’m starting a new job, graduating college, and for some reason decided to enter not one, not two, but three author challenges. None of them are going well.
Perhaps one of the elements working the most effectively against me is the sheer number of commitments. It’s often overwhelming to try and juggle so much at once.
With my undergrad program finally coming to a close, I’m excited to see how an increase of time and a narrowing of my focus will impact my productivity. The more time I have to write and create, the happier I am.
Consistency. Showing up. The hardest thing, especially when we’re pulled in a million different directions. We’re just human, not machines, and our bodies tell us when it’s time to slow down and reset. Especially when you’re providing such value to the world through the things you’re creating? It’s worth taking your time.
