“If you think of something, do it. Plenty of people often think, “I’d like to do this, or that.” – Lydia Davis
For the month of December 2019, I have been teaching myself both MailChimp and Facebook Ads Manager. Simultaneously I have written and published an eBook about marketing. I used my newly improved skills to market the eBook. This post is about what I did and what I learned!
Weekly Updates
What I Have Learned
- MailChimp
- How to publish an eBook
- What makes good copy
- Facebook Ads Manager
- How to analyze Facebook ads
- Email Etiquette
- Documenting
What I Have Accomplished In A Month
- Taught myself how to use MailChimp
- Sent out four email campaigns and social posts
- Taught myself Facebook Ads Manager
- Successfully uploaded/analyzed an ad
- Researched, wrote, published and sold an eBook
- Improved my email communication skills
- Learned about marketing copy/campaigns
The Root Of My Interest
I have always been intrigued by the world of marketing. It is such a beautiful blend of different skills, but when it came to picking my project I was actually all over the place. I had ideas in almost every role possible.
The main goal of publishing this eBook was not to sell the eBook. Would it be nice? Yes. It is not what drew me to it though. I picked creating an eBook and learning MailChimp ad Facebook ads because it seemed like such a harmonious blend of skills that I wanted to improve on and what I wanted to learn. It wasn’t too easy, I created a timeline that was realistic, and it challenged me all at once. I am not one to turn down a good challenge.
This challenge piqued my interest in a way that both added some good skills to my tech stack and if I’m being honest it just seemed fun. I have always loved writing, even with high school and college trying to chop that passion down like a tree, it stayed strong throughout. My recent project of writing a blog post every day for a month helped this interest to spark up and lit a fire that is continuing to burn.
Challenges I Faced
Throughout the month there were times where I was tempted to slack off. I implemented these techniques into my daily life to make sure I stayed on track.
My eBook originally was focused around different CMOs, their outlook on different campaigns, their thoughts on marketing, etc. Unfortunately, a big challenge that I was a bit blind to at first was the fact that it is the peak season for everyone big or small.
This made getting a response in general almost impossible, luckily I had a backup plan and just shifted the focus of my book. I did end up landing one interview though which was a really nice cherry on top.
Another challenge that I faced, was figuring out the optimal way to document my creative process. I know that I missed a lot of good opportunities at the beginning just because I was not thinking about documenting it. I was thinking about getting it done.
What I Would’ve Done Different
I would have spent less time concentrating on landing an interview and more on consuming information about marketing on my own. I accidentally wasted a good chunk of time focusing on not the wrong thing but just not the most beneficial.
What’s Next
I am now approaching the placement module of Praxis. I am planning on continuing to post everyday. As of now I am not locked into one place or role just yet and am open to any and all opportunities that come my way.
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