Stop making excuses and start acting NOW! Know more about this "Marvel's" efficiency-related marketing hacks!

Monday: MicroBusiness and Marketing Marvels FROM THE DESK OF MILES EVERSON: Happy Monday! Let’s start the day with a dose of motivation from our “Marketing Marvels”—outstanding people in the business and marketing industries. Every Monday, we talk about these professionals because it’s good to start the week with encouragement from their insights, experiences, and contributions. Today, let’s focus on the life and contributions of an amazing entrepreneur, angel investor, author, podcaster, and lifestyle guru. Interested to know more about who this article features? CEO, MBO Partners Chairman of the Advisory Board, The I Institute

Stop making excuses and start acting NOW! Know more about this "Marvel's" efficiency-related marketing hacks! Tim Ferriss: Entrepreneur, angel investor, author, podcaster, and lifestyle guru “Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.” - William Penn, an English writer and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania in the U.S. Some people complain about not having enough time to do all they have to do. However, if you look at their lifestyles or schedules for a day, you’ll see that a huge chunk of their time is spent on procrastinating. They only start working when the day is about to end—hence, the complaint that they don’t have enough time. Here’s the thing: Everyone actually has enough time in their daily schedules. It’s just a matter of managing it effectively and prioritizing tasks accordingly. In fact, one industry expert has written a book to address this concern—particularly among workers. His productivity hacks put time management excuses to shame, and his lessons are applicable for anyone in the business sector. The name of this person? Tim Ferriss! Ferriss is an American entrepreneur, angel investor, author, podcaster, and lifestyle guru. He has been listed as one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Business People” and one of Fortune’s “40 Under 40.” [Angel Investor: An individual who provides capital for a start-up business, usually in exchange for convertible debt or ownership equity.] As an author, he has published several New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers, such as: The “4-Hour” self-help book series The 4-Hour Work Week The 4-Hour Body The 4-Hour Chef Tools of Titans Tribe of Mentors Most of his works focus on lifestyle optimization, especially when incorporated in the world of work. Mastering Time Management and Efficiency at Work As a bestselling author, podcaster, entrepreneur, time management expert, and marketing genius, Ferriss has built a successful blog with over 1 million monthly visitors and a podcast with more than 400 million downloads. He has helped millions of people through his content and established a strong community of followers! There’s even a phrase called the “Tim Ferriss effect,” which describes his ability to sell any product he recommends. What are some of Ferriss’ marketing and efficiency-related lessons that you can apply in your own career or business? Test everything. Ferriss says if there’s anything he has learned in his career over the years, it’s to test everything. For example: When thinking of his title for his first book, “The 4-Hour Work Week,” he tested different options with Google AdWords to see which title would get the highest click-through rate. Then, in preparation for the promotion of the book, Ferriss interviewed several bestselling authors to identify the top activities he could do to make the book a success. He eliminated book tours and signings. Instead, he tested a new strategy for promoting his published work, which was building relationships with bloggers and getting them to write about the book. What does this teach you as an industry professional? When promoting your brand’s products or services, don’t assume you already have all the answers—test your assumptions. This will help you identify the ad that works best for your brand, or the product feature that your target market prefers. Besides, testing your assumptions aids in efficiency. You eliminate back-and-forths because you already know which method/strategy works best for your business before actually marketing your offerings. Great products create long-term word-of-mouth marketing. According to Ferriss, nothing beats having a great product combined with great marketing. Some people do one or the other, thinking their amazing product will sell itself or their excellent marketing skill will make up for a low-quality product. However, that shouldn’t be the mindset. As Ferris said, having both—great product and great marketing—should be the goal. In his words: “Clever marketing and PR stunts can get customers… but only for so long. It’s the product that will create long-term word-of-mouth and the grounds well needed for a global phenomenon.” Remember your “NOT to-do list.” Who says a to-do list is the only important list you should have as an industry professional? According to Ferriss, you should also have your own NOT to-do list. This tool will help you focus on the right things in your business/career and personal life. Here are some of the not to-dos Ferriss recommends: Do not email first thing in the morning or last thing at night. Do not agree to calls/meetings with no clear agenda. Do not over-communicate with low-profit, high-maintenance customers. Do not work more hours in a day just to reduce the overwhelming volume of tasks—learn to prioritize. Ferriss says there are lots of things you can do in your work life and personal life, so creating your NOT to-do list combined with “ruthless prioritization” will help you classify the ones you should be doing right now, the ones you should be doing later, and the ones you shouldn’t be doing at all. The result? Better usage of time, and more productivity and efficiency throughout the day! As one of the most innovative people in the business industry, Ferriss doesn’t only work hard; he also works smart because he believes taking action with maximum efficiency—across countless, different activities—is unrivaled. For him, it is possible to work LESS and simultaneously earn MORE. He states there’s no need to work yourself to the bone until you retire at the age of 65. You can have the dream life, dream career, or dream business you want NOW. The first step you need to do? Stop procrastinating and making excuses, and start acting on your goals! Ferriss says time does an incredible job of providing resources that eliminate excuses… and if you want to accomplish something in your business, career, or personal life, there is ALWAYS a way to get it done. Take note of Ferriss’ time management- and efficiency-related marketing tips! By applying these in your own business strategies, you’ll be one step closer to living a more fulfilling life and running a more efficient enterprise. It’s time to get into the “Tim Ferriss effect!” Hope you’ve found this week’s insights interesting and helpful. Follow us on LinkedIn.     Stay tuned for next Monday’s Marketing Marvels! Copywriting or content writing sounds easy until you’re actually the one doing it. Learn more about Eugene Schwartz on next week’s Marketing Marvels!