4 Ways to Hold Yourself Accountable

by Apr 25, 2013Blog, Content | Social Media | Email, Marketing

Woman being held accountable

You mean to do all that marketing stuff–the blogs, the Facebook updates, the PPC, all of it. You mean to get those new brochures written and you’ve absolutely got to get an email marketing program going. But then an upset client calls and you get sick and the loan doesn’t come through and it falls through the cracks, and because it hasn’t happened yet, there’s no one to make sure it will happen.

 

If you know the things you need to do in your business but are struggling to make sure they get done, here’s how to make sure you’re being held accountable for getting stuff done:

 

1. Get a buddy. The simplest way is to find a friend (someone outside your organization–an impartial observer) to remind you. This person doesn’t have to be an irritating git, they just have to send the occasional email or pick up the phone and say, “Hey, did you write that blog post? How’s that email list building going?” Just knowing someone is going to ask about your activities makes you more likely to get it done.

 

2. Make a date with yourself. Put an event on your calendar in big fat letters. Hold this event sacred. Nothing short of a fire will keep you from taking the time to complete whatever marketing task you need to do that day. Treat your marketing as a client, treat it like it’s important, and it’ll get done.

 

3. Publish your schedule. Maybe it’s a note in the sidebar of your blog that you update every Tuesday and Thursday. Maybe it’s telling customers that you have a weekly newsletter. When you let people know when they can expect certain things, you get them into habits. They’ll start checking the website and their inbox, and when you miss a deadline, people aren’t shy about letting you know. Let everyone hold you accountable.

 

4. Hire someone.  We work with clients who are bright, talented  but incredibly busy people.  They want to do the legwork themselves but needed help making sure it gets done. To help them, I put notifications on my calendar that literally say things like, “Nag John re Blog Posts.” When I meet with them, we take the time to set due dates for every marketing activity they’re working on. I send them the notes and then bug them–politely and nicely, of course–until it’s done and they send it to me for editing and feedback. Sure, we do other things like monthly strategy meetings, but mostly it’s about empowering and supporting people.

 

Everyone works differently. Some people just need a little external prodding to make sure the important things on your list gets done. How do you keep yourself accountable?