Good morning and welcome to the Monday morning marketing podcast. I'm Esther
and I'm Melanie.
And today we're talking about what we learned in 2020. But first, here's a note from our sponsor. We know how hard it is to juggle all the things in your business accounts, meetings, never ending inbox. That's why we've teamed up with Agorapulse to give you more than five hours back a week when it comes to managing your social media marketing, no complicated Excel docs, long emails or millions of open tabs to manage all your social media channels in one place, go to www.agorapulse.com/monday morning marketing to get one month free. Now all you have to do is figure out how you want to spend those spare five hours
and it's probably trying to work out what the hell happened this year
It is, like what? OK, so at the time of this recording we are at the end of 2020 and it has been a roller coaster. So Melanie and I started the podcast in January this year. All hopes and expectations of a brand new year, brand new decade, brand new everything. And then March came. We all know what happened in March.
Yes, the covid pandemic began. And it's like something we've never experienced in our lives before. We certainly didn't know what sort of impact, if any, would have on our businesses. And like many businesses out there, home and business life were impacted equally, especially with our children. And, you know, we're both parents. We're very fortunate to be parents. And it was quite a setback. That certainly was for me since my business. Yeah. And like Melanie says, some businesses have, you know, thrived during this pandemic. Others have suffered. But we all have some horror stories to tell, whether it's good stories, bad stories there. Everybody has something that went wrong. So whether it's been not being able to visit your family, not being able to go on that foreign holiday that you'd planned for the last X number of years, everybody has been impacted. And it's, you know, rich, poor in between. We're all in it together. So we can't really, you know, complain too much. But we have seen a lot of people pivot. Now, that word, I don't think it's been used as much any other year.
It's not just pivoting, though, is it? Because this is something I've been having out with a couple of people recently. Not everybody's had to pivot. Some people have just had to change their messaging. And now, although I said I personally had quite a setback in March, I was able to bounce back because I changed my messaging, not because I pivoted. I was already doing what I'm doing now, you know, December 2020 But I just changed my message. And I think a lot of other people have understood that by just changing their messaging and emphasising another side of the service or products that they already have.
Yes,
it could appeal again in a different way.
Yeah. And we've noticed, like, there's been an uptick. OK, so here at IPA Group, we have offices in Mexico as well as in the UK and Ireland, and we've noticed that our Mexico office went downhill like loads. But are you can Ireland office has just gone from strength to strength. So am it's it all depends too, where you are in the world and how it's been affected as well. But that's enough about the depressing stuff. OK, so we're you know, we're coming to the end of the year. We're coming to, you know, new hopes and expectations, Melanie asked me before and this before we started recording if we should talk about our goals.
Yeah, we decided not to.
We decided not to because one, I can't remember what my goals were for 2020. But come March, they all went out the window. I mean, I have a lovely wall calendar on my wall. There's nothing on it because there were no events, there were no in-person events, there were loads of online events and we were fortunate enough to take part in a few weren't, Melanie?
Yes, we've been very lucky actually. Yeah. I had a vision board, Samantha's pet favourite thing today, Samantha Kelly. This is a tweeting Goddess and she's been doing vision boards for years. So I thought, heck, I'm going to do it. I this is my second vision board and it was completely ripped to shreds by the end of March. And so, you know, we've all had goals and areas that we wanted to achieve. I mean, hasn't all been bad?
No,
I've achieved one of my goals finally in, you know, four couldn't beat and join him. So I'm now working with the local enterprise office over here in Ireland. And that was something I always wanted to do when I was set on on my business. Um, and, you know. I've had opportunities to speak some amazing people through our podcast and through the Irish Tech News podcast as well, people I would never ordinarily get the chance to speak to.
Yeah, we've been really lucky with our guests have been amazing and a big shout out to them all for coming on it. We also discussed whether we should name them all, but it would take us about ten minutes. So you can you can just go back through the podcast episodes and listen and you might even want to vote for your favourite one.
But it's not fair because Barbara Roberts has been on far too many times. She'd been on twice. Yeah, but yeah, once too many.
Just joking, Barbara, if you're listening, we love you. And if you're not listening too bad, you should, you should be. But yeah, one of the main things that I've that we've learnt this year is definitely community. Community is key, whether it's your local community, your local town, your small town, your small businesses, you know, helping each other out, helping out your local elderly neighbours. It's all part of it, but community doesn't have to just be local, it can be online, it can be international. Just a few weeks ago, I spoke at an online event in America because of the community that I had built in USA based party Twitter chat. And, you know, it's tough to know just how small the world is is a very humbling thought as well.
I mean, we've been both been given opportunities to moderates and speak at various events. I was fortunate enough to speak at Data Natives because of my relationship with other journalists and they thought of me. So thank you very much for that. That was quite an opportunity. And I was also a moderator at the USA Biz Party. And I got a question that was a bit of a mess, wasn't it?
Well, it's a it's another thing that we learn from. Another thing that I learnt is that I will have to go live in 2021. But that's to come. That's to come. We're learning what we learnt. We're talking about what we learnt actually in 2020. And community, like I said, is really important. And Melanie and I are both part of a number of communities, a number of the same communities. So we're in women's inspire network here in Ireland, which is also a global network and digital women. And Lucy was on just recently talking about digital women over in England, but again, with worldwide reach and in those communities and there are just so many. So get into a community . If you're not already a part of an online community, get involved because, yes, you do get zoomed out. You can have that zoom fatigue. But there are also fun Zoom's that you can join and have a laugh. Have a quiz. Have a drink.
Well, I've been able to take part in several networks this year between what's what.ie who've been doing online things as well, and networking and foreign, which is mainly a British, but they started up a U.K. and Irish network this year, of which I'm now a part of. And, you know, that's been really challenging and really interesting new network that I've been working with as well. But this is being open to collaborate as well. And, you know, I've since working with Esther, it's actually been a two way thing. I've given her my website and then she's let me mock her.
That's the best sort of collaboration relationship you could ask for. But it is important, you know, everybody has a business to grow, but if we all work together, we can all help to grow each other's businesses. So there's no need for competition. There are so many people that need you, but they might also need your competitor. So get together and join forces and see how you can work together in different areas and. Another thing that we were saying is, yeah, good, a good tip would be don't plan too far ahead. OK, so we had a lot up on the podcast recently and she was saying that when she first started her business, somebody had said, OK, make a year's worth of e-mail content. Well, that would have just gone down the drain, you know, yes, it's important to plan and think, you know, in 12 months, what do I want to have achieved and then break it down into smaller goals. But if your pathway to those goals changes, roll with it because you can't you can't modify what's going on in the world at the minute. So we just have to roll with it.
And, you know, we've all learnt that being authentic and working from home has been not the largest stumbling block in the world, you know, so it's become quite normal.
Yeah. Yeah.
And I've also learnt audacity and but that was because I also had a bit of guidance from a certain person who's never been mentioned on this podcast.
I think this is episode I want to say episode 52. Yeah. So we've had a year of our podcast and one of the silent partners in the background is actually Aaron Ocampo, my husband, who helps us do all the editing and has been a real help with getting on that part of the tech, done this
incredibly tolerant
he is because Melanie and I like to talk and then we just say, here it is, do what you need to do. And he was the one to find the music and he was the one that gets it all together so that it gets out on time, usually on a Monday morning. And it's just having that support has been great as well. So thank you to everybody who has been a part of this year and not just within the Monday morning marketing podcast, but also outside of the Monday morning marketing podcast. So when their own businesses and Stomp in IPA group and we couldn't have done the last few months without our fabulous sponsors Agorpulse and their merch and were nice and toasty warm because of their off their jackets. But it's been a roller coaster is the way that I would explain 20-20.
And I honestly think without all of your support and the messages you've been sending us and, you know, we've really enjoyed your feedback and, you know, seeing your downloads, it really it's it's been a joy to know that we've had an impact in your lives. And we really hope you can join us in our journey for 2021 as well.
Yes, have a great end of year, guys. And if you're listening to this in 2021. Happy New Year.