I believe in “failing forward” and learning from what worked (and what doesn’t).  I start 2010 more connected to my strengths, weaknesses, wants and needs.  This is good for me and REALLY good for the advice I will be sharing with you this year and beyond.

I am The Marketing Therapist for Web Marketing Therapy clients, my students and my team, but as I was taking care of everybody else, I realized that forgot to take care of someone else – Me.

Marketing Advice:
Our personal and professional lives blend.  I don’t care how touchy-feely you are, whether you like it or not, the two go hand in hand.  When your personal life is strong, it helps your professional life and vise-versa.  My core was very unstable last year and it took some serious time off (and unplugging from the computer and phone) to help me see that.

A Healthy New Year’s Resolution:

My 2010 theme is all about “life feng-shui”.  I am in the process of “feng-shui-ing” my personal and professional life to clear space to focus on meaningful work and relationships.  We need space to think, be creative, reflect and take care of ourselves.  If we do not take care of ourselves, we cannot be as helpful and present to help others.  Mother Teresa said that we “take care of ourselves, our family, our community and the world”  Note the order of who we have to care for!  Change begins with us.  We need to work inward before we work outward.

What This Has To Do with Marketing:
I am sharing all of this because as a web marketing speaker, the marketing therapist, teacher and CEO of our web marketing agency, I think it is un-authentic to pretend that I am perfect.  I’m not perfect. I am, however, committed to taking responsibility for my actions and learning and growing and SHARING my experiences to help others.  Marketing is about building relationships and web marketing supports our ability to create awareness, distribute information, create connections, offer good customer service and sell our products/services.

I am being 100% real.  In order to help you, my biggest credentials come from being able to identify with my target audience.  I am my target market, as real as they come!

When people ask about my credentials, I used to talk about my Masters degree, experience working for large corporations, my awards and agency successes, but lately, I hear myself getting to my core when I talk to people.   I tell people when I speak at conferences, client consultations and workshops that I am a small business owner, entrepreneur and marketing professional.  I work in the trenches and I practice what I preach.  I have good days and bad days and I learn and grow every day.  Like you, I make mistakes and I have great successes – ALL of what I learn can help me be the best service to you and my being “unperfect” as I learn on myself, allows me to be a powerful marketer.

Your First Dose of Marketing Therapy for 2010:
KNOW YOUR WORTH.

According to the Free Dictionary, the definition of worth is:

worth ¹

Web Marketing Therapy’s Wild Web Women serve as a virtual community for women looking to communicate, collaborate and connect with other women who work the social web!

In February, Web Marketing Therapy’s Wild Web Women compiled a list of Top Marketing Man Crushes (e.g. Guy Kawasaki and David Meerman Scott) to pay a Valentine’s tribute to the men in marketing who provided inspiration and paved the way for Web marketers everywhere to find success. Overwhelmed with the responses from their Top Marketing Man Crushes poll, the Wild Web Women received feedback wanting to honor and acknowledge an elite group of Web professionals: WOMEN! After surveying the Wild Web Women LinkedIn Group, Web Marketing Therapy has complied a list of Top Women in Marketing and Social Media and are asking social media enthusiasts to vote for the smartest, most creative, insightful, charismatic, and innovative women on the Web today.

A recent study by BlogHer, iVillage and Compass Partners found that 53% of the 79 million adult women in the United States who use the Internet participate in social media at least weekly. “With women being such a driving force on the social web, we want to recognize these leading women of the web, as they deserve their fair mention,” said Lorrie Thomas, founder of Web Marketing Therapy and the Wild Web Women team. “By supporting and empowering our fellow Wild Web Women, we thrive together!”

See below for the Wild Web Women’s Top Social Media and Marketing Girl Crushes and vote now at http://www.squidoo.com/Top_Marketing_Women_Social_Media.

• Arianna Huffington: Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Huffington Post
• Miley Cyrus: The Twitter Quitter
• Lisa Stone: Writer, Blog Advocate and Co-Founder of Blogher.com
• Ann Handley: Blogger & Chief Content Officer of MarketingProfs.com
• Susan Boyle: The Internet Sensation Who Dreamed a Dream
• Susan Bratton: Speaker, Media Guru, Co-Founder/CEO of Personal Life Media, Inc
• Mari Smith: Social Media Keynote Speaker, Relationship Marketing Specialist, The “Pied Piper of Facebook”
• Charlene Li: Author, Speaker & Founder of Altimeter Group
• Karen Rubin: Blogger, Co-Host of HubSpot TV & Project Owner at HubSpot
• Heather B. Armstrong: Writer, Photographer, Founder of Dooce, Favorite Stay at Home Mom (SAHM) in the Blogophere

Note: “Marketing Girl Crush” is a term that refers to that fervent infatuation that a web woman develops for another web woman who may seem impossibly sophisticated, gifted, beautiful or accomplished.

For more information, view our press release, Web Marketing Therapy’s Wild Web Women Honor the Top Women in Social Media For Their Marketing Leadership, Innovation and Inspiration.

Need support? You've come to the right place!

As we were driving to my in-laws house for Thanksgiving, my son was peacefully asleep in the back seat, with his head resting on his favorite new thing…his teddy bear. According to the parenting magazines I pour over, this is a GREAT sign…a sign of independence! It signifies a step forward, but the bear provides security that is there anytime he wants it.

I couldn’t help but think about Web Marketing Therapy, it is very much like a teddy bear! You might be in the very early stages of launching a web page, much like my son is in the early stages of independence. As you learn the ropes and test the waters, it is always good to know that there is someone to offer support, comfort or just a shoulder to rest your head on…that is where Web Marketing Therapy comes in! You can come here anytime for advice, support, guidance and maybe even a good laugh! We are always here for you as you learn, live, experience and grow! Hopefully the stories we tell will guide you through the Wild Web and help you achieve your marketing goals!

Happy Turkey Day!