Good morning.

Last week's e-newsletter included 7 action steps I encouraged you to do that day to get more involved in mobile and social media.

Today, at the suggestion of 60 Second Marketer member Hope Flammer (who is the CEO of VoiceQuilt), I'm going to provide 8 action steps to do before the beginning of 2011.

The first few are action steps for you personally. The last few are action steps for your business.

Here we go.

8 Things To Do Before 2011

1. Identify Your Calling: Oprah Winfrey was once asked how she knew she had selected the right career. She said, "Because, for me, being in front of a camera is as easy as breathing." Ask yourself -- Is your job as easy as breathing? Is most of what you do natural and effortless? Would you do what you're doing now for little or no pay? If not, what are you doing to move towards your calling?
2. Select Your 3 Words for 2011: I got this idea from Chris Brogan, who selects 3 words that he's going to focus on each year. My words for 2011 are Balance (because I have a tendency to work too much), Focus (because I'm easily distracted) and Connections (because one of my jobs is to connect people like you with the people at BKV Digital and Direct Response).
3. Take a Spin on the Wheel of Life: A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog post about The Wheel of Life. It was written to help people balance their personal lives with their corporate lives. The less balance, the bumpier the ride. The more balance, the smoother the ride. Take The Wheel of Life for a spin.
4. Think Backwards: My friend Jerry Brown came up with this term. It's designed to remind us that the starting point for any good marketing campaign is to get inside the mind of your customer. In other words, to think backwards. By looking at things from your customer's perspective, you can more easily identify what need you're fulfilling. So go ahead -- think backwards and get inside the mind of your customer.
5. Re-Define What it is You're Selling: If you own a restaurant, you might think you're selling food. But that's not correct. Because you're also selling escape, companionship and variety. Think about what the best-known brands in the world sell. Apple doesn't sell computers -- they sell cool. Porsche doesn't sell cars -- they sell sex appeal. Now, ask yourself what is it that you're really selling?
6. Identify 3 Key Buying Emotions of Your Customer: There are 13 primary emotional triggers that influence people to buy. What 3 are the key triggers for your customers? Read the highlighted article, then identify the 3 that are most important for your business. Follow that up by incorporating the emotional triggers into your ads, your press releases and your social/mobile campaigns.
7. Ask Yourself 20 Questions to Help You Differentiate Your Brand: There's a process you can go through to help you define where your company is and where it should go. If you read my 20 Questions post, you'll be well on your way towards identifying what it is that makes your product or service different.
8. Don't Look for Information. Instead, Look for Insight: The challenge for most people reading this e-newsletter isn't that they don't have enough information, it's that they have too much information. That's why we try to do more than just provide information -- we try to provide you actionable insights. If you like our action-oriented approach, why not sign up to receive our blog via email? The blog is different from this e-newsletter. And if you sign up, you'll get short, actionable tips 3 to 5 mornings a week.

You have a lot to do based on the list above. Get hoppin'!

Additional Posts from The 60 Second Marketer Blog:

• How to Add a QR Code Reader to Your Phone
  

• What is Behavioral Targeting?
  

• Is Mass Marketing Dead? Yes, According to Robert Clay