Do you ever fear falling behind in your marketing knowledge? I know I do, especially as the rate of change continues to accelerate. It feels like there is a new ad platform or trend that pops up every day. How do you stay ahead and continue to be a marketing thought leader throughout your career? I recently shared the system I use during my presentation at the AMA Marketing Tech Summit at UC Irvine.

P.L.A.N. Repeat is the nickname of the system I created to stay on top of marketing trends and become a marketing thought leader.

•  Prepare – List out your short and long term goals.
•  Learn – Stay up-to-date on the latest trends and tools.
•  Advertise – Broadcast your knowledge and others too.
•  Network – Become part of the community.
  
•  Repeat – Continue to set goals and deadlines.

Throughout my career, I have reserved at least one a day month to update my portfolio and reflect on what I learned during the previous 30 days. One of my New Year resolutions was to double-down on learning and participate more in the Orange County marketing community. I have been attending at least two marketing events a month, hosting a podcast, and taking classes through LinkedIn and other learning platforms. Having a plan in place and making space for continued learning is critical. I can’t stress enough the importance of setting calendar reminders to conduct weekly or even monthly accountability check-ins.

Below are all of the slides that I shared during my presentation that describe the system in more detail. I also cover my specific goals and how I am putting my system to the test.

Now it’s your turn to tell me how I can improve my system. How do you learn? How are you sharing your knowledge and connecting with others? Please leave your ideas in the comments.