This time of year the web is overloaded with posts about resolutions, trends and goals. While I considered keeping quiet for a change and staying out of the fray, in the end I decided to continue my tradition of publishing #my3words.
My 3 words was started by Chris Brogan in 2006 to help people steer their decisions in the coming year. His 3 words for 2025 are Gambit, @Home, and Event. You can learn more about them and his approach on YouTube, which is a platform I might consider next year.
Before I share my 3 words for 2025, I wanted to look back at 2024. Last year my words were Focus, Create and Build. Similar to previous years, I was able to nail two of them. I definitely created new types of content and covered different topics. I also built Zinc Marketing by expanding the team and bring in some processes to better scale our ability to deliver client projects. However, I should have listened to Chris and not picked focus as now I see why it doesn’t work ;).
My 3 words for 2025
But, far more important than the recap of 2024 is what #my3words are for 2025 so here they are (a few days late)…
Help
In the past, I’ve selected the word Teach (twice, in fact, which is not a good thing) but I want to broaden that thinking to be more useful to more people. That’s why my first word is Help. This year I want to help as many people as possible do their marketing better and drive their business to be more successful.
I’m not talking only about Zinc Marketing clients, which is clearly my goal for all of them. I want to give back and help other companies with their marketing challenges where I can. In some cases, this may be a quick conversation at an event or a short call to discuss one key issue that you are simply not able to solve alone (more on this soon). In other cases, it may be something more formal that ends up with you becoming a client. The long and short of it is that I’m here to Help solve your marketing challenges so reach out if you have a question, need a sounding board, or want a second opinion.
Strategize
I’ve always felt (and written extensively) that marketing is a strategic activity that helps grow your business. I also believe great marketing begins with a strategy. While I like to think that each of those statements guides all I do, I also know I’ve fallen into the trap, like many others, of simply executing tactics — both in my business and with clients.
That’s why Strategize is my second word. This year I want to go back and make sure I look at everything strategically. I want to take the time with Zinc Marketing clients to strategize and make sure everything is part of a bigger plan that will help them reach their goals. I want to do the same when I look at Zinc Marketing as a business, too. Taking the time to Strategize not only leads to a better marketing plan but also a more successful business.
Pause
This third word was the hardest for me to come up with. I had a few options and was still not sure Pause was the right one even as I started to write this post. However, I want to figure out why Focus doesn’t work and see if I can solve the challenge that word was meant to address, which is to do the right things to reach your goal. That’s why I think Pause could be a really good word here.
Each day, I want to make sure I pause to take a breath and consider whether or not doing something different might be the better approach than simply plowing ahead. In other cases, it may be to pause and take time for myself and family rather than to keep working long past when I’m being useful. In other cases, it may be a simple matter of pausing one of the many streaming services we have. (Come on, do any of us really need all of them?) I believe Pause will be a key word for me this year and ultimately help to address the Focus objective.
There you have it. My 3 Words for 2025: Help – Strategize – Pause.
Using a framework to guide you
Even though this year has proven to be the hardest in finding my 3 words and writing about them, I believe what I have here will really help me in my own efforts and those of clients over the coming weeks and months. It also reinforces that #my3words or a similar framework is a great way to guide you each year. I encourage all of you to try this and I look forward to seeing your three words in action. You can check in on my progress on these by following me on LinkedIn or Instagram.
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