It's the first Into & Overit of 2021. New here? Welcome!

I became a marketer by reading about it.

Green as could be, I bullied my way into working for one of the most well-known SEO companies in the world before knowing what the letters S-E-O even stood for. That I got the job was an exercise in sheer tenacity and desperation and, that I kept that job, was more of the same.

But once I made it through those doors, I became obsessed with learning as much as I could, as quickly as I could. Not because I was some star employee, but because I really, really didn’t want to get fired.

I learned the tenets of marketing from the writings and rantings of those who were out there living the roles I hoped to someday hold. Back then this meant people like Barry, Rae, Loren, Kim, and others who, 15 years later, we've lost or I simply don't know how to link to anymore.  

I studied their words to pluck out the lessons. The things to do better and things to avoid. What was a really good idea vs. omg-what-were-they-even-thinking?! The best practices and the emerging trends. Where my focus was best spent and what

“tricks” to ignore because they would be gone tomorrow. This is still how I learn.

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A new year provides the chance for a fresh start. As if that simple act of the calendar rolling over grants permission to tackle things we previously put off and ignored.

Some of us will tiptoe into the year, hoping we don’t attract too much attention. 

Others will choose to attack it. To make it pay for 2020’s wrongdoings.

Onward.

When you’re committed to learning, where do you begin?

1. Find The Teachers 

It sounds simple enough.

If you want to become a better email marketer, identify those doing it well and follow their lead. Teachers like Emma and Really Good Emails will show you the way.

If 2021 is the year you’ll improve your content marketing game, stalk marketing pros like Ann Handley or look to the brands who consistently get your attention.

Ruggable is one of those brands for me, always hitting me with useful content that makes me care about rugs. That's no small feat, especially in these times. They even got me to join their Facebook group. Let me repeat that: A Facebook group about rugs. Who am I? 

If revenue and proving ROI are your top goals this year, join the club, and then maybe join our Sales Enablement webinar happening on January 28. 

One of the blessings of the web is the access it gives us to the teachers--take advantage of it. Identify what you want to do, distill it, and go find your teachers. You'll not only learn from their sharing, but you'll inadvertently fall into a group to keep accountable to the practice. 

I learn by reading. You may learn by watching YouTube videos, listening to podcasts, getting lost in the rabbit hole that is Wikipedia, or by inviting an interesting person out (in?) for a Zoom coffee. Do what suits you.

2. Be Your Best 4-Year-Old Self

It’s winter during a pandemic so there’s not always much to do here in the Northeast. Because of that, I’m somewhat reluctantly teaching my 4-year-old to play Mario Kart.

So far, he’s terrible at it. Like…intentionally drives over banana peels and over cliffs level of bad. And when he loses, when he’s just blown the whole darn thing for himself, he squeals in delight finding it utterly hilarious.

Because when you’re four, you’re supposed to be bad at things. There’s this understanding that being bad is the first step to being good. You learn not to drive off the cliff by first driving off it 407 times. It’s the same way when he tries to fill up a cup of water and it ends up all over the floor.

“It’s okay because mistakes happen,” he says.

Mistakes happen.

You learn by failing. Practice becomes habit. Until suddenly, "overnight," you're no longer terrible. You're actually pretty good.

Onward.

As adults, we fear the first drafts and the messy part of the learning. We avoid upskilling because we can’t stomach the part where we are visibly terrible.

What if we didn’t? What if we went back to being four when playing and learning were one and the same? When your failures were celebrated as progress and didn’t make you question your self-worth?

You might master Google Analytics this year. Or launch that podcast. Or restructure your online degree program to attract a new kind of student. 

2021 can be the year we play in the pursuit of getting better. We earned it.

3. Teach Others What You Know

The best way to understand something is to teach it to someone else. When you do, you unearth all the gaps of knowledge you hold. You’re asked a question or challenged "why" and you’re forced to stop and think. To analyze what you know. To look something up. To re-learn.

Once you know it, share it.  

Overit has committed itself to company-wide upskilling over the next 12 months. So much so it's already become our internal Word of 2021. Opportunities have been created where members of the team can present and help train others on topics they know and are passionate about. I’m excited to learn new things, and to identify areas where I want to go even further, but I’m also excited to be pushed into a teaching role. To have to step back and think, “what do I know what’s worth sharing? How can I teach it to someone else?”

That act is how we get really, really good. What moves us from being as green as can be to the teachers we once sought.

Wouldn't that feel good? Start today.

Welcome to 2021. Onward.

(P.S.)

💡 Who are you learning or getting inspiration from? Are there specific communities or resources that are rocking your socks?

If yes, I'd love to hear about them.

• Fast Company calls GM's new logo a fail. I...don't love it. In a time when people are shaken enough, this doesn't speak to me. What do you think? 
• The "Because of This" campaign hopes to sway people toward the COVID vaccine by reminding them of the intimate family moments we once took for granted.
• Crocs said 2020 was its biggest revenue year yet which, somehow, seems like news that must be shared and repeated. Way to go, Crocs.
• 2020 is behind us but...we're still feeling it. Some more than others. Here's some advice for talking to people who've been through some hard stuff.
• Here's a video of a mom and baby elephant crossing a river bed. Why? Because it's Friday.