A Morning Routine for Success

The Morning Routine That Leads To Your Success

We get it, the mornings are so much more difficult to crawl out of bed when you know the cold is out there waiting to embrace you like an annoying boss that sends you an email before the work day has even begun. But being a morning person and making a routine that works for you are two separate things. The difference being one can help set you up for success and the other isn’t a guarantee. Let’s get one thing straight, being a morning person isn’t synonymous with success, but a flawless routine and mindset? Yes, pleaseee! 

I’m not sure about you, but I like to start my mornings slowly (should you be fortunate enough) and need to ease my mind before having a full-fledged conversation with someone. Where your cortisol levels (aka your stress hormone levels) are known to be highest in the morning, it’s vital to make a healthy and fun routine that sets the tone for your day.

Let us begin.

A great healthy morning routine actually starts the night before, and that’s getting enough sleep (roughly around 7-9 hours). Although it’s life and we can’t always guarantee to achieve a good night’s rest, this routine is more so for how you should strive to live your life most days so bear that in mind as that is the goal.

  1. Get up early (preferably without an alarm). I got into the habit of waking up early that my body does so naturally at this point, but setting an alarm to wake up at a time that works best for you can help you much later on in life.
  2. Apart from any hygienic activities, set yourself up with a great skincare routine! It makes all the difference and gives you a natural glow that adds even more radiance to your day.
  3. Tidy your room before leaving it. No one wants to come back to a messy room. If you’re not a firm believer in making the bed (I have mixed views about this) at least make it look nice.
  4. Try to think positive thoughts and say positive affirmations aloud. If you are a person who hasn’t  used affirmations before, it may sound a little silly at first, but getting into the practice of positivity truly rewires your brain into thinking happier thoughts. If you don’t want to try affirmations right away, you can also try reciting your favorite quote or any spiritual sayings or prayers to help guide you (based upon your beliefs).
  5. This may take people by surprise, but try not to make major decisions early on in the day. Remember, you’re trying to ease your body into a natural, calm and successful state and making stressful decisions in the morning can help throw you off that path immediately. Save those decisions for the afternoon, which leads us to the next step.
  6. Limit your screen time! Those emails, calls, texts, news updates? Those all can wait until after breakfast. Although it is tempting to grab your phone immediately upon waking, screen your phone real quick for any emergencies then proceed to go back to your routine.
  7. Get moving! I’m not saying run a mile, but if you do that’s great! Try stretching, yoga, meditation. Crank up your favorite jams and dance around your kitchen (in the refrigerator light — T Swift anyone?).
  8. Pour yourself lemon water or hot tea with lemon to start your day. Limiting your caffeine intake can help avoid the jitters and upset stomach later on.
  9. Don’t Skip breakfast! Breakfast is truly the most important part of your day. If you can’t eat early in the morning, reach for an apple, yogurt, or smoothie. Your brain and body will thank you later. This also means taking your vitamins and supplements!
  10. Think about what you want to accomplish for the day and then get started with that goal in mind! Don’t try to take on too much however, as multitasking can create lack of direction and more stress.

We hope this helps you on your journey to self care and success in your morning routine! The two go hand-in-hand and is something we strongly believe in here at BOBO Marketing Services.

What is your favorite part of your morning routine? Let us know!

 

Social Media Emoticons! ❤ ✶ ➼♕

We ❤ Emoticons

Are you over the [] symbol that shows up when users don’t have the same emoticon software as you? Do you find yourself endlessly searching for cool symbols and emojis to spice up your social media aesthetic — especially emoticons that work across ALL social media platforms? 

The BOBO Marketing Services team decided to pull together some of our personal favorite emoticons here for you to use on your social media accounts. All you need to do is highlight, copy and paste! 

Have Fun! 

Astrology Emoticons

★☆✦✧✩✶✫✪✯✰✹✱

☼☉☀

☾☽

⇡↑↟⇞

Heart Symbols

♥ღ❣❥♡❤❦

Flower Images

❀❁❃✿✾⚘❊

Cross Emoticons

☨✙✚✛✜✝✞✟†☩

Weather Emoticons

❄❅❆☂☁☃

Cute Symbols

∞♔  ♚♕♛☯♫♪☯✈ッ☺ ♩ ♪

Chess/Card Emoticons

♗ ♝ ♘ ♞ ♖ ♜

♣♠♦♥

Numbers

➊➋➌➍➎➏➐➑➒➓①②③④⑤⑥⑦⑧⑨

Arrows

➳➼➡»↔↕►▲↗↖↘↙←→↑⇅⇄➔➩➪➧⌦➷➸➹➺➽➾⤴⤵⇵⬆⬇⬅⟼⟻⤻⬀⇠➠⇢➥»

Business Emoticons

✂✎✆☏✉☒☑✓✔❝❞®©™♯ 

Shapes & Other Symbols

▣ ❏ ❐ ❑ ❒ ❖ ◌ ❍ ◐ ◑ ◒ ◓ ◈

4 Common Content Marketing Myths

What is Content Marketing?

Content marketing, content creators, content this, content that. What is it?! More importantly, WHY is it all the buzz?

Besides being essential for small businesses in 2021, content marketing is simply creating and distributing content that is valuable. However, that simple definition doesn’t correlate to it being a simple task. In fact, it is why whole jobs are created around it and some businesses struggle.  

For today, let’s debunk the misconceptions that surround the content marketing industry once and for all. Whether you consider yourself a content pro or you’re just getting tips, these truths can help you out tremendously. Learn how to become better at content marketing while running your small business here!

Myth #1: Simply posting content will get you noticed.

A common misconception is that posting your blog or video gets the job done, but that is not the case at all. If it were that simple, everyone would be getting noticed! This is what us marketers call Posting & Ghosting in the content marketing industry. 

Truth: Instead, look at which social media platforms you are on, which of your hashtags are performing the best and what your analytics are all telling you. Do this all while actively engaging with your audience. This means interacting with other accounts using your top performing hashtag, responding back to comments and messages. Don’t forget to interact with accounts in your niche!

Sound like a lot? It is, but let’s break it down for you. Repurposing your content is key. That one blog post you wrote? Make that into a savable infographic or a carousel that users can swipe through. In fact, Instagram recycles your carousel posts if users don’t interact by showing them a different slide than they’ve seen before. Better yet turn it into a video reel. 

Don’t forget to share your content to Instagram, your website, social media and whichever platforms you’re established on. Actually listen to your audience by looking at which content performs the best and start creating more value-driven content from there. Look at your built-in analytics in Instagram or your host website and look at which content is getting the most clicks, saves, likes, comments and views. 

Myth #2: In my industry, businesses don’t need content marketing. 

Not true at all! Whether you’re a construction company or an organic beauty based company, you should be planning your content marketing strategy now. Think about what your values are as a company and start sharing that with your consumers. 

For example, if you’re in the construction industry, start sharing which building materials are best fit for warmer and rainy climate areas. If you’re an organic beauty based company, what does your research show consumers why they should choose organic beauty based products over well-known luxury brands? Get creative with it!

Truth: Every industry can benefit from content marketing because there is so much information to learn and share out there. Clients or customers who are loyal to you and your brand chose you for a reason. Providing them with insider information or a behind-the-scenes look at how you run things expands upon your expertise and proves to your audience that yes in fact, you do know what you’re talking about.

Myth #3: The more content, the better.

After we just established that having content for your business is important and essential to growth, that doesn’t always equate to more being better, however. There are certain instagram strategies and tips that you can follow to gain more followers and grow that way (i.e. posting 4-5x a week to the feed, 5 stories a day, 5 reels a week). Again however, this is where your analytics and content strategy research comes in.

Bonus: If you need quick tips on growing your social media business, check out our blog post on this here. 

Truth: When starting out, you really want to focus on the value you’re providing and build from there. It takes time and practice, but it will be so much more productive than burning yourselves out by posting mediocre content that your audience isn’t really resonating with.

Myth #4: Video marketing is just a trend and will go away soon. 

There’s a reason users are swarming to TikTok and why YouTube started implementing their own version of reels onto their platform. Video marketing is here to stay and if your business isn’t showcasing any kind of video, then chances are you won’t be able to compete against other businesses in your industry that are.

This doesn’t mean that ALL of your posts need to be videos and you can’t have a successful growth strategy without them, but implementing them here and there will definitely benefit your small business in more ways than one. 

Truth: 78% of users got more traffic to their website after using videos, according to RenderForest. Videos don’t need to be all that complicated, but they do need to be high-quality and thanks to the everyday use of smartphones, that’s all you need to get started. 

We hope you now know the value in providing your users with value-driven content and the importance of implementing a content marketing strategy for your small business. 

It’s no secret that content marketing can be overlooked anymore in 2021. It being worth a $300 billion industry speaks for itself (Content Marketing Institute, 2020). 

With that said, we wish you luck on forming your content marketing strategy and hope you reap the benefits of your hard work soon. Trust us, you will!

Should you need any help with ways and tips to grow your small business, do not hesitate to reach out to us at bobomarketingservices@gmail.com. We would love to help! 

We specialize in copywriting, social media content and management, digital media and graphic design and public relation services for small businesses.

What’s the wildest myth you’ve heard about Content Marketing? Do you believe Content Marketing is worth all that time and money? Tell us in the comment section! 

 

How to Set Work Mode Off

With so many more people working from home than ever before, many have noticed an increase in blurred lines when it comes to maintaining a healthy work-life balance. For instance, more people are finding themselves taking phone calls past 6 o’clock and catching up on work on the weekends. 

When these start to become habits, it can be a little bit difficult to get rid of these unhealthy routines so we at BOBO Marketing Services have put together three tips to help wean you off that 24/7 work mode!

1. Believe in the Data. 

Society has come to believe that more is better, but when it comes to productivity that may in fact be false. In order for our behavior to change, we must first replace this inaccurate belief with a more realistic one. According to a Psychology Today article, workaholics may look like they’re getting more done but in actuality they are more apt to being less efficient. They also likely struggle to maintain focus. Not only that, but workaholism has shown to put an individual at an increased risk for depression and anxiety. So let’s replace the more-is-better mentality with an positive affirmation: “A healthy work-life balance leads to heightened productivity in the long run.”

2. Set Clear Boundaries. 

The best way to maintain this balance is by implementing clear boundaries. Set a cut-off time for when work is finished — no matter what! For instance, although you can’t turn off your phone, you can screen them. Or better yet, there are plenty of apps like Line 2 that offer a seperate phone line for an affordable price. Another behavior that blurs the lines? Checking emails after work. Just say no!

 

3. Accept Slip-Ups. 

No one is perfect. Instead of giving up all together when you find your thoughts centering on work past business hours, accept those thoughts and move on. An efficient way to do this? Simply jot down your ideas in a journal for tomorrow and let them go, and tell yourself you can revisit them during regular work hours. The benefits are two-fold — one, important thoughts won’t be forgotten, and two, you won’t feel guilty for not focusing on them as they come.

 

Want more info on how to increase productivity? We simply loved this article on Entrepreneur.com.