Wendy O’Donovan Phillips is CEO of Big Buzz, an agency driving focused marketing efforts for executives and teams nationwide.
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When I was growing up, my father would relax and read the regional newspaper every Sunday. He’d call out various items of interest:
“Did you hear about that new gadget?”
“Did you know that so-and-so died?”
“Did you read…?”
Throughout the weeknights, he would voraciously consume books — mainly histories and memoirs. As a direct result of his love for reading, he enjoyed a decades-long career in journalism, sharing with others his curated knowledge.
As professional communicators, regular reading is our duty and responsibility. Reading is a habit best honed by internal marketing team members and those working in marketing agencies, especially executives, managers, strategists and copywriters.
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The secret to reading and retention lies as much in the timing and mindset as it does in the material. Block off time. Relax. Get out of the office: backyard, pool, coffee shop, private office in a co-working space, carrel at the local library. Use noise-canceling headphones to shut out distractions. One friend of mine who frequently travels on business uses flight time as his “office in the sky” to complete leadership reading.
I used to think this was a bunch of bull — the need to step away, to stretch out, to really dedicate time to leadership reading. Now that I have been practicing for a while, I can’t live without it. Before writing this article, I suffered eight weeks of writer’s block. Fact is, I hadn’t been reading. Two hours at the pool with the book Quantum Marketing, my latest issue of Forbes, and a few articles from a favorite marketing consultant got me right out of the rut.
Some call these clarity breaks. In this article, the author, business coach Chris Naylor, recommends going somewhere free of interruptions and scheduling these breaks consistently on your calendar, whether it be daily or weekly. I aim for one hour per week, plus three hours one Friday every month. My team knows not to book me during this time.
Why is this important? With regular reading, marketers are more apt to:
• Step into high-level ideation for content and social marketing strategies.
• See the big picture on marketing trends, movers and shakers, and emerging opportunities.
• Expand viewpoints on our own potential for influence and reach.
• Refine vocabulary, repertoire and worldview, all of which have a direct impact on the team and target audiences.
Start by listing the industries your team serves. Search for trade organizations that serve those industries. Research those organizations’ blogs. Subscribe only to those that truly provide aha moments.
Next, consider the blogs of trade organizations that serve the marketing industry, such as The Interactive Advertising Bureau, Association of National Advertisers, American Association of Advertising Agencies, Network Advertising Initiative and the American Marketing Association. You might also explore top marketing consultants’ blogs.
Keep a list of books that will help you expand your vision, inspire your team or give you a big-picture view of a particular issue or strategy in marketing. Carefully vet books that are recommended or gifted to you. On my list: The Age of Surveillance Capitalism; How to Be A Great Boss; Why Remote Work Is So Hard — and How It Can Be Fixed; Radical Candor and Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience.
Remember magazines. Journalists at high-integrity publications are trained to seek out the news and information you most want and need. For a well-rounded reading experience, select various publications on different points of the media bias spectrum.
What about listening to podcasts, reading daily online news briefings or following social media influencers? Yes, these media can be important to feed the creative mind, and they are supplemental to reading. Consuming curated written content is key. Plus, reading others’ works makes us cultivated writers and creators.
What are you reading these days?
Forbes Agency Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify?
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Author: Wendy O’Donovan Phillips, Forbes Councils Member
