Change Your Routine Or Be Routinely Ignored



Your routine is killing you

You wake up. You wash or shower. You shave (or not). You brush your teeth. You comb or brush your hair. You get dressed. Have breakfast, drink coffee. You go to work.

Safe. Routine. You know what you need to do so well that it becomes automatic. You don’t even need to think about it. Routine is good. Routine makes your day easier.

But your routine is also killing you.

Think about your business. Your customers. Your clients. Your contacts.

Are you routinely writing a press release and mass mailing it?

Are you routinely messaging your email subscriber list with the same routine message and the same routine deals and information?

Are you routinely offering the same Happy Hour drink deals or 2-for-1 meal offers?

Are you routinely displaying the same point-of-sale banners with the same discounts?

Why? Why are you doing this? Is it working for you? Or are you losing mailing list subscribers? Losing sales? Losing customers? Losing contacts from your media list?

Break the routine. Differentiate your contacts, your customers, your clients. Tailor the message. Look at your trends and who’s buying or reading and on what days, weeks or months. Make that information your routine.

Routine is good. Routine is safe. But routine also leads to automation and boredom. Break it up a little.

After all, would it really hurt you to brush your teeth before you shower?

image: welovepandas

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Yes it's a good thought.  Have got into a routine on my blog - probably should mix it up a little now and again to keep it fresh.

This article is refreshing! Yes, we all get stuck in our day to day routines and forget that what made us successful in the first place was stepping out and doing things differently. So why then do we get stuck in our normal, everyday ways? This article made me think about what I can do differently, right now, to change for the better. Thanks for posting this! 

DannyBrown 2707 pts moderator

Hey there Chip,

 

Cheers, mate, appreciated. It's so true as well - we're always willing to take risks when we're up-and-coming. I wonder if part of the failure to do so when we're successful is the fact we don't want to risk that which we've built up, even if it means never growing any further?

 

Cheers, sir!

My latest conversation:

kmckenzie1313 6 pts

Great point here Danny! Changing a routine to cater to new customers and trends is definitely imperative to keeping a thriving business because of the changing and growing world around us. Also love the picture, one of the best Seinfeld episodes of all time LOL

DannyBrown 2707 pts moderator

 kmckenzie1313 You know, it's one of the few Seinfeld episodes I watched - I never could get into it. But I may have to revisit as my tastes have changed, and I love shows that are about nothing, now. :)

My latest conversation:

wasimalrayes 8 pts

By doing the same thing over and over again, your customers also get used to this, and when you do have something really important to shout about, to your customers it just looks the norm.

DannyBrown 2707 pts moderator

 wasimalrayes Hey there Wasim,

 

Interesting thought. So would you say the more habitual you get, the less pushback you'd have from customers when you do make changes?

My latest conversation: Woot Woot, JugnooMe is Here - And You're Invited to the Open Beta!

Shona Easton 6 pts

Love the post!

 

No, I do not have a routine but since I run my own business, maybe I am lucky that I don't NEED to have one. Every day I decide - what shall I do today? Okay, there are days when I have stuff that I absolutely have to do and then I feel 'routined' and I hate it.

 

Some people say they like routine, they say they like to receive your blog post by email every Friday (or whatever) but the blogger here is missing a crucial key thing - What if they post on Thursday in the afternoon instead of Friday? They might take the avid reader by surprise (surprises are always nice - right?) AND they will probably get a whole new readership on board too!

 

Thanks Danny :)

DannyBrown 2707 pts moderator

Shona Easton

You know, it's funny, Shona - I used to blog religiously pretty much  every day, and posted at the same time. But it did two things -  threatened to burn me out, and kept folks from subscribing because they  knew they could pop over for regular content at any time.

BUT...  when I switched up the frequency and the post publication time, it saw a  renewed passion from me, and an increase in subscribers to make sure  they didn't miss a post.

 

I feel very lucky yo have had that "A-ha!" moment, and I'm with your point 100% about it.

 

Cheers, miss!

penneyfox 68 pts

While I totally see your point and can't argue with the idea of shaking it up, I have to agree with some of the others that a routine gives us structure, consistency and gives our readers a comfort that certain things happen on specific days.I do something every Friday on my FB page and its one of my highest traffic days/times. I think that people like knowing what to expect.

 

My partners give me a hard time because I have a slight touch of CDO (that's my way of saying OCD because the letters have to line up alphabetically and I like the fact that I can call it an obsession rather then a disorder). Working with them always help me to shake things up but I do find a need for the routine in business because in the end, most people are like Linda said, creatures of habit.

DannyBrown 2707 pts moderator

 penneyfox Hi Penney,

 

For sure, miss, and despite the overall premise of the post, I do actually agree that some routine is good. :)

 

The way I'm looking at it is more when ruts set in because the routine keeps you mired. You know you'll have X amount of readers; or viewers; or lovers of a particular brand product. And that's great.

 

The problem is, everyone dies. Everyone. And when these fans of the routine are gone, what happens to the company or brand that didn't expand into new territories? ;-)

 

Cheers, miss, for your always thoughtful comment!

My latest conversation: Woot Woot, JugnooMe is Here - And You're Invited to the Open Beta!

penneyfox 68 pts

 DannyBrown I know that you weren't trying to be mean but when you said, "The problem is, everyone dies. Everyone." I got your point. I certainly couldn't argue with that reasoning!

 

Sometimes it seems like we have to use two different marketing streams - one to keep reaching out to new fans/prospects and the other plan to continue keeping the ones that we already have ... that is until they die :)

(ok, sorry ... I couldn't resist!)

DannyBrown 2707 pts moderator

 penneyfox Maybe we should ask Gini Dietrich - I hear there's a deathly silence when she tells a joke... ;-)

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penneyfox 68 pts

 DannyBrown  Gini Dietrich  Now that's just funny ... I'm literally laughing out loud.

 

Of course, Gini might not think so  < :o)

Andrea T. H. W. 198 pts

 penneyfox Well, many people have "a slight touch of OCD" so that's not so uncommon only that the great majority keep this well hidden. Routines are good as they keep us feeling comfortable and when good and established routines can help a lot, like going to the gym or eating healthy food.

 

Breaking routines from time to time helps to increase the borders of our Comfort Zone so that we feel comfortable doing new things since we feel good when we feel we have the control on what's around us. At the end it's all a matter of balance. If we always stay inside the fence we lose the outside world, if we always stay outside the fence we can get lost. Everything is a matter of balance, even if the point of equilibrium can be different for each one of us. :)

My latest conversation: Placebo and the Power of your Subconscious Mind

penneyfox 68 pts

 Andrea Hypno You are SO spot on with the idea of balance! I've been struggling with that concept for so long that I started a personal blog about my quest for balance. I've been writing this blog for a couple of years now and I realized that the balance I'm seeking isn't something that I can control or create. It's about finding what's right for me and the situation that I'm dealing with at that time.

 

BTW - love your fence analogy! I may have to use that one :)

I fully understand the idea of doing things differently and from a personal view point it's the best way of keeping myself motivated - but does change 'unsettle' those creatures of routine who are the loyal readership, client or whatever? 

DannyBrown 2707 pts moderator

Hi Linda,

 

Good point. It can - although if the change benefits the readers, clients, etc, too, then it's an easier beast to tame. It's all in the balance.

My latest conversation: multi author | For Bloggers By Bloggers

Craig McBreen 285 pts

The only way I get things done daily is by creating habits, or routine, but I do need to break it up every now and then, just to say fresh.

 

For example, I'm now using Aweber and that cursed thing is taking up all my time now! ........ Bugger.  ;) :)

 

The next shakeup might just be switching themes ... Man Genesis is all the rage these days … We all want to see a post on the change, Danny. :)

DannyBrown 2707 pts moderator

 Craig McBreen How are you doing with Aweber mate? I got an account based on Brankica S. Underwood and have yet to use - though maybe with the new theme and call to action set-up, I'll have to look more into it. :)

 

And post to come soon, I'm guessing - a few emails already about it. :)

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Brankica 374 pts

 DannyBrown you really need to let me do some parts of your business for you :) I am loving Aweber more and more every day ;) 

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Brankica 374 pts

 DannyBrown BTW, not sure if you know, I am a recent Genesis convert, can't get enough of their themes and was thinking hard between this one and the eleven40. Love the mobile responsivness. Glad I picked eleven40 haahha

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DannyBrown 2707 pts moderator

 Brankica Funnily enough, I looked at eleven40, miss, and yes, the responsive approach is pretty sweet. :)

My latest conversation: multi author | For Bloggers By Bloggers

Craig McBreen 285 pts

 DannyBrown  Brankica S. Underwood  Brankica is my advisor as well. :) Just started working with it, so I'll let you know in a week or so. 

wmwebdes 183 pts

 Craig McBreen

 Hi Craig.

Don't jump ship just yet.

Thesis is a good theme and if you've bought it, stay with it.

Danny is a real framework butterfly.

He was on Genesis when I first becamec a fan, then Headway and now back to Genesis.

I think that the frameworks pay him thousands to use their themes - he'll deny it of course.

BTW - it was Danny who got me interested in Genesis.

I love Genesis because I love the themes and I've learnt so much from their support people.

My latest conversation: Genesis Pro Plus Package... Fabulous Value!

DannyBrown 2707 pts moderator

 wmwebdes  Craig McBreen Haha, you crack me up, mate! :)

 

OK, here's my history with frameworks. The first one I used was Thesis, and had a buddy customize it a bit, as I'm crap at coding. Then I moved to Headway, then Genesis. I then used a custom design (the most recent one) before the theme you see now.

 

I'm like Keith and my friend Bob Dunn  - I work with what's best for my needs at any given time. :)

My latest conversation: multi author | For Bloggers By Bloggers

Craig McBreen 285 pts

 DannyBrown  wmwebdes  Bob Dunn  Okay, inquiring minds want to know why you left Thesis?

DannyBrown 2707 pts moderator

 Craig McBreen  wmwebdes  Bob Dunn Hi mate, easy decision - I hate coding, and Thesis was a pain in that department. When I saw the original Headway demo, it blew me away, and the rest happened as my needs changed.

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Craig McBreen 285 pts

 DannyBrown I know just enough coding to be dangerous, that's why I hire developers.

Craig McBreen 285 pts

 wmwebdes It seems that just about everyone I'm talking to is a framework butterfly. I'll stick with Thesis for now.

wmwebdes 183 pts

Eh Danny

Genesis Streamline theme with Simple Social icons plugin.

Great looking theme - love it.

 

Welcome back to Genesis.

My latest conversation: Genesis Pro Plus Package... Fabulous Value!

DannyBrown 2707 pts moderator

 wmwebdes Yeah, I was on the Studiopress site last night mate and noticed this, so got to work. Some minor tweaks to come, but very clean the.

 

Now I just need to do a post on the change, I guess... ;-)

My latest conversation: How to Use Studies and Statistics to Increase Your Blog's Credibility

wmwebdes 183 pts

 DannyBrown

 Great looking front page and the black and orange really work well together.

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DannyBrown 2707 pts moderator

 wmwebdes Cheers, sir. I'll probably amend the orange text in the footer to be less "bright", and tailor images more for the call-to-action. And a logo would be nice, clearly... ;-)

My latest conversation: How to Use Studies and Statistics to Increase Your Blog's Credibility

wmwebdes 183 pts

 DannyBrown

 But other than that....LOL

Stop tinkering - looks good as it is.

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Craig McBreen 285 pts

 wmwebdes  Eyes like a hawk, that one. Man, Keith, you're good. :)

 

Still on Thesis, but everyone seems to be jumping to Genesis.

wmwebdes 183 pts

 Craig McBreen

 Good to see you Mr M.

Stay with Thesis - Thesis is a great framework.

Spotted Streamline because it's the latest Genesis theme and I've just installed the Simple Social icons plugin on my own site.

Cheers Craig

My latest conversation: Genesis Pro Plus Package... Fabulous Value!

DannyBrown 2707 pts moderator

 wmwebdes  Craig McBreen Here's a question, Keith. I'm trying to change the background colour of my icons to those of the big email sign-up box, but doesn't seem to want to play.

 

Have you had any issues like this?

 

Cheers, sir!

My latest conversation: multi author | For Bloggers By Bloggers

wmwebdes 183 pts

 DannyBrown  Craig McBreen

 Simple Social icons plugin? No not had any problems.

I changed the icon colours in the icon settings - allows you to add colours for at rest and hover states.

 

Won't it keep the changes you make to colour?

 

I use this free tool to get colours...

http://www.iconico.com/colorpic/

 

And the studioPress post on SSI is here...

http://www.studiopress.com/news/simple-social-icons.htm

 

I changed my colours to match theme here...

http://www.wmwebdesign.co.uk/blog/

 

Letb me know how it goes.

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DannyBrown 2707 pts moderator

 wmwebdes  Craig McBreen Cheers, mate - yeah, I tried the colour picker in the settings, no joy when it came to saving. I'll check the links out - thanks!

My latest conversation: Woot Woot, JugnooMe is Here - And You're Invited to the Open Beta!

I think consistency is vitally important to marketing.  But you are right, routine will eventually get ignored.  Thanks for the reminder to change it up a bit.

DannyBrown 2707 pts moderator

As long as it's couple with fluidity, agree Jackie. Here's to better mixes. :)

My latest conversation: How to Use Studies and Statistics to Increase Your Blog's Credibility

Conversation from Twitter

DannyBrown
DannyBrown

@merylkevans Thank you miss!

DannyBrown
DannyBrown

@Egehead Thanks Cindy, glad you enjoyed and appreciate the share, miss :)

MSchechter
MSchechter

@ginidietrich @DannyBrown I like the new parred down look better by a margin of about 1000%. Mostly cause his picture is gone.

DannyBrown
DannyBrown

@MSchechter @ginidietrich It's the only reason I visit your blog, the squiggle is much more palatable...

MSchechter
MSchechter

@DannyBrown @ginidietrich ain't that the truth

DannyBrown
DannyBrown

@MSchechter @ginidietrich Well, it *is* rather dapper.

MeredithBard
MeredithBard

@DannyBrown Any suggestions on braking the routine on Twitter?

DannyBrown
DannyBrown

@MeredithBard I try and dedicate time looking for tweets from folks I don't chat with often. Also, @InboxQ great for finding new ppl/topics