🐴 The Last One

I've had a difficult week. I’m sorry to nag, but the lack of light is weighing on me more each day. I know, I know—complaining gets us nowhere. So, I gave myself a couple of days to cocoon and indulge in my depressive mood. I watched silly television at night, did nothing, and allowed myself to feel miserable. Remember: be kind to yourself. 

I wrote this intro ten days ago. Meanwhile, the sun is shining, the children's exams are over, and in three days we are leaving for three weeks! And once again, we are reminded that everything is relative. So, this is my last newsletter until August 👋 This means it will be a quick one because I don't have a lot of time, but I already miss you guys!

➡️ Marketing done right : Scan If You Can

I’m very excited because people are starting to send me inspiration. This is great because my research hours have been particularly limited in the past few weeks. This one comes from Hanne Deheeger, a lovely art director with whom I have worked before. Here you can see the video of this smart and low-budget guerilla action by a local pizzeria. The idea behind it: the customer needs to scan the running QR code for a free pizza. If you are low on budget, you need to be creative!

➡️ Growth: How to Steal an Audience (crazy shit!!!)

For everyone who is looking for an audience on Linkedin: I just read a crazy hack on how to steal an audience in 8 simple steps! I just tried it, and OMG, it really works! Personally, I don’t find much pleasure in ‘growing’ on LinkedIn and boosting my followers (I know it’s useful, but I don’t know… it just fatigues me to always be focused on followers) But for those who need it, get excited already!!

1. Go to the search bar.

2. Type your target (e.g., founder, marketer, CEO).

3. Click "People."

4. Use "All filters" to set location and industry.

5. Select "Followers of."

6. Click "Add a creator."

7. Search and add a creator.

8. Click "Show results."

Voilà! You now have potential leads who already follow your competitors. By focusing on followers of your competitors, you are reaching people who are likely to be interested in your content or services, making it easier to grow your audience and generate leads quickly. (Yes, you may do a little dance now!)

Brandlove: I really love HEEEMAAAAAAA!

Maybe this video was also sent to me by Hanne. Maybe Hanne should do a takeover of this newsletter one day. Nevertheless, the message here is that I absolutely adore the brand HEMA. They always manage to be so quintessentially Dutch. And okay, I admit, there are a lot of nostalgic feelings for me personally with this brand. But look at this content and tell me it's not spot on.

Because I was procrastinating on this newsletter, I returned to watch the Instagram account of HEMA Nederland, and it gets even better. Go and watch this video of John, the receptionist at HEMA HQ. It’s to die for! As they say: everybody needs a John. And everybody needs this content creator who manages to get more than 50K likes on a post! Beautifully done!

➡️ Leadership: It’s Pomodoro Time !

I have a son whose room looks like this—the closets are always open and it’s perpetually a mess. He’s not exactly a perfectionist, but he is smart and lazy (and clearly has ADHD). This combination means he’s constantly looking for ways to hack systems and make them more efficient. One day, this talent will serve him well. In the meantime, he needs to learn methods to help him focus.

Personally, I use the Pomodoro technique to focus: this is a time management method where you break work into intervals, called "Pomodoros" , followed by a short break. I set an alarm and dive into focused work for 40-minute intervals. During these sessions, I'm so absorbed that you could talk to me, and I wouldn't hear a thing. I can only maintain this intense focus for about three hours a day. For the rest of the day, I tackle less demanding tasks and to-dos. This approach helps me accomplish massive work in a single day.

Good to know: the root of procrastination isn't always laziness (sometimes it is though), but often it's anxiety. And the cost of procrastination is the life you could’ve lived. If you struggle with procrastination, check out these 9 strategies I discovered thanks to Andrew Lokenauth.

This is it. This is au revoir. I’m so exhausted that I’ll need every bit of headspace to pack my bags and prepare for my trip to Africa in two days. I wish you a great summer, and see you back in August!

And remember (maybe this is mainly a message to myself), if you don't keep moving, the journey ends. While others complain, find a new path forward. :-)

Bye!! 👋

X Ingrid

P.S. If you have reading tips, please don’t hesitate to share them with me.