Today is my birthday. I have finally turned 39, a number that I have been using for quite some time, just to get use to it.

I woke up unexpectantly at 3am and have stayed awake ever since. Instead of going back to sleep, I looked out my window and soaked up the view of the parkland. I don't think I have ever seen it at 3am before. It was beautiful, peaceful and the perfect setting to the start of a new year in my life.

Today, I learnt that I am not average. No, seriously. Really, I am not average. Well, at least on Twitter I am not average because the average Twitter user has only 126 followers. In total, Marketing Eye has 14, 061 with two accounts. One that focuses on the Australian market and the other that focuses on the US market with an emphasis on Atlanta, Georgia.

There is nothing wrong with being average may I add, but as a business that is focused on helping other small businesses grow, it is important that Marketing Eye stand out from the crowd. Average is not an option. The same as everyone else, is also not applicable. For Marketing Eye, we have to be outstanding at everything.

I am not sure about today. You know, when you wake up and your sleep wasn't particularly restful, then you go to work and for a second, you have to remember why you are actually there.

A company has a problem. They don't like their accountant. Their financial planner just got hit by a bus. The business just got a lot bigger and now they need some HR advice. They don't have a marketing person per se and the owner knows that they are not going anywhere without someone focusing on the company's brand and lead generation campaigns to support their sales team.

The problem has been identified. It now needs a solution. So, what's next? They look for one.

How?

First, they think about who they know. It use to be a case of people they have met or friends of friends, but now there is a not so new revolution to add to the equation. Social media.

Social Media

In the past two weeks we have made almost $200,000 from our social media accounts. It's because companies that we may not have met face to face, but know us through social media and in particular, twitter, linkedin and the company blog, have a problem and the first person they have made contact with is the person they "know" online. You know the one. The person that continually reinforces their expertise in a particular field through showcasing their knowledge, case studies, influence and opinions.

Social media is likened to the old-fashion term "farming" because it takes time, but the investment is worth it in the end if you do all the right things. Farming makes it easier for clients to find you and relate to you and your business. Social media has provided a short-cut in the farming process  but be assured that "farming" is not "prospecting". It is relationship building and you have to be willing to give more than you get.

So, remember next time you go to write on your twitter account that you went out and got totally trashed, but the next day want to be the consumate professional accountant who is looking for new business opportunities that your lifestyle choices may not be what your clients are looking for in a service provider.

Qantas is running an international campaign "you are the reason we fly" and I am quite impressed by their agency's work on this campaign.

I don't know about you, but egomaniacs scare the 'b'jesus out of me'. I am terrified of them, but still I find myself sucked into their web of soul destroying destruction.

As much as they are charming, good at 'selling a story' and surrounded by people, they are manipulative, obsessive and bullies.

There are many studies out there that confirm that there is a direct correlation between how successful a company is and how well they use social media.

We also know that brands can profit dramatically from a well executed social media strategy backed by a campaign that is creative and has the audience in mind.

So, why then do marketers continue to ignore the fact that certain days of the week and times of the day, are not as effective as others when it comes to executing a social media campaign.

How many famous people have you heard started out as entrepreneurs selling lemonade or doing the local newspaper run?

I have heard hundreds of stories over the years about how some of the world's most successful entrepreneurs started out as children, making first few dollars when they were still in primary school.

After having an issue the other week with a man that quite simply told me a bunch of lies that were completely untrue and then spent the next few days after realising that I found out, covering his tracks, I was in good need of my  friends. It's amazing what people do when they are caught out lying. They have to tell lies to cover lies unless they are man enough to own up to what they have lied about which most people, including myself, am fairly forgiving. It's when they lie, then have to make up stories to cover them, that it gets out of control and becomes a drama that quite simply, it does not need to be. But friends, they are great levelers. They tell you how it is and always put things in perspective. Unfortunately, in life, there will always be people that can't help themselves with lying and they will do crazy things and say complete crap, in order to try and make themselves look and feel better. It's quite sad really... but as you get older, you realise that there will always be people who disappoint you. Rising above it, is important for your soul as much as it is for the situation.

When you run a small business, it can be lonely, but life can be even lonelier when you travel every week interstate and overseas and only ever seem to see the insides of a hotel room or the office.

Who would have thought that you could learn anything from the six women who star in the Real Housewives of Atlanta?

I certainly didn't think I could learn too much from NeNe, Cynthia, Kandi, Phaedra, Sheree and Kim - but every small business owner can!

It's fair to say that marketing strategies don't work by themselves. You can spend thousands of dollars having a marketing strategy written for your small business, but if it isn't implemented, it's not worth the paper it is written on.

I know hundreds of companies that have engaged a marketing consultant to write a marketing strategy and then are left miffed as to why it didn't work. Well, it doesn't work if you don't do anything with it! It's as simple as that.

There are thousands of marketing companies in America. They range from one-man bands, to small and mid tier agencies, right through to large multinationals.

For small businesses, it is very hard for many entrepreneurs or business managers to ascertain what is the best marketing solution for their business and what will help them get to the next level.

As a business owner and entrepreneur, it is paramount to understand our competitors and do the complete opposite to what they are doing.

It's no different to Justin Bieber, the Venture Capitalist, reportedly having earned $108 million over the past two years investing in tech startups like Spotify. Becoming complacent because you think you have made it or everything is going swimmingly well, could be your biggest downfall.

If you are anything like me, Sunday morning, I always go down to my local cafe at 7am with my dog to buy a coffee and a fresh croissant. It gets rid of two things; my need for a coffee in the morning and my dog needing to 'do her business'.

Then, I come home, shower, and turn on my computer. Mainly I write, but at least for an hour or so, I work.

Unlike most people, I rarely go into my emails. That to me is a Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 job. Instead I look at the Marketing Eye website and think of ways to market our business.

I am THE SUNDAY MARKETER.

There is a reason why this marketing blog has been neglected and it's not something that I particularly wanted to share.

And, to some extent, I won't.

However, today I received in the mail a book and it was a reminder that 'everything happens for a reason'.

I travelled around the world twice in six weeks for business and when you do such an exhaustive trip like that, twice, you immediately get a feeling that 'it had better be worth it'. Fortunately, it always is. Afterall, its a journey and when we embark on any journey with an open and honest mind, we move that step forward to realising whatever it is that we were meant to realise.

Both trips were different. Other than for the business aspect, they could not have been more different. The first trip was one of adventure, excitement, opportunity and putting in place things for the future that needed to be put in place.

At Marketing Eye, as we are a marketing consultancy firm, there is never a day whereby everyone is in the office. The other day it was quiet - a bit too quiet. Everyone was working away diligently. So, I did what any leader would do. I said to everyone "we need to have some fun". And fun, we had.

We set up a photoshoot, which the young guys in the office instantly became photographers. Everyone was asked 'to act silly' and we all laughed, played around and were back at our desk in half an hour with big smiles on our faces.

It's amazing what small things can do for team spirit.