Saturday marks the beginning of my first 30-day challenge. I plan on getting through the entire month of September without eating a shred of meat. Now as a meat eater, I know this is going to be tough, but I know it can be done.

Now this test was inspired by Matt Cutts and his Try Something New Challenge. It’s a great idea and an awesome opportunity to try something new, because at the end of the day, I know I’m only doing it for 30 days.

Now you’re probably wondering how this relates to online marketing and this blog. Well it relates a lot actually, because you see marketing is all about trying something new and thinking outside of the box. The tactics that we used yesterday are not going to benefit us the way they did the past. We often have to try something new and just see what happens.

So that’s what this challenge is for me. Call it a marketing lesson in disguise, since most of us are all afraid of getting outside of our comfort zone and trying new experiments. Can I survive trying something new for 30-days, that will radically change my life? I’m sure I can but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a tad bit worried of how I’m going to do it.

So think about this during your next marketing brain storming session, when was the last time you thought outside the box and tried something new? When was the last time you thought about what your audience wanted instead of yourself? Or simply think…what the hell is Cole thinking becoming a vegetarian?

As an online marketer, it’s often hard for me to find time to work on my own personal brand.

I’m constantly worried about the brands and reputations of my clients that it’s sometimes hard for me to write a blog post or even a status update from one of my own personal social media accounts.

IT’S HARD, BUT I DO FIND THE TIME.  As I write this, I’m in a StarBucks in Raleigh, North Carolina…the same place I spend every Wenesday night, doing what I always do on this night, working on my own personal brand and catching up on the news from the week.  I love a good coffee house.  No radio, no tv, and let alone no distraction.  It’s my own personal office.

In my office, I always work on my brand.  Why you might ask?  Well because our personal brands are often as important as the companies we represent.  Our faces are just as important to the customer as our company is, because it’s our faces and personalities that companies have to deal with in order to get their product or service, not the company mascot or logo.

Remember you might buy something from a company, but it’s the individuals who make the experience.