• by Alison Hill , Columnist, January 2, 2015

New Year’s resolutions tend to be super-personal. I mean, obviously. We create them to make ourselves happier-healthier-more productive-less lazy-generally better human beings, so resolutions often focus on eating, exercise, non-procrastinating and other self-improving activities. But I have a job to do here: I write about entertainment marketing, so my resolutions are going to focus on how I — and, hopefully, you, too — can do that job better. And if we’re lucky, we can enjoy some entertainment of our own along the way. 

So, I resolve to:

1. Use my HootSuite account on a daily basis. We all know two things for sure: 1) We have to stay on top of social media. 2) Social media can be a massive time-suck. In my humble opinion, there’s no better way to manage your social media channels effectively than with this leading social media dashboard. 

2. Watch all the awards shows with purpose — and a notepad. I have to admit I’ve done my share of yawning through many of the awards shows in years past — the Golden Globes, People’s Choice Awards, SAG Awards, Emmys, even the Oscars. But there are lessons to be learned from these celebrity-drenched extravaganzas: everything from fashion on the red carpet to the art of speech-making to sponsorship opportunities. So in 2015, I’m going to watch these shows like an anthropologist studies an unfamiliar culture, and take notes. 

3. Read Entertainment Weekly religiously. I realized a long time ago that you can’t read everything — you could literally spend your entire day doing nothing but clicking links and reading articles on the internet. But you do need to find a trusted source of entertainment information, and for me that source is Entertainment Weekly, which always has smart, ahead-of-the-curve coverage of every field of entertainment. In fact, I’m renewing my subscription as soon as I finish this article. 

4. Get out of my cocoon. I’ll never come up with fresh ideas unless I break free from my routine patterns. That means going out to the movies at least once a month (some things, like “Exodus,” just have to be seen on a big screen — plus all those trailers to find out what’s on the horizon); watching a new TV show once a week (yes, including the commercials); going to the mall (it’s hateful, but I’ll see what consumers, especially young people, are gravitating to); even visiting amusement parks to see clever promotions — and clear my head with a good roller-coaster ride.

5. Pay attention to what’s in my peripheral vision. Sometimes personalities, trends, memes, and fads pop up suddenly out of the clutter — and I want to catch them early and see if my clients can incorporate them into their marketing campaigns.

6. Keep expectations in check when it comes to the human element. Whether it’s mom bloggers or celebrity spokespersons or Vine creators, they may be able to do great things to help a campaign — but they’re also human, and can crash and burn. I need to have other tools in my tool belt, ready to go.

7. Take a different celebrity publicist to lunch once a month. I’m fascinated by this side of the business, and while I collaborate with many celebrity publicists on behalf of my clients every year, we rarely take the time to meet in person. But in keeping with resolution #4, I vow to get out there more. Because no matter how great e-mail and social media are, having an in-person relationship almost always makes for a better working relationships.

8. Beef up my guest lecturing. I used to teach an Entertainment PR class at California State University Fullerton, but had to quit when business got busy. That shouldn’t stop me from accepting invitations to guest lecture. There’s nothing like being on a college campus to keep you feeling fresh and on top of the latest trends. And guest lecturing helps to hone those presentation skills for a new-business pitch.

9. Pick my clients carefully. I never want to say no, and I certainly hate to turn down a paycheck, but if my gut says trouble, I need to listen to it. Life is too short to work with impossible clients, or those with whom I can’t make a good match no matter how hard I try.

10. Recharge my batteries. Entertainment PR can suck you dry if you let it. There’s always a story to pitch or a special event to plan in this line of work — and sometimes I forget that I need to “let it go” (as the song says) occasionally. I’ll be no good to my clients if I’m not good to myself. So yes, I’ll try to eat well, exercise, rest, and take vacations (even if they’re short ones). They’ll thank me for it.

Happy new year!