Archive of posts from March 2023

We forget why we got into all this stuff.

The skills you’re known for… the services you offer…

…why do you do those things? Why do you pursue what you pursue?

One reason could be that you’re chasing the status quo or social pressure.

Another reason could be that you’re trying to be the person your six year old self would think is the coolest ever.

I know which one motivates me more! How about you?

Patience today usually lead to Growth tomorrow.

Impatience today usually leads to tomorrow being just like today.

Choose your weapon wisely, intentionally, and mindfully.

Then remind yourself why you chose that one, every morning.

See what it does to your energy throughout the week.

What can Bomberman teach us about growing businesses?

• Safety first (hustle and get rekt)
• Be strategic (good placement, chain-reactions)
• Keep calm (when it gets too crazy, take breaks)
• Invest in yourself (grab all the power-ups)

Lessons can be found from such unlikely places, if you know to look.

We all need YOU to show up as YOU:

• Being logical makes no sales.
• Being sensible earns no attention.
• Being like the others earns no media.
• Being safe earns no fans.

So why force yourself to be logical, sensible, normal and safe

…When you can be the real, authentic, weirdo version of yourself?

People love:

• Marketing
• Buying stuff
• Referring others
• Buying again

They just hate:

• No-context marketing
• Being sold to
• Feeling chased
• Feeling upsold

Bad news for most internet marketers.

Great news for you.

ChatGPT is super-popular right now. GPT-4 launched, then plug-ins… All eyes are on AI.

But the ability to generate fast-food content was never what the market values most.

The market values taste, context, and fit for purpose.

Taste: The ability to discern what what great looks and feels like, without reference. It requires mastery over your craft.

Context: The ability to meet people where they are, rather than distracting or interrupting. It requires knowing your people.

Fit for purpose: THe ability to create precisely what a market needs, before they necessarily know themseles. It requires knowing your people.

And while knowing people at a macro-level is done best by machines… Knowing your specific people is done best by people who care most.

That’s where you can shine.

So show up with love in your heart for your choice of market, then show them what you’re capable of.

We need you. We need your humanity.

Great digital product marketing is like a Tamagotchi.

It gets the 3 most important elements right.

Do them and become just as addictive:

1. Find the right ‘beep’

When a Tamagotchi beeps, it has its owner’s attention. A ‘beep’ attracts your target market’s attention because:

- They know it’s for them - They know it’s something they want - They know it’ll be fun

Others interrupt. You beep.

2. Invite them to play with you

After a Tamagotchi beeps, you have to work out why. By playing with it. Give users what they want by:

• Inviting them in • Launching them into action • Rewarding that action

Others have nurture sequences. You already made their day.

3. Build a ritual

Handling the Tamagotchi beep was fun. You want to do it again for more rewards. Ritual unlocked:

• When can I do that again? • What else can I do for reward? • I must return to keep progress

Others focus on churn. You focus on current user retention rates.

Use all 3 = be as addictive as a Tamagotchi.

1. Beep 2. Invite

1. Ritual

When you’re struggling to get your words out, this makes everything easier.

Words aren’t hard because you have nothing of value to say. You’ve SO much of value to share with the world. The challenge is simply in getting it out, right?

So. When writing feels hard, or it comes out dry, the fastest way to make it feel more personal, relatable, interesting and real is to add just one line to the beginning, and one line to the end.

The line at the beginning? “Dear Son”.

And the line at the end? “Love, Dad”.

I’d pondered doing this for a while. But now, as a Dad, it makes so much more sense.

Next time you write something, give it a try. It will make it flow better for you.

Is good work enough?

Nope. You need it to spread, and for that you need good reach.

Is good work and good reach enough?

Nope. Then you need a bit of good luck.

Why?

Because the whole world is congregating online and competing for the same resources. Sometimes, things work out for some folks faster than others. Sometimes, your ‘break’ takes longer. Sometimes, much longer.

But that’s okay.

Nail the first two.

Keep them both up, even when it seems futile.

The third hits eventually, precisely for people who do.

When we say “that takes ages”, we tend to mean it as a bad thing.

When deciding how to build a body of work, “that’ll take a long time” is usually what is said right before the scope gets cut so that it can be achieved with less effort in less time.

But what if time was a feature?

What if the fact that it took you 100 hours instead of 10 hours – a real labour of love – is precisely the reason your choice of market will appreciate it so much?

What if the fact that it cost you quantifiably more resources, money, energy and effort – a journey that led to some of your best work – is precisely the sort of thing we should share in our sales letters and our love letters?

What if the gravity of the task ahead is something that would get more media attention, more presales, and more followers than the simpler, cut-down, half-as-good version you were thinking of reducing your work to, simply because you adopted the venture and dared to try?

If you write a great tweet but no one clicks ‘Like’, did it stop being great? Or is it still a great tweet, that would have benefitted from more algorithmic reach were you to have promoted it more?

If you make a great product but no one buys it, did it stop being great? Or is it still a great product, that simply needs more promotional activity to reach those who would gladly buy it?

If you run a great promotional campaign, but no one clicks or buys, did it stop being great? Or is it that the campaign lacked a great product or service to direct attention toward?

People are quick to dismiss something as not great without looking at the data.

If you’re doubting your skills, your product or your business…

…Maybe 99% of what you’re doing is great.

Maybe you’re just 1% away.

I taught myself how to draw, write, code, sell, animate, edit, network, promote, manage.

And before each one, I was convinced I wouldn’t be able to.

Yet for some reason, I went for it anyway despite that feeling, and proved myself wrong.

If you’re doubting yourself and think it’s something that will hold you back, think again. I later learned it’s a sign of intelligence to question that which is unproven. So doubt. Be unsure. Second-guess yourself. Wake up sometimes wondering what in the hell you’re doing.

And then choose to be crazy enough to do it anyway.

You don’t need to be certain.

You just need a little bit of crazy.

Corporations used to be the content. Now it’s creators.

Corporations used to manage the distribution. Now it’s creators.

Corporations used to power market innovation. Now it’s creators.

Corporations used to run your favourite channels. Now it’s creators.

Corporations used to offer the best customer service. Now it’s creators.

Corporations used to power the brands we love. Now it’s creators.

The future is creators.

The best YouTube channels don’t have the most videos.

The most profitable businesses don’t have the most product lines.

The most effective weekly plans don’t have the most action items.

The best books don’t have the most pages.

The best movies don’t have the longest runtimes.

The best restaurants don’t have the longest menus.

‘More’ isn’t always the answer.

Big businesses don’t care. You’re a number there.

Small businesses were the home of care. You went there to not be a number.

But the more small businesses try to become big businesses, the more they sacrifice what makes them special: care.

And while they’re busy chatbotting away their customer interactions and SOPing away the passion for their craft in pursuit of scale, customers are left to wonder…

…Should I just go with a bigger operation, if I’m a being treated like a number anyway?

…Or perhaps I should move over to this other small business where the founder remembered it was my son’s birthday this month.

Small isn’t weak. Neither is Big. But you’re vulnerable when you’re small and don’t care.

What makes a great brand?

A great brand might be one you wouldn’t want to wear on a keychain or hoodie. One that represents a trusted advisor or friend that you tell others about whenever it makes sense too. But putting your friend on a hoodie is weird.

A great brand might be one you absolutely would wear on a keychain or hoodie. One that represents your interests, desires, or ideals that you tell others about whenever it makes sense to. But calling it your trusted friend is weird.

These definitions are at odds with each other.

Yet they’re both great brands.

Maybe it’s not “one size fits all”.

Maybe you’re free to define greatness for yourself and just be that.

Permission granted!

Writing isn’t about writing.

Writing copy & scripts is:

• 50% knowing your audience
• 20% mentally entering their universe
• 20% mentally building worlds in that universe
• 10% writing & testing

The words are a by-product of a job well done.

If you run an ad, what happens?

You show up, directing people to your thing, right up until the point when you don’t show up anymore.

Then you’re gone, invisible.

What if you create the best videos and resources you can, then publish those online?

You show up and, when you’re gone, they’ll still be there helping people who, in turn, invite others.

What if you create that repository of value, then advertise that, what happens?

You introduce new people to a world of value to expedite the flywheel.

Worth thinking about. It helps make sense of the options available to you.

Most business automation is silly.

If you go down the rabbit hole far enough, you’ll wind up getting Slack notifications about changes in a Google Sheet about Slack messages about your business automation Google Sheet.

(If you know, you know!)

There are 3 types of business automation:

The first is as above. Very silly.

The second makes customers feel like they’re a number, forcing them through forms and documents that scream, “I did not make this for you”. Pushing customers away is also silly.

The third kind makes customers feel like they’re the most important person in the world, augmenting your emotional labour with pre-prepared resources that take them to a whole other level.

That’s something worth having.

The rest is silly.

If it grows your business or makes lots of money…

…but it causes ongoing stress for and your family…

…is it really progress?

Quandries like this are created every day. Entrepreneurs who hustled themselves into a hole. Talented individuals who build rods for their own backs. This happens because they didn’t realise that progress and happiness are subjective, not objective.

What is progress and happiness for someone else may not look like progress or happiness for you. And that’s okay. We’re all different, we all want slightly different lives. Be sure to define what they mean for you before you risk doing more harm than good.

Your inbox is about to get swamped.

So will your Twitter feed.

And your Linkedin timeline.

ChatGPT took the effort out of OK, personalised content.

The cold email game will change. Social media marketing will change. It all changes.

And you should be worried.

IF, your plan was to produce OK, personalised content.

But IF your plan was to do something different… something better… something more human, more thoughtful, something more contextually relevant to those you serve…

…then you have nothing to worry about at all.

Because those games were never won based on your ability to produce more words per minute.

They were won by how well you knew the person on the other side of the screen.

And they’ll continue to be won that way.

When we learn a new skill, we start simple:

• Work out the fundamentals
• Work out how to do the basics

Then we have a choice to make.

The first option, is to get fancy:

• Toy with many styles and approaches
• Go shallow in a hundred directions
• Embelish the work with various tricks

The second option, is to get good:

• Master the fundamentals
• Master the basics

Those who go with the first option can show off.

Those who go with the second option can do anything they want.

Normal doesn’t work.

Weird works.

Perhaps you’re a control-freak at work. You’re always told you shouldn’t be. But what if you are? And what if it’s part of what causes your precise work to thrive in a sea of people who can’t sweat the details? In the toy market, folks like Paul Budnitz openly confess to being a control-freak. It’s nothing to be ashamed of if you can make it work.

Perhaps you hate working with others. You’re always told you shouldn’t. But what if you do? And what if it’s part of what makes your nimble work to iterate quickly in a sea of people who need eight meetings to decide anything? In the startup world, the creator economy is full of solo and small operations. It’s nothing to be ashamed of if you can make it work.

Perhaps you value different things to others. You’re always exposed to people finding it odd. But what if you do? And what if it’s a part of what makes you genuinely happy in a sea of people who are just trying to impress each other with status symbols? In life, chasing after things you don’t want to impress people you don’t like is a lousy goal.

Normal doesn’t work.

Weird works.

Be weird.

What makes marketing or business advice ‘right’?

Is it because it worked for someone else? Does that automatically mean it works well for you? What suits the appetite or personality of one person does not automatically suit another, and that’s okay.

Is it because it’s widely considered to be a ‘best practice’? Does that automatically mean it works well for your project or market? What suits the behaviour or lifestyle of one group of people does not automatically suit another, and that’s okay.

Some projects benefit from a community, and others, an audience.

Some people benefit from working alone, and others, in a team.

Some people thrive on the diversity of multiple projets, and others, hate the idea.

Don’t search for right.

FInd right for you.

Are you stealing?

Making a contract then breaking it is stealing promised resources from someone who trusted you. Whether you committed to rendering a service or paying funds as it was understood by another, walking away is stealing.

Not taking initiative is stealing opportunity from you and those around you. Whether you want to step up and have a conversation that could lead to the work you want, or you didn’t step away from something toxic, saying ‘Yes’ to what you have (when you don’t like it) is saying ‘No’ to everything you don’t (but would have had were you to have been brave).

Keep your promises. Be brave. You owe it to yourself, your family, and those you work alongside.

Why do we assume all of the numbers will keep going up?

Steward Brand expected the human population to peak around 8 billion then drop dramatically.

He made that prediction when we were 6.8 billion. We crossed 8 last November.

The United Nations also recognise we’re slowing down.

When a business model is based on requiring a constant, never-ending, insatiable need for ‘more’, it will eventually buckle under its own weight.

Because sometimes, there isn’t more.

But when we focus on less…

On being right for a chosen few…

Then, we don’t need to worry about burning through people like a non-renewable fuel source.

Then, we get to simply remain the best in the world for our choice of market.

When you’re brave enough to focus on less, you’re able to do so much more.

We make things hard.

Yep, you do too.

When we have a great idea and bandwidth for it, we could just force it to fit into 5 steps and complete the first one today. Or, we could just say, “That’s nice!” and wave the idea on its merry way.

But we don’t do that. We make lists. Lots and lots of lists. And we research. We stress about how much research there is to do, and how there are too many tasks to do. It could be forced to be easy, instead we force it to be hard.

Even something as simple as visting relatives for a weekend is made hard. We could just keep a sticky note somewhere, with 5 things to remember when you go written on it. Instead there’s last-minute stressing, turning around just before you hit the highway because of something you forgot, and all manner of other avoidable nonsense.

Most of us make things harder than they need to be.

Try bringing some ease to the party.

It’s there, hiding somewhere, waiting for you to find it.

We’ve heard it online before many times.

Google Analytics was demed illegal by a court. We must all turn it off immediately. Subscribe to something else, or else.

Now, I’m not at all against other tools. Heck, I’ve been a Fathom analytics subscriber for years as an alternate data source. But I am against lies, half-truths, and marketing predicated on fear.

And the truth is, it’s a consent matter, not a service matter. Google Analytics uses cookies. Deploying services that use cookies without consent is a breach of privacy.

In that instance, the service didn’t breach privacy. The deployer did.

The solution is to ask for permission before placing cookies on a device.

That way, people can then choose either to accept those cookies (consent) or reject them (no consent). A cookie consent window can be a few simple lines javascript, which your tag manager can watch for prior to deploying tags that deploy cookies of their own.

There are many wonderful technologies out there, and heaps of opportunity to build great things using them.

As digital creators, we all benefit when we tell the whole truth (“consent required” and “Google Analytics bad” are very different messages) while also supporting independents (such as Fathom and Plausible) at our discretion.

We don’t need to pick sides. We can do both.

And the whole market moves forward so much faster when we do.

Is it time to build, or promote? They can’t exist without each other. Both deserve attention.

Is it time to network, or pitch? Too much of one without the other and the results won’t be there.

Is it time for code, or marketing? There’s even a website to tell you the answer!

Perhaps one of these combinations sound familiar. Or maybe you have a different conflict you’re trying to balance in your world.

The trick is to plan for both, and not feel bad about not doing the one we’re not doing.

It will receive just as much enthusiasm, fervour and focus from you as this one does right now.

Lean in, focus, and enjoy the diversity.

I have a difficult time with ‘good enough’.

Some work can’t tolerate ‘good enough’, like:

• pacemaker manufacturing
• invasive surgery
• payroll

Get these things wrong, and someone is going to be either very upset, or dead.

Most work has a threshold of ‘good enough’ past which there are diminishing returns, like:

• code formatting
• animated rig node structure
• email campaigns
• website design
• social media management

It’s worth remembering that, unless you’re working on things in the first list, there is room for some error. There is room for mistakes that can later be fixed. There is permission to try, fail, and try again.

That permission is precisely which leads to them being ‘exactly right’ anyway.

Edutainment is a superpower.

Products using it do NOT have traffic problems.

7 simple ways to start using it Right Now:

1. Tell a fun story. We love stories
2. Have a personality. We bond with those
3. Make it simple. Complexity obstructs fun
4. Use humour. Most are too afraid to!
5. Gamify your CTA. So people want to click
6. Put on a show. Eg cartoons stand out among videos
7. Give us something to look forward to

No one likes boring.

But everyone likes stuff they find fun.

Give them more of that.