Quick Tip
The Dreaded Megalist
Another one popped its ugly head into my inbox today.
As a student of marketing and advertising, I sign up for a lot of lists and offers. So maybe I get more of them than you do.
I hope so.
Because no one needs
- "151 Marketing Hacks"
- Or "52 Types of Marketing Strategies"
- Or "64 Creative Ideas to Boost Your Business"
I understand why people (mostly marketing folks) create these megalists.
But for people like you and me, they're really not that helpful.
I mean, do you even have enough time to read 151 hacks? Never mind trying to figure out how to apply them to your business.
Having too many options will often cause more harm than good
- by inflicting paralysis by analysis or
- flitting from tactic to tactic, never fully testing one, then deciding that "marketing doesn't work."
Rather than adding the latest megalist to your "someday I'll get to it" pile, focus on the ones.
4 of them, to be exact:
- One way to attract traffic. Paid (e.g., advertising) or Free (e.g., referrals)
- One way to convert traffic into Leads.
- One offer - to convert Leads into Clients.
- One follow-up system - because only 3% of buyers are ready to buy now, but ~50% of those who inquire buy what they inquired about within 18 months.
Tackle those first before you start tinkering with items from the latest megalist.
Yours for smarter marketing,
Bill
913.962.9261
News, Tips, & Tricks
The reciprocity hustle
Reciprocity is something that marketers love to talk about but is often misunderstood. Or maybe misapplied. I see this a lot in professional services and other businesses that rely heavily on referrals.
Seth Godin has a great post that explains why reciprocity might not be working as well, or as immediately, as you would like.
Someone literally broke the internet
The big news of the week so far is that someone broke the internet. Many of the world's biggest websites including Reddit, Amazon, Twitch, CNN, The New York Times, BBC, PayPal, HBO Max, Hulu, PayPal, even the UK government's website appeared to be experiencing outages yesterday morning.
Ironically, people rushed to post messages online that the internet was down.
The problem seems to related to a cloud computing company called Fastly. Things seem to be up and running as I write this. But it's a good reminder - everyone needs a backup plan.
You can read more about the outage here on Mashable and here on CNN and here on The Guardian - and probably everwhere else online by the time this newsletter publishes.
How to Make a Great Facebook Ad (With Examples)
Despite what the iPhone commercials might tell you, Facebook advertising won't be going away anytime soon.
If you're new to Facebook advertising, you'll want to check out this guide, along with examples from the folks at Unbounce.
34 Ways To Improve SEO Rankings in 2021
Need more free traffic to your website? If your website isn't delivering the results you want, it may be time to look at your SEO.
Not sure where to start? The folks at QuickSprout recently shared their 33 Ways to Improve SEO Rankings in 2021
And this...
Here's one way to celebrate a grand opening...
A Nevada bodybuilder crushed a world record when she used her thighs to smash three watermelons in under 8 seconds.
Watch the video - but don't try this at home ;)
Book of the Week
Stop Overthinking: 23 Techniques to Relieve Stress, Stop Negative Spirals, Declutter Your Mind, and Focus on the Present
A lot of consultants, business owners, and other analytical types can get in their own way by overthinking things. If that sounds like you or someone you know, this book is worth getting.
Learn more on Amazon (affiliate link)
Tool of the Week
Find email addresses in seconds
If you do any sort of cold email outreach, Hunter will save you a ton of time searching for the email addresses of the people you want to reach.
Image of the Week
Super Hornet Fighter Jet Re-Fueled by a Drone for the First Time
The MQ-25 Stingray drone was able to successfully attach to and refuel a Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet during a test flight. The drone transferred 325 of the 500 pounds of fuel available during the approximately 4.5-hour test flight.
(Photo courtesy of Boeing)
Like This Newsletter?
Let me know. Reply, email me at Bill[at]RebarBusinessBuilder.com, or find me on LinkedIn to hit me with some feedback. I’d love to know what you think.
Thanks for reading.
Bill
913.962.9261
P.S. - And whenever you are ready, here are 3 ways I can help you grow your business:
1) Get a copy of my new eBook - Break Free From Your Inbox - Spend less time writing emails and more time serving clients. Simply reply to this email with "Inbox" and I'll shoot you a copy.
2) Try the Marketing Mindset Scorecard - See how each mindset is helping to grow or slow your business. Click here
3) Finish those nagging tasks - Day Rate Consults are the fastest, least expensive way to get those pesky marketing tasks off of your to-do list. Learn more...