Should you wash
your produce thoroughly
before selling it
at a farmers’ market?
Logic would say
you should.
But humans
aren’t logical beings.
There was a study
by the National Farmers’ Market
Association
that found
consumers were willing to pay
25% more for the exact same produce
if it came dirty.
Why?
Because they feel dirty produce
is ‘proof’
it came directly
from the farm.
Don’t wash
your produce
before selling it
at a farmers’ market.
The alternatives to Twitter
(or X
or whatever he’s calling the site
today)
all currently suck.
They’re new.
They have bugs.
They don’t yet have
the customer base
to make it
worth a big company’s while
to invest time into.
And I suspect
only one of them
will survive.
I’m investing a bit
of time into them,
however.
Why?
Because some of
the big influencers
in my industry are doing the same.
And because
there aren’t many people
using the sites right now,
they are willing to follow
and promote…
me
and my books (products).
That is exposing my books (products)
to huge new-to-me readerships (customers).
And I’m building relationships
with these influencers.
Consider joining
the Twitter alternatives.
On the world’s largest
online bookseller,
I received 50% of the number
of written reviews
on my most recent release
versus
the previous release.
The number of star ratings
remained roughly the same.
Many of my buddies
are seeing the same drop.
I don’t know the cause.
It could be
people are super busy.
Or they struggle
with writing reviews now.
Or there is a change
with the bookseller’s process.
I know
quite a few
business builders
sell products on this online retailer.
Don’t be alarmed
if the number of written reviews
you receive on your products
has decreased.
It is happening
to many of us.
I posted on social media
that, when I’m seeking to share news
about a writer’s works,
I share their pinned post first.
A writer commented
and said her promo was
in her profile.
Would I promote that?
F*ck no.
If a person is too lazy
to craft a post for me to share,
I’m not sharing sh*t for them.
Good promo posts
take time to craft.
I ain’t doing all that work
for random writers.
Or even for best friends.
If you want people
to share your promotional material,
get off your a$$
and create the f*ckin’ promotional materials
(or pay someone to create it
for you).
Don’t expect unpaid people
to put in work
to promote your products/services.
I can’t believe
this has to be said.
But I guess it does.
‘Influencers’ claim people
should change their bath towels
every two years
or they lose their effectiveness.
This is, of course,
bullsh*t.
I have rotated between
two bath towels
for well over two decades
and they remain ‘effective’
and soft.
The push to replace
bath towels after two years
is artificial obsolescence.
It is a marketing campaign
to sell more bath towels.
And…
it works!
Most people I know
replace their bath towels
every two years.
Can you use
artificial obsolescence
to sell more
of your products?
A buddy runs
a popular How To site.
She told me
that, according to her recent survey,
over 90% of her followers
didn’t complete
the simple How To task
in her most popular video.
They seem to like
knowing all about the process.
They don’t seem
to ever plan
to implement that process
themselves.
What does this mean?
It means
we don’t have to worry
about showing customers or prospects
how we do general things.
(Of course,
we shouldn’t share
exclusive-to-us
secrets
that give us
a competitive advantage.)
I, for example,
can talk about
how I create a story
and I don’t have to be concerned
that my readers will write their own books
and stop reading mine.
Most of them
won’t put the knowledge
I’m giving them
into practice.
Embrace
How To tips
as marketing content.
A loved one
is going through
a tough time financially.
They are between jobs.
I’ve been sending them funds
in the form of checks
every month.
They have gently requested
I eTransfer the money
as that would be easier
for them.
Easier isn’t the point.
The friction is deliberate.
I want them
to notice the fund transfer.
I’m sacrificing to send them
this money.
I want them
to appreciate that help.
Forcing them
to handle the check
does this.
Friction CAN add value
to a process.
Use it
to help you achieve
your goals.
If there is one post
I make on social media
I least want shared,
THAT will be the one
everyone shares.
That happens
every d@mn time.
It usually is a post
that isn’t focused
on the books (products)
I’m trying to sell.
So I ensure
one of my books (products)
is featured in my profile photo.
I ensure the links
to buy that book
are highly visible
And I ensure
I’m okay
with EVERY post I craft
going viral
and influencing brand perception.
We can’t control
what other people share.
Ensure sharing
of ANY post
benefits you.
I went to a fancy restaurant recently.
The presentation of the food
and the ambience
was amazing,
absolutely beautiful.
The food was average.
But everyone raved about it
because it looked so pretty.
Presentation matters.
Pay attention
to your packaging,
to the appearance of your products,
to the state of the spaces
your customers see.
It WILL make a difference
to your customers’ perceptions
of your business.
I’ve seen quite a few posts
from people
thrilled to have
all their social media platforms
owned by one company.
Speaking as someone
who has lost
one of her social media platforms
for no valid reason
(and yes, that social media platform
was owned by that one company),
you don’t want one company
to own all your social media platforms.
When you give banned
from one platform,
you’ll be banned
from all of them.
And, if you are running a business,
there is a good chance
you WILL be banned
from one of your social media platforms.
You could get hacked.
You could receive a complaint.
You could be selling
a product/service
that social media platform owner
doesn’t approve of.
Heck, you could be a person
that social media platform owner
doesn’t like.
Poof.
All your contacts
on all your social media platforms
are gone.
Ensure all of your social media platforms
aren’t owned by one big company.
Mitigate your risk.
And ensure you own
at least one online contact point.