Why? Because it’s a way to scale up. Maybe I can save more people time. Maybe I can learn from more people. Maybe I can create more value for each hour that I spend.
It’s easy to see what success could look like, down that path. Sometimes I’m envious of blogs with tens of thousands of subscribers and hundreds of comments per post.
But then reading and responding to comments takes time, and other people glaze over when they see pages and pages. It’s okay. I like where we are – maybe half a dozen comments or so on a good post, and I feel good about writing many paragraphs in reply. I’m not entirely sure if I’m just sour-graping, but it makes sense. This is manageable. Slightly more is okay too, but we can grow slowly so that I can learn the skills I need along the way.
Sometimes I wonder if this should be more like other blogs. But then that’s a well-travelled path, with lots of other people exploring it and plenty of people willing to sell you courses along the way. I have this amazing opportunity to try something different. I should.
Actually, I already know what I should do: what works for me, what I should do more. The enduring posts on my blog are tech notes (Emacs, Drupal, etc.) and sketches. People also tell me they find this sort of reflective practice—this learning-out-loud—helpful. I can continue like this, growing slowly through links and search results. Instead of spending hours on blog marketing, I can spend hours on learning and writing.
It’s good to reflect on what works or doesn’t work for you. A clear no saves you time and anxiety. I’ve figured out ways to hack around my introversion, and maybe the same will be true for blogging.
So here, I think, is how I’ll grow this blog compared to the “typical” advice:
So this blog will grow, slowly, sustainably, in a way that feels comfortable for me.
That said, are there small things I can do to make it easier for you or other people to take advantage of what I know? Is there something I can do to lower the barrier to commenting or help people explore? I’d love to hear from you!
]]>Accounting and paperwork was the first hurdle. I wanted to incorporate right away to have that separation between me and the company, so that any mistakes I might make wouldn’t bring us all down with it. It was probably unnecessary, but it was good to know that as long as I paid attention to the details, we’d be okay.
For the most part, D.I.Y. paperwork has been sufficient. I filed my articles of incorporation online, registered my company with the Canada Revenue Agency. It took me a while to sort out getting a business credit card, but it was straightforward once I did so. There were a few stressful evenings of forum research and fact-checking on government websites, such as when I decided to cancel my cellphone claims and ended up owing additional taxes. (It turned out to be just a few dollars’ worth.) Reading entrepreneur forums like the ones at Red Flag Deals helped me watch out for common pitfalls, such as the installment payments that automatically kick in after you reach a certain income tax threshold. I’m still postponing the paperwork needed to figure out how to get money out of the company. One step at a time.
I’ve grown to like that separation of saying, “This contract is between your company and my company,” or “The business will invest in buying ____.” It forces me to make decisions: is this worthwhile for the business? I have a trade name now, although I’ve kept the main company as a numbered company so that I can stick all sorts of other experiments underneath it.
If I were to do it again – or even now – I’d love to have an accountant whom I could e-mail questions periodically. I’d still want to keep a close eye on my books, and my transaction volume is low enough that I can handle things myself with Quickbooks. It would be good to have someone doublecheck things, though, and answer my questions.
One of the things that makes it easier for me is knowing that this too is an experiment, and that I can start up a different company with a different structure in order to try out other things. I don’t have to get everything gold-plated the first time around.
That’s the paperwork and accounting part of the business, which is usually a thorn in people’s sides, but which has turned out to be doable and even a fulfilling Friday afternoon routine.
Sales and marketing were other parts of business that I’ve heard many fellow geeks gripe about, so I wanted to find out what both of those were really like. Most freelancers I know have their plates full with referrals and repeat clients, and many don’t actively sell their services. I was lucky to have had clients for consulting and contracting right away, thanks to personal networks and my blog.
In the past few months, I’ve been making myself scale back consulting so that I can force myself to learn more about sales and marketing. Digital conference sketchnoting gave me a great excuse to try it out. Sketchnotes are visual. People have built businesses around this before. Businesses have bought services like this before, although generally in other cities. The sales approach would be to reach out to conference organizers and event agencies, while the marketing approach might involve posting sketchnotes and resources for organizers. Illustration is a complementary service, too, and there are other services I can cross-sell.
Here’s what I’ve come to enjoy about sales:
My marketing has been a gradual process of building up my website and sharing more resources. I enjoyed designing a logo and thinking about how to explain what I do. I’m glad I can build my own website and tweak it based on the ideas I have. New entrepreneurs are usually advised to outsource web design and development, but I think there’s value in creating my own simple site and evolving it over time. There’s still so much more to learn.
Looking back at this first year of my experiment, I think that the overhead of building my own business has been more than worth it. Many people see paperwork, sales, and marketing as distractions from the fun stuff, the work that they actually enjoy doing. For me, these activities are like programming, although in a slightly different form. It’s like learning more about the APIs (application programming interfaces) of the world, exploring the standards and specifications to find out what’s required from me and what’s possible. It’s like developing procedures, dealing with bugs, and improving algorithms. It’s like playing around with an interface until you figure out something that flows.
I’m glad I started this experiment. It’s difficult to imagine a career path within a company that would shift me from development (which I’m good at and which I still enjoy) to learning more about sales, marketing, and finance (which I’d have no qualifications for, and which I’d probably be terrible at in the beginning). It isn’t optimal. It doesn’t make sense. On my own, I can make that decision to temporarily give up some productivity in favour of building a useful combination of capabilities, and then see where I can go from there. I am less awesome a developer than I could have been if, say, I’d spent a year intensely working with Rails in a boutique web development agency, but this combination of tech and business and creative and communication will probably come in handy someday.
I think this will give me a great foundation for further experiments. I spent the first year of my experiment learning that it’s not that scary to create something and get to the first sale. I’d like to spend the next year getting even better at taking a business from the sparkle in one’s eye to a prototype that people can look at, sign up for, or buy, learning more and more about de-risking ideas. Then three years to see what I can do with those skills, and then my first evaluation: back to the world of other people’s ideas, or onward with developing mine?
I’ll still need to keep working on the fundamentals over the next year, of course. Some of the things I want to learn or practise include:
This experiment rocks.
]]>In this marketing webinar hosted by Pardot, Mathew Sweezey shared tips on setting up a drip nurturing program for marketing and sales support. Click on the image to view a larger size, and feel free to share this with attribution!
Pardot has many other webinars and recordings, so check them out if you’re curious about marketing automation.
Like this? Browse through my other sketchnotes, including my visual summary of The 5 Key Elements of a Better B2B Content Marketing Strategy by Nolin LeChasseur. I sketchnote technology/business conferences and presentations – if that sounds interesting, get in touch!
Text:
THE VERY VERSATILE DRIP
Mathew Sweezey
Dec 6 2012
Pardot
Email marketing
Drip nurturing
one-to-one conversations!
#1 LOOK AT MARKETING LIKE SALES LOOKS AT DEALS
Unidentified need -> Identified need not yet ready -> Starting to evaluate
competitive vs greenfield
Figure out your stages and buying cycles
#2 RELEVANT
context intelligence -> communication (must be relevant!)
Not just automation!
Relevance is key.
#3 NOT E-MAIL MARKETING AS YOU KNOW IT
HTML? marketer
One-to-one relationship
inbox = battlefield
Make it feel like a one-to-one email (rich text)
#4 HAVE A GOAL, THEN STICK TO IT!
(I feel bad not working with this guy.. He’s so ATTENTIVE)
Lost a deal? Nurture the relationship!
#5 USE THAT COLD DATABASE
Value per lead x Size of database = $$$
* maximize your database
* Find leads that slipped through cracks
#6 GIVE SALES AN EXCUSE.
Don’t get overwhelmed!
Sales drip = great ROI
Marketing – Sales
Bridge the gap
expecially for prospects that are challenging
engaged -> excuse to call (Whew!)
PROBLEMS/GOALS
cold database
automate lead nurturing
event pre-/post-follow ups
cold marketing/cold sales
competitive
lost deal
TYPES
3..2..1
start with stage 3, then 2, then 1
Good for cold databases, tradeshow lists..
Why reverse?
Engage HOT prospects right away!
Event-specific
straightforward
Stage-specific
Give people “carrots” to encourage them to move stages
Straight
simplest drip goal: engage, excuse to reach out
(Give me your best emails)
(Thought you might enjoy this..)
..doesn’t have to be your stuff
Nurture relationship
Q&A:
Q: Whitepaper vs video for scoring?
A: Topic, sales readiness
Q: Rich text vs images?
A: Images often make people think “marketing!” Images okay if fake-forwarded.
FWD:…
Hey take a look at this
Q: # of emails?
A: Start small. 3 emails, ~12-18 days. Then more. Iterate.
Test List. at least 1 day before. ALWAYS.
Q: Length?
A: 1 goal, 1-2 actions
Q: Replace e-mail blasts?
A: Nope.
Q: Bcc?
A: Not needed – CRM, reply.
Q: Timing?
A: Overanalyzed
Q: Timing?
A: Ask your salespeople. 6-45 days is good. -> not twice in a week
Q: From?
A: Depends, can be dynamic.
Q: Not engaging?
A: Don’t remove the, keep on going.
Click on the image to see a larger version.
For more details, check out the slides and the video of a previous talk!
Like this? Check out my other sketchnotes for business- and technology-related visual summaries. Want me to draw for you? Get in touch!
Text:
The 5 Key Elements of a Better B2B Content Marketing Strategy
CUSTOMER-focused content that demonstrates ExPERTISE
– supports programs
– easy to share
– measurable performance
BETTER CONTENT IS NOT ABOUT YOU
Solve problems
Google – popular searches: Not branding, but problem solving
Key questions:
What’s my problem? Define, build consensus
– Trends
– Benchmarks
– Analysts
– 101, How-to
How do I fix it? Different approaches
– Comparisons
– Assessments
– Pitfalls
Are you right for me? Credentials, decisions
– How to buy
– Business case
– Expertise
Align it with your programs!
Acquire -> Nurture -> Determine sales readiness
1. PRIORITIZE MEASURABLE OBJECTIVES
Awareness: Find you
Acquiring prospects: Identify and give permission
Nurturing prospects: Active, Engaged; Segmented interest, profile info
Determining sales readiness: Qualified leads, readiness to buy
(Retain/cross-sell/upsell)
2. ARTICULATE THE BUSINESS YOU’RE IN USING CUSTOMER TERMS
I’m in the good times business.
3. PROFILE TARGET CUSTOMER SEGMENTS
What do your best customers have in common?
Ideal customer?
Events/initiatives that create a need?
Ex: acquisition, repositioning
4. IDENTIFY CONTENT THAT’S WORKING NOW
What? How organized? Most engaging? What do people like about it?
Repurpose: anything > 5 min, split it up and repurpose
Make sure this is aligned with your business
5. DEVELOP CONTENT ALIGNED WITH WHAT YOUR CUSTOMER WANTS TO KNOW
Use their words
How to… Should we… How do I… Comparing… Do I need… Choosing…
Post-it notes: Group based on key questions, topics: 3-6 works well
Measure! Categories: engaging?
Reorganize: Format -> Customer needs
Examples: Empathica, STR, Livingston, Hubwoo
]]>Dragging an Organization into the Digital Age – Sarah Major and Jeanie Hendrie
7 Steps to Social Media Success, Richard Marginson
Like these? Check out sketchnotes for previous #torontob2b meetups or my other sketchnotes!
Text:
DRAGGING AN ORGANIZATION INTO THE DIGITAL AGE
Sarah Major and Jeanie Hendrie
#torontoB2B
Nov 15, 2012
First!
Content strategy and framework
Current clients start conversations
Associates engage
Prospective associates
Great place to work
Rest of the world
SEO, etc.
Anchor
-> Outpost
-> Outpost
-> Outpost
What questions do clients ask you? What language do they use? -> Organize into framework -> Blog categories (Targeting, Brand strategy, …)
Plan on a page
Goals
Ways of working
…
Translating analogue behaviours to digital
Content strategy is not permanent.
BrainRider
-> Review using data
Analytics: tie it back to goals to make them actionable
Generate Content
Views
Posting momentum
Expand deployment
Reader loyalty
Length of stay
Fostering engagement
Client breakdown
Comments
drum up internal engagement
highlight client comments
Video objectives
Share and celebrate
Recognize and reward
Have fun!
Evolution of SKW
Before and after
Stats
Blog team
Challenge:
Keeping writers writing, otherwise stale!
-> buckets of inspiration
Q: Guest bloggers?
A: Clients co-write some posts. Those are very successful.
Q: Most commented vs most read?
A: Often different.
7 STEPS TO SOCIAL MEDIA SUCCESS
Richard Marginson (@RickyInMotion)
#torontoB2B
Nov 15, 2012
Word of mouth of SUPER STEROIDS
listening
connecting
publishing
Chris Brogan
One-to-one dialogue
1. Got the vision? Get the support!
Not the decision-maker?
GET BUY-IN.
Community manager
monthly, etc.
Steering committee
–agency
Community manager
-SMEs
-Editorial
2. Who knows your BRAND better than
YOU?
Be engaged instead of handing it all
off to an agency.
3. Start with free tools.
Understand what your customers see.
4. Rules and guidelines are important.
– resolve ambiguity
5. Engage!
converse
comment
curate
create
6. you’re already making a ton of
stuff.
Reimagine it for social media
purpose -> content -> measurement
7. Measuring success
mentions per day
positive, negative, neutral
trends, opportunities, threats
Google authorship, Bing and Klout,
Google Panda update
Social proof
Restaurant
full of your friends.
Q: Talking to clients?
A: Survey, key search terms, call
centre, content..
sales team may also know, can
summarize over many customers.
]]>Click on the image for a larger version.
At today’s TorontoB2B Marketers Meetup, Sweeney Williams told us about Canada’s upcoming anti-spam legislation, Ian Fleming shared different approaches to mobile website design, and Scott Armstrong talked about how they’re working on a program-based marketing playbook at Brainrider.
I’ve just put my Evernote sketchnote collection online, and you can browse and search within it on the Web. If you use Evernote, you can add the notebook and browse through it there. =) Enjoy!
Like these? Check out the sketchnote for the previous #torontob2b meetup (lead generation, Q&A) or my other sketchnotes!
]]>Click on the images for larger versions. Feel free to share these under the Creative Commons attribution license.
In Sean O’Donovan’s talk on managing content for lead generation, he shared tips on mapping your content to the customer’s buying journey, repurposing what you have, and making it easier for people to find the information through metacontent and packaging. If you’re having someone else develop your content, it’s a good idea to ask them to develop the promotional materials for it too.
Ben Harrison and Scott Armstrong shared some of their experiences and opened the floor up for Q&A. It was interesting to hear about the marketing side of things.
If you like this, you might also want to check out my sketchnotes from the previous torontob2b meetup:
Other links:
To find out about the next #torontob2b event, check out Brainrider’s events page.
Enjoy!
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