“My website guy said WordPress was going to be easy.” He lied. Sorry. I’ve been building custom websites with WordPress for over 10 years and I haven’t used the word “easy” to describe it yet. It’s confusing, unfriendly, needlessly complex, and changes on a near-monthly basis. Yet it powers over 40% of all the websites […]
Thoughts
Spreadsheet marketing
Is it true that 50% of the money I spend on digital advertising is wasted? No. It’s more like 80%. How is that possible? Fraud mostly. From countless middlemen and opaque foreign distribution platforms. Followed closely by incompetence, indifference, and denial. And, of course, hapless marketing agencies, who think they know how to buy pay-per-click […]
Call-to-action buttons
“Do I really need nine call-to-action buttons on my home page?” No. God no. Button madness. It’s real trendy these days to stuff as many call-to-action buttons onto a web page as possible. You can thank the fans of a wildly popular “storytelling” framework for this annoying fad. According to them, your website visitors are […]
Social media activity
I own a small business. Do I really need to be active on all social media channels? Yeah, maybe. 90% of life is showing up. Just because you don’t like a particular social media channel, doesn’t mean that your potential customers don’t. I’m not suggesting that you post five times a day on every social […]
Inexpensive marketing machines
It’s either an expensive website or an inexpensive marketing machine. You decide. Really expensive websites fail daily. Why? Because a website is only the beginning. Lots of people think they can just build a fancy website or online store and the sales will come tumbling in. That’s not gonna happen. Launching a website isn’t the […]
What is messaging?
What’s the difference between copywriting and messaging? Attitude. Just be yourself. Some marketing agencies will try to convince you that website “messaging” is some sort of magical communication tactic. They may even try to sell you an expensive messaging workshop or “masterclass.” Honestly, it’s not that complicated. Messaging is just content with an attitude. If you write with clarity, warmth, and personality, you’ll be fine.
Most marketing experts
What’s the biggest problem with most marketing experts? They’re not. Uh-oh. 86% of your marketing is either ignored or misattributed to a different brand. Why? Because most marketing “experts” read the wrong books, listen to the wrong people, and get their training from YouTube videos. A lot of web designers offer marketing services. Most shouldn’t […]
It’s a profit center
It’s not a cost.It’s not an expense.It’s not an investment. It’s a profit center. You get what you pay for. A well built, high-performance custom website is not a cost, it’s not an expense, it’s not an investment. It’s a profit center. You’ll make far more money from your website than we ever will.
How to fail at marketing
Running a successful business can be a terrible burden. Exhaustion, long hours, no vacations, and little time for your family or hobbies. You’re obviously doing something right if your business is performing beyond your wildest expectations. But there’s no need to suffer when the cure is right in front of you: Stop being a great […]
Sporadic Incentives
Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn keep users engaged through random rewards, sporadic incentives, and other nasty tricks. All powered by soulless algorithms. How social media keeps you addicted Have you ever wondered why some of your Facebook or Instagram posts get so much more reach than others, for no apparent reason? […]
