Jason is an IT Tech and WordPress Web Developer joined forces with Bridget Willard a Twitter Nerd who both love WordPress answer your WordPress Marketing Questions every Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. Pacific
Jason Tucker & Bridget Willard
Our modern world puts up efficient, yet annoying, communication barriers. Market yourself by being reachable and you’ll have a key differentiator. In this episode, Jason and Bridget are joined by Adrian Tobey. We’ll chat about how giving people access to us makes a big difference in our small business marketing. This Week’s Panel Jason Tucker @jasontucker Bridget Willard @bridgetmwillard Adrian Tobey @Groundhoggwp Show Sponsors ServerPress Thank you to ServerPress makers of DesktopServer and WPsitesync for sponsoring our show. How Are You Spending Your Marketing Budget? You could be a show sponsor. Supporting podcasts is a smart use of your marketing budget. We have been sponsored by big brands such as Kinsta, Adobe, and Beaver Builder. Why not get your audience in front of the thousands of people who download this show every month?
It's one thing to network for clients and referrals yet another thing entirely to build a support network. What do we mean by support? Developers and designers don't know everything in their fields. After all, tech changes every 20 minutes. It's easy to become out of touch on an odd client project. Who do you turn to in your network to jog your memory and point you in the right direction? In this episode, Rhonda Negard joins Jason and Bridget to chat about how we all need a circle of peers to lean on. This Week’s Panel Jason Tucker @jasontucker Bridget Willard @bridgetmwillard Rhonda Negard @fatdogcreatives Show Sponsors ServerPress Thank you to ServerPress makers of DesktopServer and WPsitesync for sponsoring our show. How Are You Spending Your Marketing Budget? You could be a show sponsor. Supporting podcasts is a smart use of your marketing budget. We have been sponsored by big brands such as Kinsta, Adobe, and Beaver Builder. Why not get your audience in front of the thousands of people who download this show every month?
It’s easy to keep up a pace when your product launches and you’re riding the wave of adrenaline and podcast slots. What happens 6 months from now or a year later? Will people remember your product? Will you be relevant? In this episode, Jason and Bridget discuss how digital products can stay top-of-mind all the time. If people can’t remember you, they won’t buy your goods — digital or otherwise. This Week’s Panel Jason Tucker @jasontucker Bridget Willard @bridgetmwillard Show Sponsors ServerPress Thank you to ServerPress makers of DesktopServer and WPsitesync for sponsoring our show. How Are You Spending Your Marketing Budget? You could be a show sponsor. Supporting podcasts is a smart use of your marketing budget. We have been sponsored by big brands such as Kinsta, Adobe, and Beaver Builder. Why not get your audience in front of the thousands of people who download this show every month? Tool Or Tip Of The Week This week’s Tool or Tip of the Week is brought to you by The Definitive Guide to Twitter Marketing. Jason Recommends CloudApp and Droplr. Bridget Recommends SparkToro. Time Stamps 00:05:10 “You got to stay top of mind all the time.” Bridget Willard 00:08:43 “But what you can’t measure is how I’m feeling.” Bridget Willard 00:10:43 “They value the people that go, they actually physically go to the event, as well as the people that watch.” Jason Tucker 00:12:56 Jason Talks Tracking Methods 00:15:31 Don’t Forget the Value of Radio 00:18:51 Jason Talks About Automatic Ad Insertion 00:20:32 “Why do you think I harp on Twitter so much? It’s the least expensive way to get eyeballs.” Bridget Willard 00:21:25 “If nobody knows who you are, the ads don’t work.” Bridget Willard 00:22:24 Jason Talks Delivery Vehicles and Social Icons 00:23:36 No, algorithms are like dogs, they do what you train them to do. 00:25:28 Belts Have Twitter Accounts 00:26:35 Texas, Power, and San Antonio and Competing with Big Brands 00:30:15 There is a huge opportunity for WordPress people. 00:34:18 Jason Talks Evergreen and Reporting Content 00:37:02 Jason Talks Walmart, TikTok, and Regional Dialects 00:42:10 One interaction is not enough.
How does a new developer with no street cred market his/her product without WordCamps to help foster those important relationships? “How do they get to pitch/talk to other developers about integrations if they can’t earn that street cred? In this episode, Bridget and Jason will chat with Adrian Tobey of Groundhogg.io. He’ll talk about his experiences marketing from zero in 2018 to 25,000 a month in recurring revenue. This Week’s Panel Jason Tucker @jasontucker Bridget Willard @bridgetmwillard Adrian Tobey @adriantobey Show Sponsors ServerPress Thank you to ServerPress makers of DesktopServer and WPsitesync for sponsoring our show. How Are You Spending Your Marketing Budget? You could be a show sponsor. Supporting podcasts is a smart use of your marketing budget. We have been sponsored by big brands such as Kinsta, Adobe, and Beaver Builder. Why not get your audience in front of the thousands of people who download this show every month?
Value adds are a great way for WordPress Developers to differentiate their services from freelancers and agencies. So many developers launch, bill, and leave. There’s no annual contract, no maintenance, and no support for clients. Here’s your website. Good luck! What if we could change that? What if you could add value (with the current and premium version) of a WordPress plugin? Jason and Bridget will chat about her new plugin. It encourages your clients to blog (read: publish) once a month with best practices in mind. Because the content and framework are in a draft blog post, no need to worry about them messing around in the dashboard or needing admin access. Extend your services. Build with intent. Launch with Words. Learn More About Launch With Words Launch With Words-A WordPress Plugin Small Business Copywriting Plugin -Launch With Words -WordPress plugin – WordPress.org Jump-Start a Year’s Worth of Content via the Launch With Words Plugin – WordPress Tavern Be sure to upvote on Product Hunt Bridget’s Links To Help Developers Website Questionnaire to Give To Clients Information on collecting past due invoices Bridget Willard’s Collections Email and Letter Template Plugin Rank Affiliate Link Content Planner & eBook To Give Clients “webdeveloper” for 50% off How to Market Your Plugin — The Book This Week’s Panel Jason Tucker @jasontucker Bridget Willard @bridgetmwillard Show Sponsors ServerPress Thank you to ServerPress makers of DesktopServer and WPsitesync for sponsoring our show. How Are You Spending Your Marketing Budget? You could be a show sponsor. Supporting podcasts is a smart use of your marketing budget. We have been sponsored by big brands such as Kinsta, Adobe, and Beaver Builder. Why not get your audience in front of the thousands of people who download this show every month? Tool Or Tip Of The Week This week’s Tool or Tip of the Week is brought to you by The Definitive Guide to Twitter Marketing. Jason recommends HomeCam for integrating your Ring (et al) on AppleTV. Bridget recommends Versions for when you just can’t even with SVN and the Plugin Directory. Show Timestamps 00:01:39 Bridget Introduces Herself 00:06:16 “This website is still alive; it’s not a dormant thing.” Jason Tucker 00:06:44 “I feel like people don’t really know me.” Bridget Willard 00:11:44 How do you spend your billable hours? 00:12:41 Why is Launch With Words JSON? 00:14:08 There are no other copywriting plugins. 00:17:31 Ronald Huereca built two plugins. The importer and the one for me. 00:19:03 Behavior Flow since Product Launch 00:19:41 “I am the source of truth for this plugin.” Bridget Willard 00:20:42 “you’re making sure that you’re getting the people that are actually going to interact with the content” Jason Tucker 00:21:52 The Mission of Launch With Words 00:22:39 “Hey, Bridget, what about duplicate content?” 00:23:35 How does the Starter Pack Work? 00:25:28 How often should I publish? 00:26:29 Bridget double-dog dares developers. 00:27:56 The Franchise Industry & Syndicated Content 00:30:38 How Launch With Words is Different — Ideal Use Case 00:32:54 What is the business model for Launch With Words? 00:34:10 “You are on an infomercial. And that’s okay.” Jason Tucker 00:35:06 Jason’s Three-Legged Stool Analogy #MustListen 00:36:35 “I want to make WordPress developers’ lives easier.” Bridget Willard 00:38:06 “So essentially, everyone’s copying a bunch of BS, that isn’t actually like, what you absolutely need in order to be able to launch that site.” Jason Tucker 00:44:28 Partner Together to Get Better Clients
“Managed WordPress Hosting” is as commonly known now, thanks to Sally Strebel as Kleenex. Pagely continues to be a market leader in the hosting space. And they’re privately funded! Their business conference Pressnomics is also Sally’s brainchild and attended by a host of entrepreneurs. In this episode, Sally chats with Bridget and Jason about how our previous experiences can help us see a path forward. Follow Sally Strebel on Twitter @BizGirl “Last, being underestimated is a gift. They’ll never see you coming until they can’t help but notice. If you’re with the right people while that’s happening, there’s no better feeling.” Read her essay, “Marginalized” on HeroPress https://heropress.com/essays/marginalized/ Show Sponsors Desktop Server – ServerPress https://serverpress.com/ WPsitesync https://www.wpsitesync.com/ Become A Patron And Support Us On Patreon!
You know you should have email marketing for your small business, but it leaves you with more questions than answers. No worries. In this episode, Jason and Bridget will be chatting with Tess Wittler, an email newsletter expert. We will discuss some of these strategies in building trust. How being authentic sets you apart What to improve to increase your odds of getting word of mouth referrals How to turn email newsletters into lead generation machines The first question you need to ask before creating your email newsletter How often to publish your email newsletters How to repurpose your newsletter content for social media? ■Panel ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Jason Tucker @jasontucker https://twitter.com/jasontucker Bridget Willard @bridgetmwillard https://twitter.com/bridgetmwillard Tess Wittler @tesswittler https://twitter.com/TessWittler ■Socials ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Twitter ▶ https://twitter.com/wpwatercooler Instagram ▶ https://www.instagram.com/wpwatercooler Instagram ▶ https://www.youtube.com/wpwatercooler Facebook ▶ https://www.facebook.com/wpwatercooler ■Show Sponsors ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Desktop Server – ServerPress https://serverpress.com/ WPsitesync https://www.wpsitesync.com/ ■Are You Looking For Brand Awareness? ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ You could be a show sponsor. Let people know you’re still in business and supporting your products. Supporting podcasts is a great way to repurpose your in-person conference budget. We have been sponsored by big brands such as Kinsta and Cloudways. Why not get your audience in front of the thousands of people who download this show every month? Yes, WPwatercooler has thousands of downloads every month. We’re not just a YouTube Show. https://wpwatercooler.com/sponsor ■Timestamps ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ #smartmarketingshow
What do technical dependencies have to do with marketing in WordPress? Everything. Technical debt is a thing -- almost worse than student debt. But hey, you got that bachelor’s degree, right? This week, Jason and Bridget are joined by Devin Walker, the CEO, and co-founder of GiveWP.com. We’ll have a discussion on how your dependency choices can affect your user experience. And that’s marketing, baby! Panel Jason Tucker @jasontucker Bridget Willard @bridgetmwillard Devin Walker @innerwebs Check Out Bridget’s New Book “Keys To Being Social: Being Real In A Virtual World” Kindle – https://amzn.to/2HZELOq Paperback – https://amzn.to/2H4lqvl Show Sponsors Desktop Server – ServerPress https://www.servepress.com WPsitesync https://www.wpsitesync.com Cloudways – Cloudways is a managed WordPress hosting provider that offers 5 best-in-class cloud providers, giving you freedom of choice and flexibility to build amazing WordPress websites. It comes with an intuitive platform that lets you manage your server and applications within a few clicks. All this is backed by 24/7 professional support that acts as your extended team as you grow your business. https://www.cloudways.com How Are You Spending Your Marketing Budget? You could be a show sponsor. Supporting podcasts is a smart use of your marketing budget. We have been sponsored by big brands such as Kinsta and Beaver Builder. Why not get your audience in front of the thousands of people who download this show every month? #smartmarketingshow
You have a business and a logo. Awesome. You may even have memorized your color’s hex code. But what about different moods? What color shouldn’t be used in your logo? On this episode, Jason and Bridget will chat with Rhonda Negard of FatDogCreatives.com. We’ll talk about what to do and what not to do. Open your brand’s color palette with moods. Panel Jason Tucker @jasontucker Bridget Willard @bridgetmwillard Rhonda Negard @fatdogcreatives Check Out Bridget’s New Book “Keys To Being Social: Being Real In A Virtual World” Kindle – https://amzn.to/2HZELOq Paperback – https://amzn.to/2H4lqvl Show Sponsors Desktop Server – ServerPress WPsitesync Cloudways – Cloudways is a managed WordPress hosting provider that offers 5 best-in-class cloud providers, giving you freedom of choice and flexibility to build amazing WordPress websites. It comes with an intuitive platform that lets you manage your server and applications within a few clicks. All this is backed by 24/7 professional support that acts as your extended team as you grow your business. How Are You Spending Your Marketing Budget? You could be a show sponsor. Supporting podcasts is a smart use of your marketing budget. We have been sponsored by big brands such as Kinsta and Beaver Builder. Why not get your audience in front of the thousands of people who download this show every month?
Should your business have a personality or be professional? Does professional mean boring? No way! Rhonda Negard joins Jason and Bridget to talk about how you can allow your business brand to have a personality of its own. You’ll definitely want to watch this episode. Panel Jason Tucker @jasontucker Bridget Willard @bridgetmwillard Rhonda Negard @fatdogcreatives Check Out Bridget’s New Book “Keys To Being Social: Being Real In A Virtual World” Kindle – https://amzn.to/2HZELOq Paperback – https://amzn.to/2H4lqvl Show Sponsors Desktop Server – ServerPress WPsitesync Cloudways – Cloudways is a managed WordPress hosting provider that offers 5 best-in-class cloud providers, giving you freedom of choice and flexibility to build amazing WordPress websites. It comes with an intuitive platform that lets you manage your server and applications within a few clicks. All this is backed by 24/7 professional support that acts as your extended team as you grow your business. Are You Looking For Brand Awareness? You could be a show sponsor. Let people know you’re still in business and supporting your products. Supporting podcasts is a great way to repurpose your in-person conference budget. We have been sponsored by big brands such as Kinsta and Cloudways. Why not get your audience in front of the thousands of people who download this show every month? Yes, The Smart Marketing Show has thousands of downloads every month. We’re not just a YouTube Show.
It’s like the chicken and the egg. When do we launch the product’s landing page? When do we launch the landing page for our new service. Bridget and Jason will explore this topic on this must-see episode. Panel Jason Tucker @jasontucker Bridget Willard @bridgetmwillard Check Out Bridget’s New Book “Keys To Being Social: Being Real In A Virtual World” Kindle – https://amzn.to/2HZELOq Paperback – https://amzn.to/2H4lqvl Show Sponsors Desktop Server – ServerPress WPsitesync Cloudways – Cloudways is a managed WordPress hosting provider that offers 5 best-in-class cloud providers, giving you freedom of choice and flexibility to build amazing WordPress websites. It comes with an intuitive platform that lets you manage your server and applications within a few clicks. All this is backed by 24/7 professional support that acts as your extended team as you grow your business. Are You Looking For Brand Awareness? You could be a show sponsor. Let people know you’re still in business and supporting your products. Supporting podcasts is a great way to repurpose your in-person conference budget. We have been sponsored by big brands such as Kinsta and Cloudways. Why not get your audience in front of the thousands of people who download this show every month? Yes, The Smart Marketing Show has thousands of downloads every month. We’re not just a YouTube Show.
What’s the business application for using Twitter? Can you really grow your business by tweeting? What about Lead Gen? Yes. You can generate leads and build your business on Twitter. This week Bridget and Jason will give you 45 minutes packed with their best advice (valued at $175/hour). Don’t forget to listen for Jason and Bridget’s Tool or Tip of the Week. Panel Jason Tucker @jasontucker Bridget Willard @bridgetmwillard Check Out Bridget’s New Book “Keys To Being Social: Being Real In A Virtual World” Kindle – https://amzn.to/2HZELOq Paperback – https://amzn.to/2H4lqvl Show Sponsors Desktop Server – ServerPress https://serverpress.com WPsitesync – https://www.wpsitesync.com Cloudways – Cloudways is a managed WordPress hosting provider that offers 5 best-in-class cloud providers, giving you freedom of choice and flexibility to build amazing WordPress websites. It comes with an intuitive platform that lets you manage your server and applications within a few clicks. All this is backed by 24/7 professional support that acts as your extended team as you grow your business. https://www.cloudways.com/en/ Are You Looking For Brand Awareness? You could be a show sponsor. Let people know you’re still in business and supporting your products. Supporting podcasts is a great way to repurpose your in-person conference budget. We have been sponsored by big brands such as Kinsta and Cloudways. Why not get your audience in front of the thousands of people who download this show every month? Yes, The Smart Marketing Show has thousands of downloads every month. We’re not just a YouTube Show. Become A Patron And Support Us On Patreon!
Do you copy others in their marketing efforts? To some extent we all do. But is their audience the same as yours? Is their marketing person skilled? Or are you just following the influencer? In this episode, Jason and Bridget will rant about hashtags. Okay. You’re right. Bridget will rant and Jason will balance her out. But that’s why you watch the show, right? Panel Jason Tucker @jasontucker Bridget Willard @bridgetmwillard Check Out Bridget’s New Book “Keys To Being Social: Being Real In A Virtual World” Kindle – https://amzn.to/2HZELOq Paperback – https://amzn.to/2H4lqvl Show Sponsors Desktop Server – ServerPress https://serverpress.com WPsitesync – https://www.wpsitesync.com Are You Looking For Brand Awareness? You could be a show sponsor. Let people know you’re still in business and supporting your products. Supporting podcasts is a great way to repurpose your in-person conference budget. We have been sponsored by big brands such as Kinsta and Cloudways. Why not get your audience in front of the thousands of people who download this show every month? Yes, The Smart Marketing Show has thousands of downloads every month. We’re not just a YouTube Show. Bridget’s Videos On Hashtags When we are self-taught, it’s easy to have gaps in our education. We see an influencer use a hashtag and copy them without really understanding the why. These videos should help. Hashtags Are For Search How to Effectively Use Hashtags Hashtags are Links How To Follow a Hashtag or Twitter Chat Tool Or Tip Of The Week This week’s Tool or Tip of the Week is brought to you by Keys to Being Social — The Book. Bridget recommends Lumen 5’s Business Video Maker. This tool allows you to convert a blog post into a video and more. Their pricing starts at a free plan and goes up to enterprise level. You can even write a script. With a tool like this, there’s no reason why you can’t build up your YouTube channel. You’ll have to watch the episode to see Jason’s recommendation. 00:01:52 What are hashtags 00:02:51 Twitter Chats using Hashtags 00:04:03 Hashtags are a filter 00:04:37 Hashtags as sarcasm 00:05:09 Hashtags are like search 00:06:20 Hashtags are links 00:06:26 Hashtags are not translated 00:07:33 Hashtags are not transferable between social networks when crossposted 00:08:12 Hashtags and TikTok 00:09:06 Nobody can own a hashtag 00:09:29 Be careful with hashtags 00:10:12 Hashtag Trends 00:12:02 This episode is worth $175 of my time 00:14:06 Hashtags are like Categories and Tags in WordPress 00:15:23 Question - Do you encourage people to follow your hashtags? 00:17:05 You don’t have to use all the hashtags 00:18:32 Hashtags are not a magic thing 00:19:12 Hashtags on Facebook 00:20:03 Organizing your hashtags for a tweet 00:21:01 Hashtags and accessibility 00:22:58 Hashtags and Instagram tip 00:25:44 More tricks on organizing a tweet with a call to action and hashtags 00:26:43 Capitalize hashtags for accessibility 00:28:04 Games using Hashtags 00:28:48 Off topic and silly 00:30:06 Hard returns in tweets 00:30:42 Hashtags help people participate 00:31:36 Phone vs computer and hashtags 00:33:06 Sometimes hashtags are a long game 00:33:43 Follow Bridget and her modeling 00:34:33 Number of hashtags in a post 00:35:15 Sometimes it’s better to reply than retweet 00:35:45 Use the native client for the social network at least once a day 00:36:13 Twitter Fleets 00:38:26 Bridget’s way works, try it for 2 weeks 00:39:14 Google Analytics and Twitter 00:40:28 Tool or Tip of the Week 00:41:37 Bridget’s Tool or Tip of the Week - Lumen5 00:48:34 Jason’s Tool or Tip of the Week - WAVE.video 00:50:17 Bonus tip - Using Canva to create video 00:53:25 Bonus Tip - Storyblocks with Canva 00:54:44 Reformating video using Canva 00:55:57 Building "Stories" in Canva 00:56:56 Bonus Bonus Tip - Video Leap 01:00:20 Outro Panel Jason Tucker @jasontucker Bridget Willard Bridget Willard, Marketing Consultant Check Out Bridget’s New Book “Keys To Being Social: Being Real In A Virtual World” Kindle – https://amzn.to/2HZELOq Paperback – https://amzn.to/2H4lqvl Sponsors Desktop Server – ServerPress https://serverpress.com WPsitesync – https://www.wpsitesync.com Are You Looking For Brand Awareness? You could be a show sponsor. Especially now, let people know you’re still in business and supporting your products. Supporting podcasts is a great way to repurpose your in-person conference budget. https://wpwatercooler.com/sponsor #smartmarketingshow
You’re hired to build a website. Maybe it’s in WordPress or Squarespace. The client pays you. You ask for the content. Now what? Regardless of the tool, Wix, Squarespeace, WordPress, ClassicPress, you still need content. You may be using a JAMStack over Larvel. Heck, you could be doing it in FrontPage. You still need words. Words come from clients. Clients need a website. They don’t have words. What do you do now? Jason and Bridget talk about how you can get the content from your clients, or, better yet, outsource your content writing and include it in your contract. Panel Jason Tucker https://twitter.com/jasontucker Bridget Willard https://twitter.com/bridgetmwillard Check Out Bridget’s New Book “Keys To Being Social: Being Real In A Virtual World” Kindle – https://amzn.to/2HZELOq Paperback – https://amzn.to/2H4lqvl Sponsors Desktop Server – ServerPress https://serverpress.com WPsitesync – https://www.wpsitesync.com Are You Looking For Brand Awareness? You could be a show sponsor. Especially now, let people know you’re still in business and supporting your products. Supporting podcasts is a great way to repurpose your in-person conference budget. https://wpwatercooler.com/sponsor #smartmarketingshow
Personal branding, speaking, and marketing is a moving target in our increasingly virtual world. How do you market yourself as a speaker in a time such as this? What tools help you remain relevant and keep the discussion going? Our friend, fellow podcaster, and well-esteemed speaker Adam Silver joins us on this episode with guest co-host Jen Miller, of Next Door Marketer. Panel Jason Tucker @jasontucker Jen Miller @jenblogs4u Adam Silver @heyadamsilver Check Out Bridget’s New Book “Keys To Being Social: Being Real In A Virtual World” Kindle – https://amzn.to/2HZELOq Paperback – https://amzn.to/2H4lqvl Sponsors Desktop Server – ServerPress https://serverpress.com WPsitesync – https://www.wpsitesync.com Are You Looking For Brand Awareness? You could be a show sponsor. Especially now, let people know you’re still in business and supporting your products. Supporting podcasts is a great way to repurpose your in-person conference budget. https://wpwatercooler.com/sponsor #smartmarketingshow
So often design is what we hide behind instead of marketing ourselves and our business. Rather, it’s design, tweak, redesign, it’s not good enough, well there is a new tool out -- and so on. Jason and Bridget are joined by Dave Bloom of GingerSoul.co for this discussion on what it means to apply minimalism to our marketing efforts -- and, how to stop productively procrastinating. Panel: Jason Tucker @jasontucker Bridget Willard @youtoocanbeguru Dave Bloom @gingersoul_co A redhead-powered web studio. Designing tools that encourage + enable less-techy people to create value with the web. Working on http://soulsites.co & http://downbeat.io. Sponsor: Desktop Server - ServerPress https://serverpress.com #smartmarketingshow
Work life balance is a nice thought. But what happens when your children have to be schooled at home? How about taking care of a loved one? Moving? It is tricky for sure. Jason, Jen, and Bridget chat about how to keep your marketing going with added responsibility. WPwatercooler network is sponsored by ServerPress makers of DesktopServer. Be sure to check them out at https://www.serverpress.com #smartmarketingshow
The world is changing fast and the tools and platforms you need to do your job as a marketer continuously evolve. How do you keep up as a marketer? What are the best practices when everything can change overnight? WPwatercooler network is sponsored by ServerPress makers of DesktopServer. Be sure to check them out at https://www.serverpress.com Join us on an upcoming episode of Smart Marketing Show by visiting our Participant guidelines page. https://www.wpwatercooler.com/joinus/ #smartmarketingshow
Michelle Keefer of MKConsulting joins Jason Tucker and guest co-host Jen Miller to discuss how you can smarten up engagement strategies with personal touch points, swag, and meaningful conversation. Plus get tips for reducing digital distractions in your marketing, business, and daily life. Join us on this episode of WPblab by visiting our Participant guidelines page. WPwatercooler network is sponsored by ServerPress makers of DesktopServer. Be sure to check them out at https://www.serverpress.com #smartmarketingshow
Effective marketing includes considerations for your audience and their needs. This is why accessibility matters from your website to social media hashtags. Joe Simpson, Jr. joins Jason and Bridget to have this important conversation. Be sure to tune in. Learn about Joe from his website. Definitely watch his presentation at WordCamp Long Beach. Show Sponsors ServerPress Thank you for being a preroll sponsor, ServerPress! ServerPress is the maker of DesktopServer, WPSiteSync, and so much more! Check them out at serverpress.com. The Query - WPwatercooler A question and answer show for 38% of the web. Jason Cosper answering your WordPress questions. Got a question? Are You Looking For Brand Awareness? You could be a show sponsor. Especially now, let people know you’re still in business and supporting your products. Supporting podcasts is a great way to repurpose your in-person conference budget. Accessibility is Simple - Include as Large of an Audience As Possible Accessibility adds to your value as an entrepreneur and improves SEO. Everything starts on your phone; design for small and think about how we communicate. Plan for the worst-case and then you will make it easy for everyone. Get someone else to use your website to see how they use it; this is a basic UX principle, Joe reminds us. "Accessibility is about making your services and your business available to all people." Joe Simpson, Jr. It is worth noting that if your business comes under litigation (class action) for ADA (physical) issues they can also add digital issues. Yes, they can throw your business website into the class action on path-of-travel and other ADA issues with your property. Accessibility and Websites "The great things about WordPress is that a lot of themes are accessible out of the box." Joe Simpson, Jr. "When I think about accessibility, I ask people to open up their website, close their eyes, and hit the tab key three times. Do you know where it is supposed to be?" Joe Simpson, Jr. https://twitter.com/Highforge/status/1270067227304185856 Accessibility and Alt Tags "With alt tags, context of the tex hat is around the image [is important]." Joe Simpson, Jr. If the image is decorative, then mark it as such. The WP Admin now has that feature. Accessibility and Search Good semantic HTML is good for accessibility and SEO efforts. Don't forget all of the great voice assistants that everyone uses. "When I heard that people are listening to their emails [I knew accessibility has a larger audience]." Jason Tucker Accessibility and Hashtags When you CamelCase a hashtag it's not only easier for the sighted to read it, but screen readers will read it to a user as two separate words. CamelCase is capitalizing the first letter in each word. Remember that punctuation isn't https://twitter.com/redcrew/status/1283388363714826241 Accessibility and Social Media Images Whenever possible, use alt descriptions for images that you use on social media as well. This helps you reach a much larger audience. Twitter allows you to write alt tags for your photos as well as GIF library images you post. Tool Or Tip Of The Week Your ad could have been here. Just sayin' Joe recommends Buddhify to help you meditate on the go. Jason recommends Grabatar to sync your contacts with their Gravatars. Bridget recommends Sarah Beth Yoga for anyone interested in yoga.
In this episode, Jason and Bridget have q conversation with Keith Besherse about how to make the best use of print media in a digital world. Strategy, tactics, getting it done on time and on budget. What would you like to know? Sponsored by ServerPress and WPSiteSync https://www.serverpress.com https://www.wpsitesync.com #smartmarketingshow
Landing Page Strategies – Continuing the discussion of the why and how of landing pages, tackling the questions that go deeper. How do landing pages impact SEO? Are landing pages a requirement for conversion? When does a subdomain make sense? How do you build an audience through the use of landing pages? In this episode, Jen Miller of Next Door Marketer joins Jason and Bridget to deliver the reasoning behind the use of these types of webpages.Panel: Jason Tucker, Bridget Willard, Jen MillerJoin us on this episode of Smart Marketing Show by visiting our Participant guidelines page.WPwatercooler network is sponsored by ServerPress makers of DesktopServer and WPSiteSync. Be sure to check them out at https://www.serverpress.com and https://wpsitesync.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
In an unstable economy, the most important way to market yourself as a freelancer isn’t your rates. In this episode, Jason and Bridget are joined by Rhonda Negard of Fat Dog Creatives to discuss the marketing angles freelancers always forget — reliability and delivery.This episode was inspired by The Futur’s “How Much Should I Charge as a Freelancer” video. It’s a great listen for five minutes.Panel: Jason Tucker, Bridget Willard, and Rhonda NegardShow SponsorsServerPressThank you for being a preroll sponsor, ServerPress! ServerPress is the maker of DesktopServer, WPSiteSync, and so much more! Check them out at serverpress.com.Are you looking for brand awareness?You could be a show sponsor. Especially now, let people know you’re still in business and supporting your products. Supporting podcasts is a great way to repurpose your in-person conference budget. Freelancers – Know Your StrengthsRhonda sees herself as a rebranding specialist. Though she can (obviously) make a logo from scratch, this is her gift. (Definitely check out this case study. Because of that, she charges by the project, not by hour.The opposite is also true; it’s important to know your weaknesses. Once you start outsourcing, you have a bit of project management that is unavoidable.“If you’re not good at project management, you do not want to take too many projects where you have to manage people.” Rhonda NegardFreelancers – Networking Is ImportantWhether your networking is on LinkedIn, Twitter, or in person, it’s important to account for this time as work. Start a relationship and “get curious about other people,” Rhonda says, but not to your own detriment.“Don’t just look to get jobs but to give jobs.” Rhonda NegardWhether you are hired as a freelancer or outsource work to freelancers, you need to keep your bench warm. Connect with people on “as many platforms as you can,” reminds Rhonda. This way, they are sure to stay top-of-mind.Freelancers – Price by ProjectWhen looking for vendors, Rhonda wants to know the full total of the project. This way, she can add in her margin as an agency.When bidding, account for your time that includes networking, going through emails, and research and development, Rhonda says.Freelancers – Meet Your DeadlinesWhen it comes to how long something takes, well — that’s up for debate. Does it take an hour? Or is it an hour after you’ve been thinking about it for a week? You need to know this so you don’t overload your production schedule.It’s a slippery slope when you’re pricing too low. You take on more work and miss deadlines. It’s okay. We’ve all been through it. The important thing is to understand how much work you can really handle.“Build research time into your quote.” Rhonda NegardTool or Tip of the WeekYour ad could have been here.Rhonda recommends Nail It! by Ted Leonhardt. This helps you shift your mindset from employee to entrepreneur.Jason recommends Tappy Card. You can share any website with this special QR code. And it’s under $15!Bridget recommends keeping kindness in the form of grace at your intention right now. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Email list management is key to ensure your email campaign is delivered. Many people focus on open rates without realizing their deliverability is sub-optimal. Working hard on email campaigns only to end up in spam is a bummer. But how old is your list? Email lists go stale like old bread.Amy Hall joins Jason and Bridget to discuss how to stay out of spam! It’s pretty technical but we believe in you. (Even Bridget did her homework — which took about an hour.)“When you buy an email list you are wasting your money.” Amy HallShow SponsorsServerPressThank you for being a preroll sponsor, ServerPress! ServerPress is the maker of DesktopServer, WPSiteSync, and so much more! Check them out at serverpress.com.Are you looking for brand awareness?You could be a show sponsor. Especially now, let people know you’re still in business and supporting your products. Supporting podcasts is a great way to repurpose your in-person conference budget. Authenticate Your Domain NameThe first tip has has “nothing to do with the email that you’re building, it has to do with your own email address,” Amy says. If you’d like to stay out of the junk or spam folders, then be sure to authenticate your domain name with your email marketing provider.“Don’t send [your email campaign] from Gmail!” Amy Hall“Oops!” Bridget WillardEmail From Your Domain NameMaybe you were like Bridget and were sending email campaigns from Gmail. It’s okay. You can fix that. (She did right after this episode). This is really important for email deliverability (staying out of the spam folder.)Let the receiver’s inbox know that your email is a real and valid address and not being spoofed. This is why you use DMARC markers on your DNS server. Mailchimp is a great resource for soft and hard bounces. Mailchimp has great instructions for DKIM and SPF.Most email campaign providers like ConvertKit, Active Campaign, and Constant Contact have these services or help articles.Then, ensure you send emails consistently. Whatever you promise in your welcome message (every week, twice a year), do that.Clean Your List RegularlyThis is where automation can be your best friend. If an email subscriber hasn’t opened an email in 6-9 months, send them a re-engagement campaign asking them to take an action. Then send them to a “thanks for sticking around” type of landing page.You can clean your list through a service separate from your campaign provider. Amy recommends downloading the CSV, cleaning the list, then uploading the CSV. It’s better not to have that ding in your account.“And the thing about it is, is it doesn’t, they count, doesn’t get pinged that you have bad email addresses in it, so you don’t have to ding against you because it’s not really a ding, but it isn’t ding, they’re going to be watching you because you have that email addresses.” Amy HallDon’t Be That PersonIt’s easy to add people to your lists. Bridget does it. We all do it. If you do, have an automated welcome email with the reason why that person was added and the ability to unsubscribe.“It is against the law to send an email without an unsubscribe option,” Amy reminds us. If you see these, report them as spam in your email reader (email client).Tool or Tip of the WeekThis Tool or Tip of the week is brought to you by Cloudways. Is your website slow? Or are you looking for a reliable host for your WordPress projects?Whether it’s an existing website or a project on your drawing board, Cloudways offers a hosting environment with all the features you need to succeed online.Cloudways is optimized for speed and delivers outstanding performance and security, all supported by 24/7/365 support by expert cloud engineers.It is an ideal platform for WordPress projects because of the choice of FIVE cloud providers including AWS, Google Cloud, Linode, DigitalOcean, and Linode. The best part – your managed server and WordPress websites are ready in a few minutes.Once the app is up and running, you can add more power to your business operations, thanks to exciting features such as free SSL certificates, CloudwaysCDN, automated and on-demand app/server backups, and custom-built Teams features to onboard distributed team members.Cloudways extends your in-house team and takes care of all server management issues, and lets you focus on building amazing websites for your online businesses.If you like what you have heard, start with a 3-day free trial of Cloudways now!Amy recommends Kickbox to clean your emails.Jason recommends Timerly for Toggl.Bridget recommends wordhtml.com for cleaning HTML. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
It’s important for businesses to understand how to engage with the current political climate as their brand. Brands are often considered tone-deaf when they say nothing. Amber Pechin is the diversity and inclusion lead for Phoenix Startup Week and will help us navigate the conversation on this episode.Show SponsorsServerPressThank you for being a preroll sponsor, ServerPress! ServerPress is the maker of DesktopServer, WPSiteSync, and so much more! Check them out at https://www.serverpress.com https://www.wpsitesync.comCloudwaysIs your website slow? Or are you looking for a reliable host for your WordPress projects?Whether it’s an existing website or a project on your drawing board, Cloudways offers a hosting environment with all the features you need to succeed online.Cloudways is optimized for speed and delivers outstanding performance and security, all supported by 24/7/365 support by expert cloud engineers.It is an ideal platform for WordPress projects because of the choice of FIVE cloud providers including AWS, Google Cloud, Linode, DigitalOcean, and Linode. The best part your managed server and WordPress websites are ready in a few minutes.Once the app is up and running, you can add more power to your business operations, thanks to exciting features such as free SSL certificates, CloudwaysCDN, automated and on-demand app/server backups, and custom-built Teams features to onboard distributed team members.Cloudways extends your in-house team and takes care of all server management issues, and lets you focus on building amazing websites for your online businesses.If you like what you have heard, start with a 3-day free trial of Cloudways now!https://www.cloudways.comAre you looking for brand awareness?You could be a show sponsor. We think it is a great idea to let people know you’re still in business and supporting your products. Supporting podcasts is a great way to repurpose your WordCamp Swag budget.https://www.wpwatercooler.com/sponsor See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Here’s the situation. “Your parents went away on a week’s vacation.” Just kidding. No, for real. You just got a great lead. Super awesome lead. But the client needs work that is out of your wheelhouse. What do you do? We suggest partnering.On this episode of the Smart Marketing Show, Jason and Bridget will be joined by Jen Miller of Next Door Marketer to gain some insight on how to find those magic partnerships.Panel: Bridget Willard, Jason Tucker, Jen MillerShow SponsorsServerPressThank you for being a preroll sponsor, ServerPress! ServerPress is the maker of DesktopServer, WPSiteSync, and so much more! Check them out at serverpress.com.Are you looking for brand awareness?You could be a show sponsor. We think it is a great idea to let people know you’re still in business and supporting your products. Supporting podcasts is a great way to repurpose your WordCamp Swag budget. Partnering Helps with Time ConstraintsBeing a freelancer or an agency of one is great until you want to make more money. You either need to charge more or do more. That only works for a while. Then you have another choice: hire or partner.“I’m not someone who can walk away from a deadline.” Jen MillerKnow yourself. If deadlines are important to you, then partner with a vendor who feels the same. In fact, Jen Miller suggests building in a weekend. Give your vendor a date that is before it’s due to the client. Time marches on and waits for no vendor and sites don’t build themselves — even with Gutenberg.Partnering Helps with Growing PainsGrowth is good until you fall asleep while you’re typing. (Never publish without editing, by the way.) Networking (in-person, Slack Channels, etc) is so important. Get to know people and how they work. Ask questions. You never know when you’ll need a qualified referral (handoff) or a partner.Checking in with a potential vendor or referral on their production schedule before recommending them to your client is just plain smart, Jen suggests.“As an agency owner, you have to be willing to step in and do those pieces.” Jen MillerPartnering Requires CommunicationIt’s like on a dating app when everyone says they value communication until there’s a communication problem. Part of good communication is open communication and frequent communication. This is where networking and systems meet.“Check in to see how the partner is doing on the project,” Jen Miller says. After all, it is your client. In the end, the work is your responsibility. If you don’t want the responsibility of managing the partner-vendor, then you’ll need to handoff the client to someone. Even then, you may want to check in.Project Management is KeyProject Management Systems are a huge part of successful communication. Choose a tool and use it consistently. Have a system. Sometimes a Google Sheet is good enough. A system only works if you use it.It’s even a good idea to create a short training video to quickly onboard partners. If both you and your partner-vendor use a project management tool (Jen likes Basecamp 3), choose yours. It’s your client. Tool or Tip of the WeekThis Tool or Tip of the week is brought to you by Cloudways. Is your website slow? Or are you looking for a reliable host for your WordPress projects?Whether it’s an existing website or a project on your drawing board, Cloudways offers a hosting environment with all the features you need to succeed online.Cloudways is optimized for speed and delivers outstanding performance and security, all supported by 24/7/365 support by expert cloud engineers.It is an ideal platform for WordPress projects because of the choice of FIVE cloud providers including AWS, Google Cloud, Linode, DigitalOcean, and Linode. The best part – your managed server and WordPress websites are ready in a few minutes.Once the app is up and running, you can add more power to your business operations, thanks to exciting features such as free SSL certificates, CloudwaysCDN, automated and on-demand app/server backups, and custom-built Teams features to onboard distributed team members.Cloudways extends your in-house team and takes care of all server management issues, and lets you focus on building amazing websites for your online businesses.If you like what you have heard, start with a 3-day free trial of Cloudways now!Jen recommends his Clarity.fm.Jason recommends the Google My Business app.Bridget recommends Seconds. It is an app for interval training timers.Become a Patron and support us on Patreon! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Hoards of people have signed up for every course they can, hoping to use their time well during the "New Normal of COVID-19." But, they are also overwhelmed. They've got 99 courses but your course ain't one. So, how do you appeal to them, stand out, and market your online course?This episode, Jason and Bridget are joined by Chris Badgett of LifterLMS. He's very active on Twitter as well as YouTube. So if you're thinking about designing an online course, go check those resources out. You can even watch his 13 video playlist of starting an online course.Show SponsorsServerPressThank you for being a preroll sponsor, ServerPress! ServerPress is the maker of DesktopServer, WPSiteSync, and so much more! Check them out at serverpress.com.Are you looking for brand awareness?You could be a show sponsor. We think it is a great idea to let people know you’re still in business and supporting your products. Supporting podcasts is a great way to repurpose your WordCamp Swag budget. Integration AgeHistorically, we've had revolutions and evolutions: the enlightenment age, the industrial revolution, the information revolution. Now, Chris says, we are in the integration age."So the, the way I look at it is that they were kind of transitioning out of the information age into the integration age. And that includes integrating information, boiling it down, getting past overwhelm. And, honoring the limited lifespan we have and attention we have. So the old model of education is really around getting access to the best information. The new model is about getting results efficiently and going direct as the shortest path possible to the ideal outcome." Chris BadgettWe all have access to thousands of libraries -- free, thousands of courses -- free. Yet, how many of us take advantage? Few. We're overwhelmed with information. We need to know how this information is relevant to our lives."When you design around your expertise in the information and not the learning journey and the result of the person, once you end up with these like giant, I call them, resource courses, like giant courses that are extremely dangerous and get abandoned a lot." Chris BadgettSupport the Learning JourneySupporting the learning journey with your online course means you design the course with the end in mind. What are the expected results?Being overwhelmed is a factor of motivation. Why is the learner taking the online course? Is it to get a certificate? There are two types of motivation when it comes to learning: extrinsic and intrinsic.Extrinsic motivation could be a monetary reward (raise at work) or earning respect (credentials on LinkedIn). Intrinsic motivation comes from a desire from your soul to improve. Knowing what motivates your learner, helps you design your course.Adding a map for your online course, reverse engineering it from the end result, with milestones helps with course retention.An easy way to do this is to have a challenge. They lend themselves well to steps and pre-training/gamification."One of the things that’s exploding in marketing right now is what are called challenge funnels. ...Why is it, why are challenged funnels exploding? Well, what’s the challenge? The challenge is designed around a result and a challenge is time bound. So, you know, there could be like a 30 day challenge, a 90 day challenge, a four day challenge, whatever it is, health, wealth, relationships, whatever." Chris BadgettTransformation is Over-HypedNot every course needs to lead to a caterpillar-to-butterfly transformation. Most of the transformations we see, in nature or otherwise, aren't overnight anyway. Rather, they are a series of steps, completed.When it comes to marketing your online course we tend to pitch transformation. But when it comes to any kind of product, the marketing has to revolve around one question:"What's in it for me?"Creating early wins and adding support for the learner as well as community will help retain learners to your online course. You can even move to the coach model with weekly office hours in a group format. You spend the same hour a week, with many learners."The easiest way to do that add a weekly office hour call that you don’t have to prepare for, and they just show up with questions. It’s a group format so it can scale, like, okay, if you have a lot of people that follow you or in the program, it’s still just one hour on your calendar." Chris BadgettCoaching Over InformationInformation is great. But if you create 10 courses that is simply a vault of your information, without any coaching, you won't have a high course completion rate. Further, you're not supporting the learner in their journey.An important part of coaching is the right fit. This isn't about a good fit for your online course. It's a fit between the learner and the coach. Do their personality and communication styles match? How about the learner's style of learning? What about loyalty?"Real coaching, whether that’s business coaching, life coaching, relationship coaching, it’s about fidelity." Chris BadgettWe tend to have these types of courses that circle around and around, like a spiral road going to the top of the mountain. There is no personalization or way to test out. That's frustrating for the learner.When your online course includes personalization, you are supporting the learner's journey and reducing frustration. When you can tell a client to take this course over that one, then they are no longer overwhelmed.Tool or Tip of the WeekThis Tool or Tip of the week is brought to you by Cloudways. Is your website slow? Or are you looking for a reliable host for your WordPress projects?Whether it’s an existing website or a project on your drawing board, Cloudways offers a hosting environment with all the features you need to succeed online.Cloudways is optimized for speed and delivers outstanding performance and security, all supported by 24/7/365 support by expert cloud engineers.It is an ideal platform for WordPress projects because of the choice of FIVE cloud providers including AWS, Google Cloud, Linode, DigitalOcean, and Linode. The best part – your managed server and WordPress websites are ready in a few minutes.Once the app is up and running, you can add more power to your business operations, thanks to exciting features such as free SSL certificates, CloudwaysCDN, automated and on-demand app/server backups, and custom-built Teams features to onboard distributed team members.Cloudways extends your in-house team and takes care of all server management issues, and lets you focus on building amazing websites for your online businesses.If you like what you have heard, start with a 3-day free trial of Cloudways now!Chris recommends his YouTube Traffic System course.Jason recommends Descript.com. It allows you to edit the transcript and the video. Super cool.Bridget recommends her blog post with a tool to calculate your in-house rate (Google Sheet). See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Okay, so we agree that it’s healthy to have a marketing budget. Now, where’s the best place to spend it? PPC? Instagram? Facebook ads? A copywriter? Ugh. So many choices.John Locke of lockedownseo.com joins us this week to discuss how to use Google Analytics to make good marketing decisions.Be sure to subscribe to his YouTube Channel.Show SponsorsServerPressThank you for being a preroll sponsor, ServerPress! ServerPress is the maker of DesktopServer, WPSiteSync, and so much more! Check them out at serverpress.com.Big Orange HeartThank you for being mid-roll sponsor! Mental health support for remote workers. It’s our charity’s mission to support and promote positive wellbeing and mental health of the remote working communities. Become part of the supportive community.Are you looking for brand awareness?You could be a show sponsor. We think it is a good idea to let people know you’re still in business and supporting your products.7 Steps to Spend Your Marketing Budget WiselyGet Familiar with Acquisition Tab in G/ASet Up GoalsDetermine Marketing BudgetFind Out Where Your Customers AreGive Honest Effort (a Month) to Top 3 ChannelsMeasure Where Your Customers Come FromDetermine Lead ScoreDon’t Dilute Your Marketing EffortsThe only way to really know if your marketing efforts are working is to pick two or three things. Then measure. Test. Measure. Test. Rinse & Repeat.“I wouldn’t focus on too many things all at once, because you’re not going to be able to measure as effectively, and you’re going to dilute your efforts.” John LockeNo Type of Marketing Is InstantIt’s important to remember that there are no first-click leads in marketing. All of your efforts combine to make the lead generation engine work.“The marketing that you do today will produce results six months from now.” John LockeMake sure you’re on YouTube and Yelp. These are highly-favored in Google’s SERPs. When it comes to advertising, Facebook Ads are less expensive than Google Ads. Most of the time LinkedIn ads are more expensive than Twitter. Test. Give it a month. See what works. Test another platform.Marketing Leads by SourceIn order to determine the best source of your leads (and where to spend your marketing budget), it is important to measure. You can’t analyze data you don’t collect. Be sure to ask clients where they heard about you. John recommends providing 4-5 sources tops.Hot Tip: Gravity Forms has a hidden field that will show what page the user was on when they filled out the contact form.Things like time on page, UTM codes, and coupon or affiliate codes also give an indication of where the best leads came from.In order to get an accurate picture, however, you may want to create a spreadsheet aggregating data from all sources. What is the lifetime value for any given customer? Where did they come from?You may get the most leads from Twitter but where do you get the best leads?Tool or Tip of the WeekThis Tool or Tip of the week is brought to you by Cloudways. Is your website slow? Or are you looking for a reliable host for your WordPress projects?Whether it’s an existing website or a project on your drawing board, Cloudways offers a hosting environment with all the features you need to succeed online.Cloudways is optimized for speed and delivers outstanding performance and security, all supported by 24/7/365 support by expert cloud engineers.It is an ideal platform for WordPress projects because of the choice of FIVE cloud providers including AWS, Google Cloud, Linode, DigitalOcean, and Linode. The best part – your managed server and WordPress websites are ready in a few minutes.Once the app is up and running, you can add more power to your business operations, thanks to exciting features such as free SSL certificates, CloudwaysCDN, automated and on-demand app/server backups, and custom-built Teams features to onboard distributed team members.Cloudways extends your in-house team and takes care of all server management issues, and lets you focus on building amazing websites for your online businesses.If you like what you have heard, start with a 3-day free trial of Cloudways now!John recommends reading this article “How Much Should You Budget to Spend on Marketing in 2020?” You should spend 6-7% of revenue on marketing.Jason recommends Google Campaign URL Builder.Bridget recommends the book “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck.” It’s about prioritizing your priorities, not about being apathetic.Become a Patron and support us on Patreon! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We often start a nonprofit because of a mission. When your nonprofit's mission pivots, what then? Often times a rebranding is in order. Dan Maby of BigOrangeHeart.org joins Jason and Bridget to talk about how WP&UP.org approached their name change and rebranding.Show SponsorsServerPressThank you for being a preroll sponsor, ServerPress! ServerPress is the maker of DesktopServer, WPSiteSync, and so much more! Check them out at serverpress.com.Big Orange HeartThank you for being mid-roll sponsor! Mental health support for remote workers. It’s our charity’s mission to support and promote positive wellbeing and mental health of the remote working communities. Become part of the supportive community.Are you looking for brand awareness?You could be a show sponsor. We think it is a good idea to let people know you’re still in business and supporting your products.Rebranding and Renaming the NonprofitThe domain for WP&UP was registered in 2014 but began operating as a charity in the UK in 2018 providing service. They always liked the idea of moving forward and up in life (as opposed to on which can feel dismissive."We had always intended for WP& UP to be more. ...Given the current global crisis we saw more than a 310% increase in support with 90% less donations." Dan MabyRebranding in 4 WeeksDan admitted that this shift and rebrand is 18 months ahead of schedule. Once shelter in place orders began worldwide because of COVID-19, so many people became remote workers -- overnight. This new situation became a crisis; it needed to be addressed."Millions of people are moving to the remote working model." Dan MabyDan and the Board of Trustees met twice and just knew in their hearts that this pivot's timing was now. This pivot doesn't abandon the WordPress Community; rather, it expands it."Our heart is very much in the WordPress Community." Dan MabyRebranding and RelaunchingIn order to pivot quickly, Dan and the volunteer team looked at several solutions. Donations, obviously were a high priority. But so is SEO, user access, and accessibility. They looked at a Gatsby or GraphQL solutions but that would delay the four week timeline.Miriam Schwab talked about her product, Strattic, at WordCamp London in 2017. The team quickly decided this is the best solution.To build an accessibility-first site, the team had to strip out all unnecessary items. The contrast is better. The site is visually and technically lighter. Things like bloated menus were getting in the way. As far as typography goes, less is more.Rebranding and Donation SoftwareBefore rebranding the creation of a new site (old and new are co-existing for now), Big Orange Heart (BOH for short) was using GiveWP. BOH is now using Strattic (a static site generator for WordPress) with Payhere. Payhere is a front-end wrapper for Stripe which was previously used with GiveWP.The site is wicked fast and simple on both mobile and desktop. (You can see their current donation form on the new site."Give people the right tool and they can do fantastic things." Dan MabyThe Stronger #Together fundraising campaign and corresponding podcast are an emergency fundraising tool.Another campaign for peer-to-peer fundraising is #MayYourHeartBeOrange. This is going on throughout several Facebook Groups through the month of May. It is using Donately.Important Lessons In Rebranding"It's good enough" is important when rebranding.Focus on accessibility & mobile users.Don't do it in 4 weeks.Put together a brand guide.Plan how to transition site with 301s.Know your SEO will be affected, temporarily.Ask yourself WHY. (Is this rebrand really necessary?)Tool or Tip of the WeekThis Tool or Tip of the week is brought to you by Cloudways. Is your website slow? Or are you looking for a reliable host for your WordPress projects?Whether it’s an existing website or a project on your drawing board, Cloudways offers a hosting environment with all the features you need to succeed online.Cloudways is optimized for speed and delivers outstanding performance and security, all supported by 24/7/365 support by expert cloud engineers.It is an ideal platform for WordPress projects because of the choice of FIVE cloud providers including AWS, Google Cloud, Linode, DigitalOcean, and Linode. The best part – your managed server and WordPress websites are ready in a few minutes.Once the app is up and running, you can add more power to your business operations, thanks to exciting features such as free SSL certificates, CloudwaysCDN, automated and on-demand app/server backups, and custom-built Teams features to onboard distributed team members.Cloudways extends your in-house team and takes care of all server management issues, and lets you focus on building amazing websites for your online businesses.If you like what you have heard, start with a 3-day free trial of Cloudways now!Dan recommends Espanso for a fast text expander. It's written in RUST.Jason recommends Teleprompter for Video.Bridget recommends the app ShadowNet. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
COVID-19 and social distancing has changed the first half of 2020 dramatically. So, how can we sell things like real estate without meeting in-person? Expert and friend of the show, Carin Arrigo joins Jason and Bridget to discuss on this thought-provoking episode.“Don’t avoid COVID; let’s deal with it as it is.” Carin ArrigoAs people, relationships are important — maybe now more than ever. Having a quality relationship with your clients has been a part of sales since day one. This is something Carin Arrigo, a real estate professional, knows deeply.As she writes, “YET, in the brilliant words of Galaxy Quest, ‘never give up! never surrender!’ Ok, maybe not all the time. Sometimes take a break. Breathe. Regroup. Check-in with clients and allow them to lead. Be there when THEY are ready.”Show SponsorsServerPressThank you for being a preroll sponsor, ServerPress! ServerPress is the maker of DesktopServer, WPSiteSync, and so much more! Check them out at serverpress.com.Big Orange HeartThank you for being mid-roll sponsor! Mental health support for remote workers. It’s our charity’s mission to support and promote positive wellbeing and mental health of the remote working communities. Become part of the supportive community.Are you looking for brand awareness?You could be a show sponsor. We think it is a good idea to let people know you’re still in business and supporting your products.In-Person Sales Requires AwarenessIt’s easy to set up an eCommerce website and never interact with a person. Real estate, and most client services, requires relationships. Relationships thrive with communication, continuous check ins, and, of course, in-person meetings.Real estate traditionally has emphasized coffee shop meetings and car pools to open houses. If you have a big client load, this can be a burden with the new restrictions. (And there is no guarantee that real estate will return to pre COVID-19 practices.“Ask the right questions; deal with the individual.” Carin ArrigoCarin started working full-time in real estate in 2008 (perfect timing, right?). What drew her to this career was a love for people and her own personal freedom. (Does this sound familiar? Remote work FTW)“In real estate, you can make what you want to make. I really do take on one client at a time.” Carin ArrigoBeing self-aware allows you to choose the right career for you but being aware of other people makes you valuable. It’s totally find to make money.“Motivation is not a bad thing. We all have talents and weaknesses.” Carin ArigoIn-Person Sales Requires EmpathyCarin loves working with seniors and even the children they have left behind. Many people sell their homes to downsize or to move into assisted living. Sometimes Carin’s clients are the children whose parent has passed.“We don’t know our client’s stories. It’s very important to listen. This is not a time to work on lead generation.” Carin ArrigoIn-Person Sales Requires WorkCOVID adds layers that Realtors have to deal with. Now you have to think outside of the box — literally. There may be a contingency period. Now, there are extra steps to show a home virtually than in-person. This means taking great photos, doing live or virtual tours, and helping your clients choose the right home in the beginning.You may have to suggest a mobile notary, not be present during a home inspection or an in-person visit. Provide masks, gloves, and instructions. Wipe down commonly-touched surfaces like doorknobs with sanitizing wipes.“Real estate professionals have to work; they actually have to put in more effort.” Carin ArrigoSometimes the client isn’t a match. That’s fine. Be comfortable with your own boundaries; it’s fine to turn down a client.“Anytime I feel resentful, I listen to the resentment.” Carin ArrigoTool or Tip of the WeekThis Tool or Tip of the week is brought to you by Adobe Spark Post. With Adobe Spark Post, you can generate a color palette for free in just a few minutes. The color palette picker will help you better understand color and how it can improve your brand identity. First, sift through our pre-selected list of palettes that can be personalized to your liking. You can also save your brand colors to your library for easy access and future designs. Use the eyedropper tool to find sample colors from your images and logos. Allow yourself room to play around with your palette, get creative, and feel inspired by what your design is communicating. Develop your brand aesthetic with Adobe Spark Post’s color palette.Carin strongly believes in continued education. Spend some time learning something new — whether it is for your career or a new hobby.Jason recommends Wave.video. It is a bit pricy but makes video editing easy. Super easy.Bridget recommends the GramSpacer App. It allows you to have actual hard returns in your instagram captions. “Best $3 I’ve spent this year.” See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Those of us who work in technology can hardly imagine working without high-speed internet. Many of us pay a premium for that service. But what about the average citizen? How are they accessing content?Would you believe that 37% of American adults use their phones to go online? Even 25% of adults don’t pay for high-speed internet and rely upon data plans.“Today, 37% of U.S. adults say they mostly use a smartphone when accessing the internet.” Pew ResearchSo, let’s have a conversation about marketing strategies that are mobile-first. We’re so happy that Wes Chyrchel is our guest to talk about this timely subject.Show SponsorsServerPressThank you for being a preroll sponsor, ServerPress! ServerPress is the maker of DesktopServer, WPSiteSync, and so much more! Check them out at serverpress.com.Are you looking for brand awareness?You could be a show sponsor. We think it is a good idea to let people know you’re still in business and supporting your products.Mobile-First Means Asking QuestionsWhen you are designing your eCommerce site, it’s important to understand the customer’s behavior. Wes echos a lot of what Michelle Keefer said in our discussion about UX.“People think they can do UX without research; you’re designing in a bubble.” Michelle Keefer“Everybody has to understand who their customers are and how they shop.” Wes Chyrchel“People are shopping on their phones first,” Wes says, then they are calling. So when they call ask them a simple question. “How Do You Use Our Site?”Mobile-first isn’t the same as mobile responsive.“It’s a challenge; it takes constant evaluation to see what the customer wants.” Wes ChyrchelMobile-First Means SimpleSimple means there is one call to action. Simple means the pop-ups don’t cover the screen. Simple means using collapsable elements as Jason Tucker mentions.You may even have iframe elements that scroll. Maps in the wrong place are some of the biggest hangups on mobile sites. Thinking mobile-first means an address that can be highlighted to open the app of the consumer’s choice is best.Five Verbs of a WebsiteThere are five things a customer can do on a website:CallClickReadBuySubmitThat’s it. Each page should have one of these verbs as a goal.Change the experience for mobile and increase your eCommerce sales. Mobile-first thinking is revenue-first thinking.Resist The Temptation to Be CleverThis isn’t the time to cram in features or be clever. Just because you can include a feature, doesn’t mean you should. Ask yourself if it helps the user DO the one goal.“People overthink mobile. They cram features that don’t belong there. It has to be different.” Wes ChyrchelMobile-First Helps Sales DepartmentYour mobile first site is a sales tool. Accept the feedback from all of the departments in you company. Spend the time asking your team what they think. Don’t dismiss feedback because the people giving it aren’t “technical;” neither are your customers.“We get in our own way a lot.” Wes ChyrchelTool or Tip of the WeekThis Tool or Tip of the week is brought to you by WP and UP. WP and UP recognizes that members of the WordPress community can potentially manifest mental health issues from a variety of pressures. The WP and UP Health Hubs are designed to provide holistic support for the individual. Check them out and donate to their cause: wpandup.orgWes recommends having a different mindset when designing your mobile site. In fact, at the company he works at, they design mobile and desktop separately. They are eventually merged. Do a mobile audit every two years.Jason recommends Kinoni which allows you to use your phone as a wireless webcam.Bridget recommends Kindle Create and publishing on Amazon Direct Print.Become a Patron and support us on Patreon!https://patreon.com/wpwatercooler3NuiQDaUMR06BDAlaS1D See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Let’s go back to basics for a moment. What is a landing page? Where do you build one? Also, what are the best practices for landing page to achieve your goal?In this episode, Jen Miller of Next Door Marketer join Jason and Bridget to let us in on her industry secrets. You will not want to miss this episode.“All of our marketing is relationship marketing.” Jen MillerShow SponsorsServerPressThank you for being a preroll sponsor, ServerPress! ServerPress is the maker of DesktopServer, WPSiteSync, and so much more! Check them out at serverpress.com.WP and UPWP and UP recognizes that members of the WordPress community can potentially manifest mental health issues from a variety of pressures. The WP and UP Health Hubs are designed to provide holistic support for the individual. Check them out and donate to their cause: wpandup.orgAre you looking for brand awareness?You could be a show sponsor. It’s up to you. Let people know you’re in business and still supporting your products.Landing Pages are StoriesLanding pages should be easy to read, informative, and help your customers learn more about you. What is the solution you have and how will you help them?“You want to tell a story. Build from there.” Jen MillerWhat is a Landing Page?“A landing page is a page on a website or maybe even an independent page on a different platform that you direct people to, to have them sign up for a specific product, service or subscription. And a lot of times landing pages come through social media either through advertising or through a specific post that’s shared and/or they come through an email campaign or they come through you know, television, radio, postcard and that instead of a general website.” Jen MillerWell, that was easy.Basically any page on your website or even vanity url that has a call to action is a landing pages. Realtors often use the address as a vanity url or specific one-page website, Jen says.One-page landing pages work very well with postcard campaigns. If you pair it with an email campaign be aware of your timing and the current world situation.“It was a different world six months ago. There should be a little bit of room to consider everyone’s financial situation. You should spend an hour on it and ask yourself, ‘is what I’m doing appropriate?'” Jen MillerLanding Pages Are For a Specific AudienceThe point of the landing page is to reach a specific audience for a specific reason. Maybe the listeners on ESPN want to hire a HR agency. That landing page should be catered to ESPN’s audience.“You want something target to the people you’re trying to reach.” Jen MillerSo, if you’re using the landing page in a coordinated ad campaign, it is important to tailor the copy on that page to that audience. Don’t send a generic landing page to everyone. Find a format that works and then duplicate it for different audiences.Don’t forget video, too.“Putting video on a landing page just works.” Jen MillerWhat is the Best Landing Page Tool?As with most tools in business, the best tool is the one you use consistently. But go look at landing pages you like — as a consumer. Get tips from that.HeadlineTextVideoTextCTA“There are concepts that are universal to great landing pages.” Jen MillerVideo keeps your audience on your page longer. If it is longer than a minute, consider using a transcript or time-stamped bullet points. Your video better bet amazing if you want people to watch it.Test Your Landing PageYou should test your landing page on multiple devices. This is especially important for font size, positioning, and popups.“Look at your site as a mobile user on multiple devices.” Jen MillerDon’t Get Lost in AnalyticsThe more you use landing pages, the more your bounce rate will increase. This is because the landing page isn’t meant for navigation. Instead, Jen Miller suggests thinking more about your conversion rate than your bounce rate.“If the reason why they are bouncing is because they bought a product; that is a win.” Jen MillerMany landing pages have long-form content to keep the users on the page. They can even contain 2,500 words. But note that if your plan to drive traffic from social, use short copy. If you drive traffic from an email campaign, longer is better.Tool or Tip of the WeekThis Tool or Tip of the week is brought to you by Fat Dog Creatives. If you’re a service-based business serious about growth, Rhonda Negard is your rebranding and web design thinker, a strategic design specialist. Check out her website at FatDogCreatives.comJen recommends Marco Polo. She thinks this is an excellent zoom replacement for quick team-building and even client-facing updates. Also, she has one earbud in and one being charged at all times. Now, that’s a great tip.Jason recommends Caption This. Record and have your captioning happen as you talk. Save it and use it for Instagram or Facebook Stories and more!Bridget recommends the “Curio App;” listen to the articles you like at a great subscription price of $8/month.Become a Patron and support us on Patreon!https://www.patreon.com/wpwatercooler See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
User design and interaction (UX/UI) isn't just a trendy thing to talk about. It affects how your website communicates to your audience. One of the things we forget, as business owners, is that we are not our own customers. We're too educated. We know our websites because we built them. In this episode, Michelle Keefer joins Bridget and Jason to discuss how UX influences your marketing strategy. Communicate, test, tweak. Rinse and Repeat!ServerPress, makers of DesktopServer - “They make local WordPress development easy!” Check them out over at ServerPress.comYou can subscribe to WPblab by going over to wpwatercooler.com/subscribe to learn how to subscribe to this and our other shows on WPwatercooler. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We all know that websites need words. But how you say something matters just as much (or more) than what you say. In this episode, Jason and Bridget are joined by Amber Pechin to talk about writing marketing copy with empathy.Join us on this episode of WPblab by visiting our Participant guidelines page.WPwatercooler network is sponsored by ServerPress makers of DesktopServer. Be sure to check them out at serverpress.com.You Can Sponsor, Too.If you’re interested in sponsoring our shows, check out the details on our sponsor page. We offer episode by episode spoken ads, rather than large contracts. This way you have a low barrier to entry so we can help you with brand awareness. We’re democratizing podcasting.About Amber PechinAmber and her business partner own and operate Amplitude Media - a marketing and creative agency. She is an extrovert, a dinosaur lover, mom, trained Public Relations Professional, and writer of all things. Her core belief is that humans are amazing. You should definitely follow her on Twitter.Her newest book is called "How to Make Friends with a T-Rex." You'll have to stalk her on Twitter to see when it is ready. She's working on "Strategic Neglect: The Art of Winning at Parenting" as well.What is Communication?"You've not effectively communicated if the person you're talking to doesn't understand the intent behind what you're saying or trying to communicate." Amber PechinThe only way to effectively communicate is when you can feel with them. So this is key.It's true that people are more sensitive these days. How do you get objective evaluation if you don't accept criticism?"As a society at large, we've gotten really bad at hearing people say something we're doing isn't good. We think that we are always right. It's a human sociological thing. It's our own internal bias." Amber PechinAmber suggests you answer these three questions when approaching communication with empathy:Who is your audience?What space are they in emotionally?How will they receive this message?Granted, we're not mind readers, but a lot of this can be done by thinking of things from a PR standpoint. That is, Public Relations experts are trained for communications during a crisis.Email Marketing During a CrisisIf you want to have effective communication and develop empathy, it's up to the leadership to establish a culture of pushback. Surrounding yourself with "yes men" will not help anyone -- least of all your company.This is why an inclusive diversity is important. You can hire from every demographic, but if those people don't have a voice, your company isn't truly diverse. You're also missing "multiple valuable lenses" as Amber says."Diverse doesn't mean inclusive." Amber PechinIn any kind of email marketing (or any marketing) you should think about how your story is going to help the other person."What does the person reading this need to know?" Amber PechinMost often, they don't. When in doubt, leave it out.Recommended ResourcesMorten Rand-Hendriksen: Empathy and Acceptance in Design and CommunityThe Diversity Bonus: How Great Teams Pay Off in the Knowledge Economy The Wisdom of CrowdsTool or Tip of the WeekThis Tool or Tip of the week is brought to you by Fat Dog Creatives. If you’re a service-based business serious about growth, Rhonda Negard is your rebranding and web design thinker, a strategic design specialist. Check out her website at FatDogCreatives.comAmber recommends two things: get an air fryer -- it will change your life. Also, she loves Do You Yoga.Jason recommends Drawful 2 which is free for the moment.Bridget recommends learning things that you're not naturally good at by playing games. To this end she plays Word Stacks nightly. Bonus:https://youtu.be/Ko9F4eFNbHY See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
As much as we like to think Open Source is all about giving and not getting, it isn’t a sustainable model. Peace, Love, and WordPress are great, but we still need to eat. So how are plugins really funded? We continue this series on funding open source with Russell Aaron. He has built and maintained several plugins on his own while an employee with a company. Russ says he supports his plugins “on his own dime,” so you’ll want to watch this episode for sure.Funding Open Source: The SeriesWatch Chris Badgett tell his story of how LifterLMS was funded on this episode.Jason Coleman gives insight into how Paid Memberships Pro was built and how it used the Open Source philosophy to grow in this episodeWPblab SponsorsServerPressThank you for being a preroll sponsor, ServerPress! ServerPress is the maker of DesktopServer, WPSiteSync, and so much more! serverpress.com. (It works with WooCommerce now!)KinstaIf you are tired of unreliable or slow hosting check out Kinsta.com, who takes managed WordPress hosting to the next level. Powered by Google Cloud, all their plans include PHP 7.3, SSH access for developers, one-click staging area, 20 global data centers, free SSL, free CDN and 24×7 expert support who will also migrate your site free of charge. demo.Kinsta.comAbout Russell AaronBorn and raised in Nevada, Russ is no stranger to hard work and the hustle. He started coding in MySpace “pimping out tables” for the “About Me” section. He then started learning some CSS and going to WordPress Meetups.He worked at a mortgage company and built plugins to work with the API to display rates on the website. He ended up selling that plugin to local real estate professionals and other loan shops. He knew these people personally.Back in the day, he was asked to help organize WordCamp Las Vegas so he put his Gravity Styles plugin on hold to work on it. Serendipity rewarded him. Ben Fox urged him to build the plugin. He said, “if you don’t build it, I will.” Pippin Williamson sat down at Russ’ laptop and a few minutes later, he had the plugin ready.Read more about Russ on his website and say hi to him on Twitter.Why Build Gravity Styles?When you’re creating a product it is important to solve an actual problem. He hated styling forms. So, he saw Suzette Franck made all of her forms pink. So he asked her if he could use her CSS. “Sure” she said. And Russ was off building Gravity Styles.“I hate styling Gravity Forms.” Russell AaronHow Long Before Gravity Styles Was Solvent?It was always solvent. Russ believes that you should only work on side projects after you feed your family and have a roof on your head.“Please keep a roof over your head.” Russell AaronDo the WorkDon’t be afraid to walk up and shake someone’s hand. Build relationships. Those are the most valuable tool anyone has. Also, don’t be afraid of guerrilla marketing.“Stop talking and start sweating.” Russell AaronFor example, he used DesktopServer, built a local version of a website that was fully operational and had content. He would go to that business (someone he knew) and say something like, “Hey. I built this for you. Would you like to have a website setup in an hour for your business?” Then he’d help them with hosting or whatever, got the cash, and moved on.“If you don’t have the passion to do this it doesn’t matter if you’re Bruce Wayne; you’re not going to get anywhere.” Russell AaronAdvice for Plugin Developers“They gave me hosting and I did something with it.” Russell AaronBe curious.Be passionate.Have a mentor then be a mentor.Solve a problem with your plugin.Hire or ask a professional to code it.Be accountable.Do the work.Build relationships.Don’t be a taker; be a giver.Use the tools you have.Go to Meetups and Conferences.Make friends.Do all of this after you’ve paid for your food and rent.Tool or Tip of the WeekThis Tool or Tip of the week is brought to you by Fat Dog Creatives. If you’re a service-based business serious about growth, Rhonda Negard is your rebranding and web design thinker, a strategic design specialist. Check out her website at FatDogCreatives.comRuss recommends getting a Chromecast. Use it to play videos from WordPress.tv while you work (keep learning), YouTube, or at social gatherings.Jason recommends Small.Chat. Even the free account allows you to integrate a chat bot on your website to your Slack channel. Respond in real time in a way that works with your team.Bridget recommends the DOSS SoundBox. The bass is awesome. Shows the best of Miles Davis which she is currently enjoying — especially Kind of Blue. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
As the economy naturally changes, how do we adapt? Whether it is a temporary scare, industry shift, or a documented recession, we have options during an economic decline.Jason and Bridget are joined by Pam Aungst of PamAnnMarketing.com to discuss how to market your WordPress business during these difficult times.“We’re still humans. We still have emotions and we still do business with people we know, like and trust. Pick up your phone and call your clients. Real human connection is the important part about life.” Pam AungstOur show notes only touch on highlights. As always, we encourage you to watch (or listen) to the whole episode.WPblab SponsorsServerPressThank you for being a preroll sponsor, ServerPress! ServerPress is the maker of DesktopServer, WPSiteSync, and so much more! https://www.serverpress.com. (It works with WooCommerce now!)KinstaIf you are tired of unreliable or slow hosting check out Kinsta.com, who takes managed WordPress hosting to the next level. Powered by Google Cloud, all their plans include PHP 7.3, SSH access for developers, one-click staging area, 20 global data centers, free SSL, free CDN and 24×7 expert support who will also migrate your site free of charge. Kinsta.comAbout Pam AungstPam Aungst is no stranger to innovating marketing and business strategies. Not only does she have a natural intuition toward strategy and marketing, but she has an MBA, too.Throughout her career, Pam has been able to pivot companies during economic declines. She has done this for industrial products and even niching down in the SEO and PPC field.Her agency, Pam Ann Marketing, and it’s white label sister company, Stealth Search and Analytics, have just turned seven years old and she’s released a new plugin: Crosscheck SEO – “Search Engine Visibility & Robots.txt Monitoring & Email Alerts Plugin for WordPress.”Be sure to follow Pam on Twitter.Empathy in an Economic DeclineThe most important driving force to cope with an economic decline is empathy. In many ways our businesses are interlinked and codependent. (Not codependent in a toxic way but a symbiotic way. Think algae and fungus. We can learn a lot from nature’s systems.)“The symbiotic relationship between algae and fungus creates lichen. The algae make energy through the process of photosynthesis and the fungus provides protection from the elements to the algae. Without the protection of fungus the algae would die and without the life giving energy produced by algae the fungus would die. It is a true partnership!” Curtis CarmanRemember, in any time, it is easier to keep an existing client base than gain new ones. Ask your clients what they need and don’t be afraid to loosen up a bit. Generally Pam doesn’t change her hourly rate or contract terms, but right now she believes serving her clients where they are today is more important.“I don’t have an exact plan and I refuse to have an exact plan. We have to ride this wave.” Pam AungstThe best way to demonstrate empathy is to get ahead of the situation.“Be as empathetic as possible. [My clients] are all asking to pause; I’m not enforcing my contract.” Pam AungstA recession or economic decline tends to move people toward the do-it-yourself model. But your relationships with your clients should still be maintained through helpful communication.“Figure out how to help the client [and] maintain the relationship.” Pam AungstPivoting in an Economic DeclineWhen Pam was in charge of the her department and the company hit an economic decline, they made the decision to strategically pivot. She’s proud that they grew 30% year over year in that recession. This comes from being creative and self-aware.“What other skills do you have or could you develop to help your clients?” Pam AungstPam likes the “gun to your head” thought experiment. Imagine you’re forced fo choose a career. What’s the first thing that you think of? Now, take that and see what elements of those you can introduce.If the first thing you said was “teach.” Then develop some online courses.As an aside, Chris Badgett has been advocating this forever but especially now.“If you inventory your skills, life experience & passions, (and overlap that with what the world needs right now) what could you make a free or paid online course about?” Chris BadgettIf you were hosting events, do them virtually. If you were going to speak at a conference, offer free consulting.Email Marketing in an Economic DeclineBridget recommends against ambulance chasing. This applies to your email marketing. Jason mentioned we don’t need emails from companies who are electronic-only. The “cloud” is safe from COVID-19. Don’t be part of the noise when an emergency hits. Be part of the solution.“Before you send any email, think about what’s in it for them.” Pam AungstInstead, why not reach out via text, phone, or email with this simple line, suggests Pam:“I’m thinking about you.”Those four words make a huge impact. We’re all businesses. Truly, we are all affected together, but we choose to be in it together.Tool or Tip of the WeekThis Tool or Tip of the week is brought to you by Fat Dog Creatives. If you’re a service-based business serious about growth, Rhonda Negard is your rebranding and web design thinker, a strategic design specialist. Check out her website at FatDogCreatives.comPam recommends the following:Relax.Mental health really matters now more than ever.Take care of yourself.Do you.Jason recommends Unichar. Sometimes you need those trademark and copyright symbols.Bridget recommends the Smule. You can still do karaoke and meet new people. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We often hear people say that seniors will only use a telephone to contact others. Give us a break. Firstly, we all know that our grandparents 70+ are on Facebook, Genealogy.com, and ordering from Alexa.So, how do we market to seniors without treating them like second-class citizens? We are honored to be joined by Canadian expat Warren Laine-Naida. He now teaches digital literacy to seniors.As he says on his site,“People have always used technology to solve problems – older people should not be excluded. Seniors also want to have a say, participate. Active participation in society should be possible for everyone. Media literacy or digital literacy is a prerequisite for this.”Let’s dig in and have a real conversation. Let’s be serious here, Bridget can join AARP in 8 years! (Jason is a bit younger.) Well, first we have to thank our sponsors.WPblab SponsorsServerPressThank you for being a preroll sponsor, ServerPress! ServerPress is the maker of DesktopServer, WPSiteSync, and so much more! https://www.serverpress.com. (It works with WooCommerce now!)KinstaIf you are tired of unreliable or slow hosting check out Kinsta.com, who takes managed WordPress hosting to the next level. Powered by Google Cloud, all their plans include PHP 7.3, SSH access for developers, one-click staging area, 20 global data centers, free SSL, free CDN and 24×7 expert support who will also migrate your site free of charge. Kinsta.comAbout Warren Laine-NaidaTrained as a pastry chef, Warren is not only a fan of chocolate, he is an artist who specialized in chocolate sculptures. Because of his book, he taught himself to build a website chocolatecheese.de in 1999.He now not only builds websites, but he is passionate about teaching children and seniors digital literacy. Follow Warren on Twitter; he has a wide range of interests.Tech as a Second CareerMany people come to tech as a way to pivot their careers. Warren did the same.“Tech is a very accessible career because a lot of us move on because of physical issues… it’s only bordered by your creativity.” Warren Laine-NaidaSince 2016, we’ve been seeing a lot of people enter the WordPress community who have a depth of career and life experience. Wanting to leave the day job, they come to WordCamps and Meetups to learn how to switch to a career in tech. The freedom from this kind of life is appealing to every generation.“With web you don’t enter and go up the ladder; it’s fluid.” Warren Laine-NaidaWho Is A Senior?Seniors range from 55 years old for restaurant discounts all the way to 65-72 for retirement. Some of Warren’s students are even in their eighties.What is Digital LiteracyDigital literacy is the ability to use smart devices, computers, and internet of things in order to accomplish your goals.An important thing to note is that being tech savvy isn’t related to age. In fact, warren says the demographic that best determines digital literacy is money.“It’s a question of disposable income. It isn’t about ability; the digital divide is based upon pure economics” Warren Laine-NaidaTech Is a ToolUltimately, tech is and always has been a tool to accomplish a task. And yet, because of the disposable income issue, it’s become more of an accessory.“We’ve moved away from them as tools; they’re accessories. It’s transcended its purposes — phone, website, everything.” Warren Laine-NaidaWhat About Accessibility?Revealing our own bias (mine: Bridget), we thought Warren would talk accessibility. We should have a good color contrast and bigger fonts. I sort of expected a talk like Cemal Tashan gave at WordCamp Los Angeles. We were a bit surprised.“If you don’t have access to high speed internet, then the size of the font is moot.” Warren Laine-NaidaInsert Mic Drop.Sure. Seniors are more likely to be on a fixed income — especially given the fact that we live longer. So, sometimes they have to choose between paying for utilities or internet. Kind of makes you think, doesn’t it?A Note About GenerationsJason and Bridget are part of GenX. Jason brought up some excellent points about how the Baby Boomers and Millenials have similar goals and aspirations. It would be nice to see some mutual respect toward one another. (Okay, lecture’s over.)Tool or Tip of the WeekThis Tool or Tip of the week is brought to you by Fat Dog Creatives. If you’re a service-based business serious about growth, Rhonda Negard is your rebranding and web design thinker, a strategic design specialist. Check out her website at FatDogCreatives.comWarren recommends The Innovators by Walter Isaacon. Learn why innovation is important.Jason recommends Momentum Plus. Integrate it with Google Tasks to make task management easy across devices.Bridget recommends the Coral App. Understand your arousal style and learn about yourself. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We’ve all heard, “free as in beer,” but what does it even mean? You know you have a valuable solution, product, or service, but how should it be priced? What is your product business model? Is it all free, freemium, or premium only? Do you finance with the equity in your home, an SBA loan, or exposure?Business models are Jason Coleman‘s favorite topic. We are lucky enough to be joined by him for 45 minutes on this episode. Remember, the last 15 are the Tool or Tip of the Week.Don’t miss this episode if you want to continue the conversation on what really funds open source. (Hint: it’s not open source fairies.) There were so many quotables, you just have to watch!WPwatercooler SponsorsServerPressThank you for being a preroll sponsor, ServerPress! ServerPress is the maker of DesktopServer, WPSiteSync, and so much more! https://www.serverpress.com. (It works with WooCommerce now!)Beaver BuilderThe best drag and drop page builder. $99 for unlimited sites. Try today. Used by Over 1M Sites. Professional Designs. 100% Responsive Templates. Theme Compatible. Highly Customizable. Content Page Templates. Live, Front End Editing. Web Developer Friendly. https://www.beaverbuilder.comKinstaIf you are tired of unreliable or slow hosting check out Kinsta.com, who takes managed WordPress hosting to the next level. Powered by Google Cloud, all their plans include PHP 7.3, SSH access for developers, one-click staging area, 20 global data centers, free SSL, free CDN and 24×7 expert support who will also migrate your site free of charge. https://demo.kinsta.comJason Coleman – Entrepreneur, Husband, AuthorJason and Kim Coleman were high school sweethearts and formed their businesses together. Currently, Jason is the CEO of Stranger Studios and Paid Memberships Pro. He’s also a published author. They both have college degrees and knew that business building was their path. You can read Jason’s blog here.(Side note: Jessalyn interviewed Kim Coleman at WCUS in 2017.)Jason Coleman worked in the 2.0 app area and built quite a bit of proprietary software. Soon after he found WordPress. He had an eCommerce plugin that he didn’t license under GPL and saw that as a missed opportunity. Around 2011, 2012 Jason niched in the membership website market. Because the work was repeatable, he started charging more.“Don’t combat the big guys in the space they’re winning.” Jason ColemanSo many of us in WordPress are accidental freelancers or hobbyists or employees. Jason’s passion is not only to help his local community, but to help WordPress developers set themselves up for success at Day 1. Be on the lookout for his presentation at WordCamp Orlando in 2019 on WordPress.tv. (His slides and spreadsheet resources are here.)What are the WordPress Product Business Models?It feels like there are many business models. But with WordPress products you have three: premium, freemium, and free. You can also have a free product and charge only for support. That’s the way PMP went for quite a while. But it’s important to set goals. Make sure your goals are achievable and realistic.Premium-only plugins don’t have the competitive advantage of being listed in the WordPress Plugin Directory. This was the opening in the market that Jason Coleman saw as a huge opportunity. There were many premium plugins for membership, but none in the free/freemium space.Currently, PMP has a freemium model. Check it out in the directory; don’t forget to check out their add-ons, too.Supporting Open Source with Agency WorkMuch like the story of LifterLMS, PMP was subsidized and supported by agency work. You have to plan in order for your WordPress product to become self-sustaining. That plan must include profit. Make projections with a percentage and stick to it. He believes 30% profit is reasonable.Freelancers have an advantage. When doing client work, WordPress developers are used to building something and standing by it. Not many people stand by something they have built. It’s the pride in craftsmanship that is an advantage.“A lot of freelancers move into products because they have the skill to [support something they built].” Jason ColemanHow Long Before PMP Was Profitable?Like most businesses, Paid Memberships Pro was self-sufficient and in the black by year three (2015). They reached a point where their forecasts (huge fans of spreadsheets) required they dive in to PMP 100%. To do this they paused their agency work for three months.When Should You Raise Your Prices?Using your goals, decide when it makes sense. This is one of the reasons why Jason Coleman loves spreadsheets so much. You can tweak prices to see when you meet revenue and growth goals. Don’t worry about the people who will be upset. They will always be upset.“There will be backlash no matter what you charge.” Jason ColemanInstead of focusing on current customers in your projections, focus on the future customer. Mature businesses worry about churn, where most startups need to focus on future customers. Don’t forget about your current customers. Be sure to grandfather in their pricing. Loyalty, after all, is very important.Tool or Tip of the WeekThis Tool or Tip of the week is brought to you by Fat Dog Creatives. If you’re a service-based business serious about growth, Rhonda Negard is your rebranding and web design thinker, a strategic design specialist. Check out her website at FatDogCreatives.comJason Coleman recommends the distributor plugin by 10up. This allows you to syndicate content to one central site. This is good for people who publish all over the place.Jason Tucker recommends the Peak-a-View app. This tool allows you to safely hand your phone to a kid or client and allow them to only view one album. There was a big write up on it at 9to5mac.com.Bridget recommends Sarah Beth Yoga on YouTube. It’s organized by focus (bedtime yoga, morning yoga), type, and by minutes (10 minute, 15 minute, etc.). Bridget is finally doing 20 minute yoga. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
How do you direct your clients to the product you really want to sell? How do you show the value of your services? Can you really get volume with a loss leader? These are all questions we ask ourselves. This week, Jason and Bridget are joined by marketing expert Nathan Allotey. We will discuss the psychology surrounding pricing. This is an episode you’ll want to bookmark and rewatch!WPblab SponsorsServerPressThank you for being a preroll sponsor, ServerPress! ServerPress is the maker of DesktopServer, WPSiteSync, and so much more!Beaver BuilderThe best drag and drop page builder. $99 for unlimited sites. Try today. Used by Over 1M Sites. Professional Designs. 100% Responsive Templates. Theme Compatible. Highly Customizable. Content Page Templates. Live, Front End Editing. Web Developer Friendly.KinstaIf you are you tired of unreliable or slow hosting check out Kinsta.com, who takes managed WordPress hosting to the next level. Powered by Google Cloud, all their plans include PHP 7.3, SSH access for developers, one-click staging area, 20 global data centers, free SSL, free CDN and 24×7 expert support who will also migrate your site free of charge.You Can Sponsor WPblab, Too.If you’re interested in sponsoring our shows, check out the details on our sponsor page. We offer episode by episode spoken ads, rather than large contracts. This way you have a low barrier to entry so we can help you with brand awareness. We’re democratizing podcasting.A Little Bit About Nathan AlloteyNathan has been working with digital clients for ten years, has a graduate degree, and teaches people through his podcast and blog at nathanallotey.com. His podcast “Freelance Jumpstart,” can be heard anywhere you hear podcasts. If this episode makes you want to know more about pricing your services, check out more of his videos in this playlist on his site.You Can’t Avoid FailureReading books and listening to podcasts is good. Most people educate themselves to avoid failure. Rather, learn from failure. One thing developers understand is iteration. Test the market. Raise your prices.“They do all these things ’cause they’re trying to avoid failure.” Nathan Allotey“You will fail; learn from that failure and adapt.” Nathan AlloteyKnow Your CostNathan believes that you should be making 30% profit. In order to do that, establish your base. Figure out your overhead costs that also include hosting and any plugin licenses or SaaS fees.Remember that hourly pricing should be internal.Know Your WorthYour pricing should reflect the years of education and hours of training that you’ve spent getting to the level of expertise you’re at.“Definitely know your worth.” Nathan AlloteyKnowing — deeply understanding — your worth causes you to instinctually protect your time. This affects the scope of work and how a client treats you.Don’t be afraid to stick to two revision cycles, for example. People get what they pay for. If a potential client says another agency will build the website for $5,000 less, then let them. Otherwise, that is being used as leverage to bully you. It’s manipulation.Know Your ClientsClients like to feel empowered. Instead of presenting one proposal that ends in a yes/no answer, present options.Price anchoring allows the customer to choose an option rather than say no. This educates them and empowers them to understand your value.“Instead of agonizing over the decision, why not present options to the client and let them choose?” Nathan AlloteyPresenting options gives your clients to understand a range of what they should pay. They have a choice.How Much Should A Website Cost?What value is the website going to bring to your customer? You may want to ask the client that question and use value-based pricing instead.“How much are my websites worth rather than what a website costs.” Nathan AlloteyWhat should I charge?Do some research. Scope out a project and ask agencies for a bid.“Pricing is not a decision; it’s a strategy.” Nathan AlloteyAnchoring Establishes ValueIf you do choose to use a loss leader in your anchoring it is important to think long term, Nathan advises.“Tend to think long term, rather than short term when it comes to loss leaders.” Nathan AlloteyWhat’s Really Valuable?The most valuable thing in your business is you. Allow that value to permeate through and influence your actions, attitudes, and perceptions.“Remember that you are valuable.” Nathan AlloteyTool or Tip of the WeekThis Tool or Tip of the week is brought to you by Fat Dog Creatives. If you’re a service-based business serious about growth, Rhonda Negard is your rebranding and web design thinker, a strategic design specialist. Check out her website at FatDogCreatives.comNathan recommends a book called “The Win Without Pitching Manifesto.” It’s helpful for those who are shy about sales pitches to get more comfortable with your service offerings and value.Jason recommends Momentum, a browser extension that helps you be your most productive self. Plus, it’s beautiful. Bridget added it to her Chrome right after the show.Bridget recommends Voice Memos. If you’re using a tool like Headliner and want to post audio to your Instagram, for example, you need a .wav or .mp3. This tool is free and just works. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
With all of the automation, we are able (and love to do), we sometimes forget the human touch with our customers and clients. It’s annoying to us to talk on the phone, but what if it makes a difference to them? A Twitter conversation lead to Amber Pechin pitching an amazing topic that is the best 45 minutes of radio.Well, maybe not the best. But, it is a great episode.“I want to talk about Aliens, dinosaurs, and animals with jobs at WordPress agencies. Why you should do everything (live, work, run a business, network) as a human. It’s just a lot more fun that way.” Amber PechinWPblab SponsorsServerPressThank you for being a preroll sponsor, ServerPress! ServerPress is the maker of DesktopServer, WPSiteSync, and so much more!Beaver BuilderThe best drag and drop page builder. $99 for unlimited sites. Try today. Used by Over 1M Sites. Professional Designs. 100% Responsive Templates. Theme Compatible. Highly Customizable. Content Page Templates. Live, Front End Editing. Web Developer Friendly.VendorFuelVendorFuel is a next-generation shopping cart plugin that will ignite your eCommerce. Built using AngularJS VendorFuel lets you keep your customers on your website for the entire checkout experience. Start a 90 day free trial now and Ignite Your eCommerce.KinstaIf you are you tired of unreliable or slow hosting check out Kinsta.com, who takes managed WordPress hosting to the next level. Powered by Google Cloud, all their plans include PHP 7.3, SSH access for developers, one-click staging area, 20 global data centers, free SSL, free CDN and 24×7 expert support who will also migrate your site free of charge.You Can Sponsor WPblab, Too.If you’re interested in sponsoring our shows, check out the details on our sponsor page. We offer episode by episode spoken ads, rather than large contracts. This way you have a low barrier to entry so we can help you with brand awareness. We’re democratizing podcasting.Networking for IntrovertsEveryone needs to know people and network. Sometimes we view networking like a dirty word that makes us feel gross. But it is important for everyone because humans are important.“I like humans; they’re delicious.” Amber PechinWhen it comes to social events be it a Chamber meeting, WordPress Meetup, or even a wedding, we all typically go for the obvious questions.“What do you do for a living?”Instead of asking about the details of someone’s resume, Amber likes to shake up the game. (She does this in dating apps, too, by the way).So, Amber asks, “What’s your favorite dinosaur?”Asking people what their favorite dinosaur is shakes us out of our norm. We turn in to five year olds, she says. Inspiring curiosity and wonder in a conversation builds relationships.“It’s my job as an extrovert to make friends for introverts.” Amber PechinIt’s Okay If Everyone Doesn’t Like YouBridget asked Amber if that dinosaur question ever had adverse reactions. She said she understands her personality is like cilantro: you like it or you don’t. That’s okay.“Be okay that someone might not find you funny.” Amber PechinThe main point of networking is to find this out. Your in-person events might help you find clients to refer to peers. That’s also valuable. Build connections. Ensure your website, as your digital storefront, shows your personality. Be you.Bonus PR TipsBefore Amber started Amplitude Media with her business partner, she was in public relations. She has a lot of great tips for businesses who are looking to reach out to the press.The official press release is good to make, but the pitch should be the story. What is the problem and how is your announcement solving that problem for the publisher’s audience?“When you do PR right, you are humanizing it.” Amber Pechin“As a PR person, I think the press release is dead.” Amber Pechin“Picking up the phone shapes the story.” Amber PechinTool or Tip of the WeekThis Tool or Tip of the week is brought to you by VendorFuel. VendorFuel is a next-generation shopping cart plugin that will ignite your eCommerce. Built using AngularJS VendorFuel lets you keep your customers on your website for the entire checkout experience. Start a 90-day free trial now and Ignite Your eCommerce at VendorFuel.com!Amber recommends Termageddon, a SaaS privacy service. Their prices are super low. Crazy low. She also recommends reading The Diversity Bonus.Jason recommends InShot, a photo editing app. It’s available in the Apple Store and Google Play.Bridget recommends the The Art of War by Sun Tzu. Military strategy can be applied to business and marketing.So, What’s Your Favorite Dinosaur?Amber likes the Gigantoraptor. “Clearly it’s the dinosaur having the best time.”Jason likes the Triceratops.via GIPHYBridget thinks the Tyrannosaurus Rex is funny and terrifying at the same time. Thanks, Jurassic Park.via GIPHYWe’d love to hear from you. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Everyone wants to start a podcast. But do you have the audience to sustain one? Unlikely. Besides, you don’t even know if you like podcasting yet.Instead, why not be a guest on podcasts? In this episode, Jason and Bridget are joined by Warren Whitlock to get insight on how to market yourself by being a guest.Take a listen. Let us know your thoughts.Preroll SponsorThank you for being a preroll sponsor, ServerPress! ServerPress is the maker of DesktopServer, WPSiteSync, and so much more!WPblab SponsorsVendorFuelVendorFuel is a next-generation shopping cart plugin that will ignite your eCommerce. Built using AngularJS VendorFuel lets you keep your customers on your website for the entire checkout experience. Start a 90 day free trial now and Ignite Your eCommerce at https://VendorFuel.comKinstaIf you are you tired of unreliable or slow hosting check out Kinsta.com, who takes managed WordPress hosting to the next level. Powered by Google Cloud, all their plans include PHP 7.3, SSH access for developers, one-click staging area, 20 global data centers, free SSL, free CDN and 24×7 expert support who will also migrate your site free of charge.” https://Kinsta.comSponsor our showIf you’re interested in sponsoring our shows, check out the details on our sponsor page. We offer episode by episode spoken ads, rather than large contracts. A show by you for you.A Bit About Warren WhitlockWarren has a diverse broadcasting background from the radio days (we’re still in radio days) as well as having his own podcast: Distributed Conversations. More than anything he is a futurist — always intrigued about the newest technology whether it was video, Twitter, WordPress, or block chain — his current passion.The golden thread in Warren’s career is content production. He’s produced and created content since 1969. Though the recording and distribution technology evolves, the principles do not.“I open my mouth and it turns into content.” Warren WhitlockWhy Should You Be a Podcast Guest?Podcasting is a great way to give back. Warren paraphrases the Zig Ziglar principle that in order to get anything out of life, you must give first.“You will get all you want in life, if you help enough other people get what they want.” Zig ZiglarAt the end of the day, podcast hosts are much like television producers: they have time to fill but it needs to benefit their advertisers.Not only is giving a good way to elevate your brand awareness for your company and yourself, it’s a healthy part of any SEO strategy.Tips For Choosing a PodcastEnsure the podcast is sharable. Meaning, how will it look if you share your episode with your following. There should be more than two episodes.Ensure the podcast enables and encourages commenting. Comments are important for follow-up conversations after the podcast is over and so people can find you — the guest — later.If the podcast doesn’t feel authentic, it won’t do anything for your own brand awareness.Podcasts are about connection. If you don’t feel the connection, it’s not a good fit. (This is why it is important to listen to a podcast before you agree to come on.)Find a podcast you love and become it’s biggest fan. This will get the attention of the producers so they are more likely to invite you as a guest.Tool or Tip of the WeekThis Tool or Tip of the week is brought to you by VendorFuel.VendorFuel is a next-generation shopping cart plugin that will ignite your eCommerce. Built using AngularJS VendorFuel lets you keep your customers on your website for the entire checkout experience. Start a 90-day free trial now and Ignite Your eCommerce at VendorFuel.com!Warren recommends riding Uber Pool. It’s a great way to meet new people. You might have fun, too!Jason recommends Shift. It’s a great way to manage all of those pesky email addresses.Bridget recommends watching Netflix’s series: Abstract. Look at things around you. Get context for your life and your art.Do you have any tools or tips we should know about?We’d love to hear from you. What are your experiences with this subject?Tell us in the comments below. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
As much as we like to think Open Source is all about giving and not getting, it isn’t a sustainable model. Peace, Love, and WordPress are great, but we still need to eat.So how are plugins really funded? In this episode, Jason and Bridget will be joined by Chris Badgett who will tell us how he used agency work to fund his plugin’s development: LifterLMS.Take a listen. Let us know your thoughts.Preroll SponsorThank you for being a preroll sponsor, ServerPress! ServerPress is the maker of DesktopServer, WPSiteSync, and so much more!WPblab SponsorsVendorFuelVendorFuel is a next-generation shopping cart plugin that will ignite your eCommerce. Built using AngularJS VendorFuel lets you keep your customers on your website for the entire checkout experience. Start a 90 day free trial now and Ignite Your eCommerce at https://VendorFuel.comKinstaIf you are you tired of unreliable or slow hosting check out Kinsta.com, who takes managed WordPress hosting to the next level. Powered by Google Cloud, all their plans include PHP 7.3, SSH access for developers, one-click staging area, 20 global data centers, free SSL, free CDN and 24×7 expert support who will also migrate your site free of charge.” https://Kinsta.comSponsor our showIf you’re interested in sponsoring our shows, check out the details on our sponsor page. We offer episode by episode spoken ads, rather than large contracts. A show by you for you.Nonprofit ShoutOut: WP&UPChris wore the Matt Report hat that also supports WPandUP, a nonprofit helping individuals with mental health in the WordPress space. They can use your help.A Bit of Background On Chris Badgett and LifterLMSHe started as a dog musher in Alaska. When he decided to do freelance work, he charged $300 for his first WordPress website. He’s experienced every part of the WordPress journey — from pricing to roles. Eventually, he merged his company with codeBox and his passion for learning with Thomas Patrick Levy’s coding skills lead to the intentional creation of their own LMS product, which didn’t exist in WordPress’ plugin directory at the time.He tells his story in-depth in the Work From the Inside Out podcast.They used their high-end projects to fund the development of LifterLMS which took two years to break even and three years before no longer “having difficult conversations with their wives,” as Chris put it. Product LaunchThe MVP version of the free LifterLMS was built in 90 days. codeBox always intended to move away from agency work but specialized in high-end clients and course creators. It was a natural, yet intentional shift. Five years later, codeBox no longer provides agency work.“It’s a process; not an event. I see a product launch as the starting point not the finish line.” Chris BadgettHow Long Does It Take to Become Solvent?It realistically takes two to three years. This is on part for most businesses. Be ready to make hard choices. Focus on customer financing with early adopter discounts. LifterLMS had no other source of funding, private or venture capital, other than customer financing and agency work. They were quite literally bootstrapped. Chris, as an avid survivalist and minimalist, made hard choices to live far below his means. That was a decision he and his wife made to help the business. It’s also a lifestyle they still believe in.Balancing Client Work and Product DevelopmentPricing correctly matters. There are only so many billable hours in the day. If a client site has an issue, that is a priority over development time. Most bootstrapped businesses in Open Source don’t have the funds in order to sustain a separate development team.“Client work always cannibalizes the product.” Chris BadgettBe realistic in your goals and time allotment. Don’t get discouraged.Why Not Copy An Existing Product?Sure, you can fork another project. GiveWP was forked from EDD as founder Devin Walker talks about often. Chris’ philosophy, however, comes from his background of understanding people. (He majored in anthropology.)“We believe the best products are built out of the voice of the customer.” Chris BadgettTogether Is BetterIt’s good to partner with other companies to integrate your plugin solutions. Having a powerful REST API helps ensure your product can be extended — even as a mobile app. “Don’t do it alone.” Chris Badgett“If you actively support other plugin shops, you build and deliver more value than you would by yourself.” Chris BadgettAdvice for Year One“You gotta get uncomfortable. It’s extremely uncomfortable.” Chris Badgett“Do it with real people.” Chris Badgett“Prepare for the long haul.” Chris BadgettTool or Tip of the WeekThis Tool or Tip of the week is brought to you by VendorFuel. VendorFuel is a next-generation shopping cart plugin that will ignite your eCommerce. Built using AngularJS VendorFuel lets you keep your customers on your website for the entire checkout experience. Start a 90-day free trial now and Ignite Your eCommerce at VendorFuel.com!Chris recommends Vito Peleg’s WPFeeback and the community he is building there.Jason recommends DoubleTake by FiLMiC Pro.Bridget recommends the Kindle App. Did you know Amazon Prime members have access to books even audible ones?Do you have any tools or tips we should know about?We’d love to hear from you. What are your experiences with this subject?Tell us in the comments below. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Sometimes marketing your business means reaching out to the community around you or industry leaders. Writing biographical profiles helps your business as well as theirs. So, how can you do this well? In this episode, Jason and Bridget are joined by Allison Smith, who frequently interviews subjects. Let’s dig in and answer your questions in the live chat.Join us on this episode of WPblab by visiting our Participant guidelines page.WPwatercooler network is sponsored by:ServerPress makers of DesktopServer. Be sure to check them out at https://www.serverpress.com.VendorFuel – VendorFuel is a next-generation shopping cart plugin that will ignite your eCommerce. Built using AngularJS VendorFuel lets you keep your customers on your website for the entire checkout experience. Start a 90 day free trial now and Ignite Your eCommerce at VendorFuel.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Almost as old as the chicken and egg question is the question of whether to brand yourself as a company or use your name. Should you stay a private person or should you capitalize on your personality? And if you do market yourself, how to you maintain a private life?Can you ever go back from being a public person? Will clients trust you if you're not an agency? Which is right for you?In this episode, Jason and Bridget discuss the pros and cons while getting input from live attendees in the chat.Network SponsorThank you for sponsoring the WPwatercooler Network, ServerPress. ServerPress is the maker of DesktopServer, WPSiteSync, and so much more!WPblab SponsorsVendorFuelVendorFuel is a next-generation shopping cart plugin that will ignite your eCommerce. Built using AngularJS VendorFuel lets you keep your customers on your website for the entire checkout experience. Start a 90 day free trial now and Ignite Your eCommerce at https://VendorFuel.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Thanks, Sponsors!The WPwatercooler network is sponsored by ServerPress makers of DesktopServer. Be sure to check them out at https://serverpress.com as well as VendorFuel at https://vendorfuel.comIf you’re interested in sponsoring the 40-minute mark of this show, check out the details on our sponsor page. We offer episode by episode spoken ads, rather than large contracts. A show by you for you.https://www.wpwatercooler.com/sponsors See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Is it time to re-evaluate your product and service pricing? Jason and Bridget are joined by eCommerce expert Wes ChyrchelJoin us on this episode of WPblab by visiting our Participant guidelines page.WPwatercooler network is sponsored by ServerPress makers of DesktopServer. Be sure to check them out at https://www.serverpress.com as well as Kinsta over at https://www.kinsta.com and Vendor Fuel https://www.vendorfuel.comKinsta - If you are you tired of unreliable or slow hosting check out Kinsta.com, who takes managed WordPress hosting to the next level. Powered by Google Cloud, all their plans include PHP 7.3, SSH access for developers, one-click staging area, 20 global data centers, free SSL, free CDN and 24×7 expert support who will also migrate your site free of charge. Kinsta.comVendorFuel is a next-generation shopping cart plugin that will ignite your eCommerce. Built using AngularJS VendorFuel lets you keep your customers on your website for the entire checkout experience. Start a 90-day free trial now and Ignite Your eCommerce at VendorFuel.com!If you’re interested in sponsoring the show, check out the details on our sponsor page. We offer episode by episode spoken ads, rather than large contracts. A show by you for you. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
This episode Jason and Bridget are joined by Tevya Washburn from Starfish Reviews. We discuss everything you always wanted to know about review marketing but were afraid to ask.Join us on a future episode of WPblab by visiting our Participant guidelines page.https://www.wpwatercooler.com/participant-guidelines/WPwatercooler network is sponsored by:ServerPress makers of DesktopServer – https://www.serverpress.comWPblab is sponsored by:VendorFuel – VendorFuel is a next-generation shopping cart plugin that will ignite your eCommerce. Built using AngularJS VendorFuel lets you keep your customers on your website for the entire checkout experience. Start a 90 day free trial now and Ignite Your eCommerce at https://VendorFuel.comKinsta – If you are you tired of unreliable or slow hosting check out Kinsta.com, who takes managed WordPress hosting to the next level. Powered by Google Cloud, all their plans include PHP 7.3, SSH access for developers, one-click staging area, 20 global data centers, free SSL, free CDN and 24×7 expert support who will also migrate your site free of charge.” https://Kinsta.comIf you’re interested in sponsoring our shows, check out the details on our sponsor page. We offer episode by episode spoken ads, rather than large contracts. A show by you for you. https://www.wpwatercooler.com/sponsor See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
In this episode of WPblab, Jason and Bridget talk about the ways you can level up your biz dev. It's great if you build websites and plugins. But how does anyone know? How do you build a referral network? How do you keep top-of-mind with your connections? Tune in to find out.Bridget's Content Planner WorksheetJoin us on this episode of WPblab by visiting our Participant guidelines page.https://www.wpwatercooler.com/participant-guidelines/WPwatercooler network is sponsored by:ServerPress makers of DesktopServer – https://www.serverpress.comKinsta Web Hosting – https://www.kinsta.comVendorFuel – https://www.vendorfuel.comIf you’re interested in sponsoring the show, check out the details on our sponsor page. We offer episode by episode spoken ads, rather than large contracts. A show by you for you. https://www.wpwatercooler.com/sponsor See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
In this episode, Jason is joined by David Margowsky from Pixel Jar. They will discuss why you should monetize your websites with ads and the best way to sell.Join us on this episode of WPblab by visiting our Participant guidelines page.Wanna sponsor our shows?WPwatercooler network is sponsored by ServerPress makers of DesktopServer. Be sure to check them out at https://www.serverpress.com as well as Kinsta over at https://www.kinsta.comIf you’re interested in sponsoring the show, check out the details on our sponsor page. We offer episode by episode spoken ads, rather than large contracts. A show by you for you. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
This week on WPblab, Bridget and Jason are going to talk about the tools, tips, and tricks every WordCamp speaker needs to know. You can't always rely upon the tech at a venue -- especially if you plan to repurpose that content later.If you’re interested in sponsoring the 40-minute mark of this show, check out the details on our sponsor page. We offer episode by episode spoken ads, rather than large contracts. A show by you for you. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Asking for reviews is tough. Giving one-star reviews in WordPress has become a joke. So how do you get reviews that actually help your business? In this episode, Bridget and Jason chat with Chris Badgett of LifterLMS. You won't want to miss this one.The WPwatercooler network is sponsored by ServerPress makers of DesktopServer. Be sure to check them out at https://serverpress.com as well as Kinsta at https://kinsta.comIf you’re interested in sponsoring the 40-minute mark of this show, check out the details on our sponsor page. We offer episode by episode spoken ads, rather than large contracts. A show by you for you. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
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