Learn Before You Launch

What if you owned a shopping mall, car lot, or restaurant where you knew exactly what everyone wanted that came there prior to them arriving?

You would offer less, customize more, and order less or more of certain ingredients.

You already have this. And it is, or should be, your website.

Stop trying to up-sell a pair of boots when the athlete just wants socks.

Stop spotlighting your Escalades when the soccer mom simply needs wants the minivan.

Stop trying fill your customer’s fix with saltine crackers when they want a filet.

You can’t build your web presence with you in mind. It must be built with the end user in mind.

It’s not about you. It’s about what you have to offer that they we want.

Of course getting them to your mall, car lot, or restaurant is super important, but that’s another conversation…

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Fewer, Less, Shorter…

The future will belong to:

  • The products with fewer buttons.
  • The websites with the less gap between consumer click and human response.
  • The shorter blogs and shorter books.

Say adios to all your bells and whistles.

Simplicity is the ultimate sophisticationLeonardo da Vinci

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Social Bios

You don’t have to go to one’s Facebook page or Twitter profile to engage their social bio. We constantly tell the world who we are, what we like/dislike, what our hobbies are, and why we do what we do.

I was on the Chicago train today and learned a lot.

For instance…

The guy standing across from me with a Cubs hat on. He was sharing with the world his love for baseball. Sure he loves the “Cubbies” – but it’s not because they win…it’s the game they play. I learned all that in his 20-year-old hat.

And the guy standing in the doorway staring at the blurred tiles flying by. Dressed in all black, the only other fashion color on him were the white music ear buds in his ears. He was sharing with the world that he has music taste, style, independence, and thinks differently. I learned all that in his white ear buds.

On board came the woman covered in Lulu Lemon gear. She was sharing with the world one of three things: 1) I’m fit. 2) I’m on my way to getting fit. 3) I hope you think I’m fit and healthy. I didn’t ask her which one she was aiming for. I learned all that in her modern-day spandex she wore.

Lastly, there were two readers on board. One was a man who had a very thick book with the cover removed. Across from him sat a young lady with a Kindle. I watched a little battle between them begin. I really think they started a speed reading competition. At one point he gave her the “I’m more sophisticated than you are” look…and she returned the look with a “my life is more simple than yours is” nod. I learned all this from his book and her Kindle.

Wrap it up, Ashton….

Our marketing departments must demand answers to – how is this product, brand, service, or idea going fit into our target market’s social bios they carry with them and share with the world?

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Scars:Success Ratio

The scars to success ratio is never 0:1, 0:2, 0:10, 0:100, and so forth.
In reality, for those of us painting art, writing music, changing things, and stirring the pot, it’s probably 1:1.

For every success there is (there will be) a scar.

Every mentor I have walks with a limp and is covered in band aids. The difference between them and the mode is that they play through the pain and never ask to be “subbed” out of the game.

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