8 Things you Need on your Business Website
With website trends changing faster than Taylor Swift’s boyfriends, it can be very hard not to get swept up in the hype of the latest web trend. Since the beginning of the web, there are a few key principles that are still vital to any good website. Here are 8 things I need to see on your business website to give you my money. Let’s break it down. Anybody else remember Netscape? Just me? Ok.
Welcome-to-Netscape
Source: http://home.mcom.com/home/welcome.html
1. Tell me, what do you do?
No buzzwords, no fancy words, no jargon and no corporate speak. As soon as I get on your website, you have about 3 seconds to tell me exactly what you do in a simple, straightforward statement. Avoid words that have become meaningless like leverage and monetization. Don’t be overly philosophical either. I don’t have time for that. If you sell awesome chairs, just say: “We sell awesome chairs.” It helps if you can quickly tell me why they’re awesome. “We sell awesome chairs that were made by elves.” A short video (less than a minute) would be helpful here too. Of course, the more complicated your products or services are, the harder it is to explain what they are concisely, but try. Something like this:
Washio is a California based wash and fold laundry service that picks up your dirty laundry, cleans it, and delivers it to you. The Washio website tells you exactly what they do in 8 words.
2. Tell me, why should I care?
I talk about this quite often with founders and executives who think their company is the greatest thing since < insert awesome thing that isn’t a huge cliché like sliced bread here>. I will try to be gentle.NO BODY CARES ABOUT YOU.NO BODY CARES ABOUT HOW COOL AND SHINY YOUR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES ARE.NO BODY CARES HOW MUCH TIME, MONEY, BLOOD, SWEAT, TEARS AND BROKEN RELATIONSHIPS WENT INTO CREATING YOUR COMPANY. People only care about how your products and services are going to solve their problems. And not just any problem, but the problem they are thinking about and searching for a solution for when they stumble upon your website. Your product may be a great solution to finding great winter tires. But if it’s July and I’m not really thinking about winter tires, I won’t care.
useronboard-supermario-2
Source: User Onboarding
3. Tell me, why should I give you my money?
Let’s assume that I understood what you do, and how your product solves my problem. You still have to tell me why I should buy from you and not the other guy that’s cheaper or more popular. Why should I give you my hard-earned money? It could be: our product is faster, better, stronger, unique or the answer may not have anything to do with your product at all. It could be: we’re in your local area or we won’t keep you on hold for an hour or we give a portion of our profit to a good cause. Something like this:
TOMS Shoes is a company that sells shoes and eyewear. "With every product you purchase, TOMS will help a person in need. One for One.®" That promise was a main factor of TOMS success, because customers felt good about buying TOMS shoes since they knew that it was also going to help someone in need.
4. Tell me, who are you?
Tell me who is on the management team, and if it’s a smaller company, tell me who will I be dealing with. It’s not only reassuring that I will be dealing with real live humans but it will give me a feel of who is behind the brand. It is also a great space to share key experience and achievements of the managerial team to build credibility. Something like this: http://www.freshbooks.com/our-team.php
FreshBooks - Meet Our Employees
Freshbooks offers a cloud accounting solution designed exclusively for small business owners. Their team page gives a great intro about each team member along with a nice picture. It personalizes the company and shows the team's experience.
5. Tell me, why should I trust you?
Even if your product sounds great, and it’s exactly what I’m looking for, I still need to know why I should trust you, especially when I’m paying you or giving you my personal information. How do I know I’m not wasting my time and money on you, especially if I have a pressing problem to solve? At the very least, it’s reassuring to see that you’ve been doing this for a while, or you have certain standards that no one else has. And I would feel more comfortable giving you my money if I see familiar logos of companies that use your product (B2B), testimonials from real customers (and don’t bother faking this because I will know) and the number of customers you have because “1,000 small businesses can’t be wrong”, for example. The last one only works if you have a significant number of customers. Something like this: https://trello.com/
Trello is a project management web app. Let's say you were searching for "project management app" and clicked on theTrello website. Even though you may never heard of Trello, seeing companies like Microsoft and Google listed as their customers will make you trust them more. If you’re just starting out, it may be a good idea to give away some free trials and get customers to give you feedback and recommendations that you can share. Unless of course your product sucks, in which case, forget about the website and fix it or kill it.
6. Tell me, why shouldn’t I worry?
Try it for free, money-back guarantee, we will set it up for you; these types of assurances convince me that I am not taking a huge risk by giving you my money. Something like this (again):
freshbooks
The Freshbooks signup page has 6 statements (see image above) that ease my fear about signing up with them and making a commitment.
7. Tell me, how do I get started?
Ok, so you’ve convince me to try your product, so how do I get started? This part is where some websites go overboard and give you too many choices of actions to take, while other sites give you no actions at all. The idea is to have one clear and concise Call-to-Action that shows your customer how to get started. DON’T:
http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2014/25894/close-the-gap-between-sales-and-marketing
Marketing Profs
MarketingProfs offers real-world education for modern marketers through training, best practices, research and other content. I subscribe to this email newsletter, but once I get on to the actual site, I find the various calls-to-action (CTA’s) distracting.
8. Tell me, what happens next?
Once I sign up, I need to see some sort of confirmation that everything went through and what the next step is. “Thanks for signing up! Look out for your confirmation email” for example. This is also a good opportunity to let me know what I can do with this product or how I can get started. Something like this:
yammer 1
Yammer is an enterprise social network established to enable employees to collaborate in real time. You need your work email to sign up since this is an enterprise product. Once you sign up, you get a simple thank you page telling you to check your email to complete the process. Once you confirm your email, you are directed right to the signup page. This is pretty basic but it clearly explains to the customer what to do next.
Confirmation page
Confirmation email
yammer 3
Confirmation link in the email takes you right to the sign up page.
Don’t get caught up with the latest web trends. Stick with what works for your business and tell your story:
Tell me, what do you do?
Tell me, why should I care?
Tell me, why should I give you my money?
Tell me, who are you?
Tell me, why should I trust you?
Tell me, why shouldn’t I worry?
Tell me, how do I get started?
Tell me, what happens next?
A world without work is coming and why successful people work on one thing at a time | Dana's Weekly Roundup Issue 40
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ISSUE #40Dana's Weekly RoundupHi everyone!How do you devour a whale? One bite at a time. The same can be said about finishing tasks. Another article about the changing landscape of work, a subject I find fascinating.Enjoy!Dana
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Why successful people work on one thing at a time
Professor Gloria Mark from the University of California, Irvine, told Fast Company that it takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to get back to the task after an interruption. Think about how many 23 minute chunks get wasted when you rapidly switch between tasks as you’re multitasking. Farhan called this time cost, “context switching.”MKTG
Growing a Site from 0 to 10k Visitors in a Month: Noah Kagan Edition
So this isn’t an article about how Noah Kagan grew a blog from 0 to 10,000 visitors. He’s done that before and you can’t replicate his clout.Instead, this is an article about how Noah’s apprentice grew his brand new site from 0 to 10,000 visitors.IRL
A world without work is coming – it could be utopia or it could be hell
Most of us have wondered what we might do if we didn’t need to work – if we woke up one morning to discover we had won the lottery, say. We entertain ourselves with visions of multiple homes, trips around the world or the players we would sign after buying Arsenal. For many of us, the most tantalising aspect of such visions is the freedom it would bring: to do what one wants, when one wants and how one wants.
How Lord Byron’s daughter became the world’s first computer programmer and the psychology of color | Dana's Weekly Roundup Issue 39
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ISSUE #39Dana's Weekly RoundupHi everyone!The Muse always has helpful email templates to get you started on those hard emails. I had no idea that Ada Lovelace - the world's first computer programmer was Lord Byron's daughter. Great article on color psychology in branding.Enjoy!Dana
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Finally: 5 Email Templates That Make Following Up With Anyone Way Less Awkward
I think most of us would agree the initial part of networking—meeting people—isn’t the hardest part. However, maintaining those connections is much more difficult. After all, if you don’t have an immediate reason to stay in contact with a person—you just think he or she would be “good to keep in touch with,” it’s hard to justify sending an email.MKTG
The Psychology of Color in Marketing and Branding
As research shows, it’s likely because personal preference, experiences, upbringing, cultural differences, and context often muddy the effect individual colors have on us. So the idea that colors such as yellow or purple are able to evoke some sort of hyper-specific emotion is about as accurate as your standard palm reading.IRL
How Ada Lovelace, Lord Byron’s Daughter, Became the World’s First Computer Programmer
Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace, born Augusta Ada Byron on December 10, 1815, later came to be known simply as Ada Lovelace. Today, she is celebrated as the world’s first computer programmer.
Make the Brutal Into the Beautiful and the 5 hour workday | Dana's Weekly Roundup Issue 38
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ISSUE #38Dana's Weekly RoundupHi everyone!I've been binge listening to Elizabeth Gilbert's podcast Magic Lessons, based on her latest book Big Magic. This episode featured Brandon Stanton, the creator of Humans of New York, sharing his experience in doing things before you're ready, or perfect, or even "good enough".Enjoy!Dana
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Magic Lessons Ep. 202: "Make the Brutal Into the Beautiful" Featuring Brandon Stanton
Elizabeth Gilbert advises Anne, a photographer in Pennsylvania. For the last few years Anne has been documenting her brother's life. He's a veteran with PTSD and a recovering drug addict. She imagines turning all this material into a photo-essay exhibit or book, but she's afraid to take the next steps to make it happen. To help guide Anne, Liz calls up her friend Brandon Stanton, the photographer and creator of the photo series "Humans of New York.”MKTG
How to write a creative action plan you'll actually follow
A Creative Action Plan (CAP) is a document that you add to and access regularly that contains action items in 10 key areas of your business so that you always have steps you can take to move forward.IRL
What Happened When I Moved My Company To A 5-Hour Workday
I moved my whole company to a five-hour workday where everyone works from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Over a year later, we're sticking with it. Here's why, and how we made the change work.
The End of Meaningless Jobs Will Unleash the World’s Creativity and The Myths and Realities of ‘Doing What You Love’ | Dana's Weekly Roundup Issue 37
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ISSUE #37Dana's Weekly RoundupHi everyone!I think about the coming end of/change of what it means to have a job. The impact of automation and AI on what humans still need to do will open up so many possibilities and give rise to the necessity of the Universal Personal Income, because there will not be enough "jobs" for everyone. I also loved reading about the Myths and Realities of Doing What you Love, which gives a no-nonsense insight into how you can start on that path and what to expect.What are your thoughts on doing what you love?Enjoy!Dana
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The Myths and Realities of ‘Doing What You Love’
How did I evolve from a self-proclaimed couch potato to endurance athletics enthusiast? I learned how to change my attitude.MKTG
SEO is Not Hard — A step-by-step SEO Tutorial for beginners that will get you ranked every single time
SEO is simply not as hard as people pretend like it is; you can get 95% of the effort with 5% of the work, and you absolutely do not need to hire a professional SEO to do it, nor will it be hard to start ranking for well-picked key terms.IRL
The End of Meaningless Jobs Will Unleash the World’s Creativity
Many experts studying the topic of automation believe that the current rate of advancement is leading us into a future with fewer and fewer available jobs. Maybe that’s a good thing.In his 2013 essay, “On the Phenomenon of Bullshit Jobs,” David Graeber argued that in the wake of automation, we created employment for employment’s sake, not necessarily to fulfill any significant task or purpose.
Seth Godin's Marketing in 4 steps and Nassim Taleb's AUB Commencement Address | Dana's Weekly Roundup Issue 36
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ISSUE #36Dana's Weekly RoundupHi everyone!Seth Godin writes one post per day. He has the awesome talent and skill of saying a lot with a few words. Great commencement address from the rebel economist Nassim Taleb in my Alma MaterEnjoy!Dana
Maine Coon Cat photographed by Robert Sijka.TAKE ACTION
Psychology has identified three mindsets shared by people who actually follow through on their goals
How did I evolve from a self-proclaimed couch potato to endurance athletics enthusiast? I learned how to change my attitude.MKTG
Marketing in four steps
The first step is to invent a thing worth making, a story worth telling, a contribution worth talking about.IRL
Commencement Address, American University in Beirut, 2016
Dear graduating students,This is the first commencement I have ever attended (I did not attend my own graduation). Further, I have to figure out how lecture you on success when I do not feel successful yet –and it is not false modesty.
Why you're being too easy on yourself when it comes to following your dreams and brainstorm questions, not solutions | Dana's Weekly Roundup Issue 35
Hi everyone!This week, I loved not one but TWO articles from The Muse. One was hot to complete the work, when working on a project you're passionate about - which I have struggled with before. And the other is about how to navigate hard times - when you're doing you're best but things aren't working out. I take comfort in the fact that others struggle with this too and I love learning about the different tactics they use to thrive during those times.Enjoy!Dana
New born white lion cubs in a private zoo in the Ukraine.TAKE ACTION
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How to Write with Power and Authority, Even if You Feel Like a Nobody and the Gender Wage Gap | Dana's Weekly Roundup Issue 34
ISSUE #34Dana's Weekly RoundupHi everyone!Copyblogger's take on writing with power and authority without letting the imposter syndrome creep up. To change the gender wage gap, we need to understand how it starts and where it comes from - this study does just that. A great breakdown of what makes PokemonGo so addictive based on gamification theory.Enjoy!Dana
Beach goers stunned as family of bears emerge from the forest to play in the water.TAKE ACTION
The truth about the gender wage gap
Nearly 10,000 people graduated with MBAs from University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business between 1990 and 2006.In 2009, three economists decided to study a quarter of those graduates.MKTG
How to Write with Power and Authority, Even if You Feel Like a Nobody
In this overcrowded online world, do you ever wonder why people would listen toyour advice?I’ve learned that mindset was flawed.IRL
What makes PokémonGo so Addictive?
This post is about how I feel Pokemon Go’s game designers have perfectly executed on the “Hook Model” — a framework for gamification and getting users to come back again and again and again.
Send a pain letter not a cover letter and the one content metric to rule them all | Dana's Weekly Roundup Issue 33
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ISSUE #33Dana's Weekly RoundupHi everyone!For those who are job hunting, you know how frustrating and broken the recruitment process is. Spending time on your cover letter and application, following up and hearing silence... Liz Ryan advocates for a Pain Letter instead of a Cover Letter.Enjoy!DanaTAKE ACTION
Cover Letters Are Dead -- Send A Pain Letter, Instead
I don’t want you to write any more cover letters. There is a better way to get a job.You can send a letter to your department manager – the person who will be your boss in your new job — directly at his or her desk.MKTG
One Content Metric to Rule Them All
This post walks through how we combined our content metrics for the Moz Blog into a single, easy-to-digest score, and better yet, almost completely automated it.IRL
Meet the woman who wrote Michelle Obama’s DNC speech — Sarah Hurwitz
When Sarah Hurwitz sits down at her laptop, she puts on her noise-blocking headphones and imagines Michelle Obama’s exacting voice in her head.
How Oprah gets stuff done and how my mind thinks about your new solution | Dana's Weekly Roundup Issue 32
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ISSUE #32Dana's Weekly RoundupHi everyone!Fact: Most women earn less than men in the same job. This needs to change. Salesforce is a great example of that initiative. Transparency is the first step. Negotiating and supporting each other is what we as professional women can do. We will not underestimate and undervalue ourselves any more.Enjoy!Dana
Wookiees at Comicon.TAKE ACTION
The Key To Oprah Winfrey's Success: Radical Focus
"I’m here," I tell her, "to learn how Oprah gets stuff done.""Okay, great!" she replies. "I can help you with that."MKTG
This is How My Mind Thinks About Your New Solution (…and how you can change it)
You and your marketing machine are pitching me benefits (e.g. gains). It only makes me think you are hiding something that will make my life worse. All new things have some downside. My first thought is not gains….please deal with it.IRL
Earning Less Money Isn’t A Choice That Women Just Make
It’s true that many women do not pursue higher-paying jobs in engineering or science ― fields that are dominated by men. But that’s not the main reason the pay gap exists. In fact, 68 percent of the gap can be explained by the fact that women make less than men within the same occupations.
What Growth Work Really Looks Like and an 8-step process for writing sales page copy | Dana's Weekly Roundup Issue 31
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ISSUE #31Dana's Weekly RoundupHi everyone! Poornima Vijayashanker talks about balancing growth work with grunt work - which is a common challenge, given that grunt work takes so long! Also, a step-by-step guide to writing sales page copy - this was for an online course page but the it applies to any type of sales copy.Enjoy!Dana
The Milky Way.TAKE ACTION
What Growth Work Really Looks Like
Growth work, as obvious as it sounds, is any work you do that helps you grow personally or professionally. It could be cultivating a new skill, developing it further, or building relationships.And unlike your daily work that keeps you heads down, growth work is about connecting with others, and showcasing your skills, knowledge, and experiences.MKTG
My 8-step process for writing sales page copy
A powerful (and highly-converting) sales page is made up of two important things:1. Copy2. DesignIRL
Fixed vs. Growth: The Two Basic Mindsets That Shape Our Lives
“If you imagine less, less will be what you undoubtedly deserve,” Debbie Millman counseled in one of the best commencement speeches ever given, urging: “Do what you love, and don’t stop until you get what you love. Work as hard as you can, imagine immensities…” Far from Pollyanna platitude, this advice actually reflects what modern psychology knows about how belief systems about our own abilities and potential fuel our behavior and predict our success.
Secrets of closing the sale by Zig Ziglar and productivity tips for the afternoon slump | Dana's Weekly Roundup Issue 30
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ISSUE #30Hi everyone!Zig Ziglar is a must read for anyone who wants to sell. Talent isn't fixed and can be cultivated. Great productivity tips for the afternoon slump.Enjoy!Dana
A photographer who was heading home from a weekend of camping was stunned when he waved goodbye to a bear - and it waved back.TAKE ACTION
50 Productivity Tips That'll Help You Beat the Afternoon Slump
For those times when you’re not able to sneak away for a power nap, we’ve got 50 tips to boost your brainpower and get you so focused and motivated, you’ll be surprised when the clock strikes 6.MKTG
Secrets of Closing the Sale by Zig Ziglar – Book Review
Ownership closing – paint the picture of what their life will be like w/ the close. in the house, look at the tv to watch football here and have breakfast with coffee over here. After showing someone something nice, you can show them something cheap.IRL
Talent Isn’t Fixed and Other Mindsets That Lead to Greatness
If we believe that someone’s talent is fixed—including our own—we are effectively writing off any options for growth. But if we believe that talent, or intelligence, or any other ability, evolves as a result of how much effort we put in, the opportunities are endless.
Not enough 'if' or not enough 'then'? | Dana's Weekly Roundup Issue 29
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ISSUE #29 Dana's Weekly Roundup
Hi everyone! Great story from the CEO of Breather on how they got started and grew. This week's MKTG article is by Seth Godin - who has the extraordinary power to change your thinking with a few lines.
Enjoy!
Dana
A bear gets a slap on the face from a wet fish as it attempts to catch fish in Alaska, USA.
This is the “growth hack” that got my whole company started
MKTG
Not enough 'if' or not enough 'then'?
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Why Trying to Become a Jack of All Trades Hurts Your Business
What Productivity Systems Won’t Solve and Three Things Recruiters No Longer Look For | Dana's Weekly Roundup Issue 28
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ISSUE #28Dana's Weekly RoundupHi everyone! I'm trying out this shorter format. Do you prefer it over a short summary of each article?Enjoy!Dana
Tattoo Artist Who Lost His Arm Gets World’s First Tattoo Machine Prosthesis. Now that's commitment.TAKE ACTION
Three Things Recruiters No Longer Look For (And Three They Still Do)
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25 Facebook Marketing Tips and this experiment suggests intuition is a real thing | Dana's Weekly Roundup Issue 27
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ISSUE #27Hi everyone! I'm trying out this shorter format. Do you prefer it over a short summary of each article?Enjoy!Dana
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Stop Yourself from Becoming Content Fried and 5 Waiting Traps That Kill Your Dreams Slowly | Dana's Weekly Roundup Issue 26
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ISSUE #26Dana's Weekly RoundupHi everyone! A great article from Christine Kane on waiting traps. No one is going to grant you permission to do the thing. As a content curator, I do get content fried due to the massive heaps of content I consume weekly which does affect my productivity. These tips could help combat content overload.Enjoy!Dana
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Why you shouldn't stop working when you hit flow and how to create an explainer video | Dana's Weekly Roundup Issue 25
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ISSUE #25Dana's Weekly RoundupHi everyone! A great article on creating explainer videos. I've created one using iphones as cameras and microphones but we discovered that the hard part was getting the lighting right - for that we had to call in someone with experience. I also have "busy" days consumed with unprductive meetings and admin work without getting big things done. The trick is to get the hard stuff going first thing in the morning, before getting sucked in to other things.Enjoy!Dana
Aurora over camp on Bannerdale CragsTAKE ACTION
Why You Should Never Stop Working In the Moment you Hit Flow
There’s nothing that will transform the quantity of your output and the quality of your work like hitting flow on a regular basis. And we know that hitting flow is usually the result of eliminating distractions, discipline, and deep work. The rush produced by hitting flow makes us feel fulfilled and successful.MKTG
How to Create a Killer Explainer Video [Infographic]
Explaining to web users what your business does, what you stand for, and why customers need you. This is called "the explainer video," and it's a quick, memorable way to make an impact on people who might buy your product but need to know more information.IRL
5 Reasons You're "So Busy" Every Day, Yet Not Really Getting Anything Done
Then, one day it hit me: There's a big difference between being busy and being productive. Yes, yes, we’ve all heard this before. But have you really thought it through and contemplated those times you’re sitting at your computer all day, but don’t end up with a lot to show for it?
11 little known Facebook marketing features to try and how New Yorker Cartoonists generate 500 ideas a week | Dana's Weekly Roundup Issue 24
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ISSUE #24Dana's Weekly RoundupHi everyone! Great article on how cartoonists from the New Yorker generate ideas. Buffer always shares detailed how to articles, and this one about Facebook marketing is very helpful, especially if your new to Facebook Marketing.Enjoy!Dana
Ratu, a 14-year-old Sumatran rhinoceros, sits next to its newborn calf at Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary in Way Kambas National Park, Indonesia.TAKE ACTION
How To Know Which Skills To Develop At Each Stage Of Your Career
At the start of your career, chances are good that you'll be hired primarily for your "hard skills"—the stuff you know that's relevant for the job.But what no one quite tells you is that while you might've been initially hired for those hard skills, they gradually matter less.MKTG
11 little known Facebook marketing features you can try today
In the spirit sharing, here are 11 hidden Facebook marketing features for social media managers and marketers to try today!IRL
Idea Sex: How New Yorker Cartoonists Generate 500 Ideas a Week
How to Come up with a Good IdeaBob Mankoff describes the cartoon idea generation process as “idea sex.”
10 Thoughts to Live by in 2016 and 13 bad habits you should break to be more productive|Dana's Weekly Roundup Issue 6
Dana's Weekly Roundup Issue 6
16 Career-Boosting Lists for 2016 and How to get sponsors for your Podcast | Dana's Weekly Roundup Issue 5Dana's Weekly Roundup Issue 5
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