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Almost all word of mouth is still offline

September 17, 2024 by greenmellen Leave a Comment

Reading Time: 2 minutes

There are a lot of influences in our lives, but word of mouth is still the top reason why people buy products and services. Ads are important, marketing is important, but people buy most often based on what other people have to say.

Of that word of mouth, how much happens online? Most people guess 50% or more, given the popularity of social media, but the real number is much lower. In the book “Contagious“, author Jonah Berger shares that it’s just 7%. In other words, 93% of word of mouth suggestions actually come directly from those around us.

However, that book was written a decade ago and things have certainly changed. What’s the real number today? I’ve researched this a bit, and most people end up suggesting that around 20% of today’s word of mouth happens online, still leaving a massive 80% offline.

The frustrating part of this is that word of mouth is hard to control. You can ramp up your marketing, and that’s likely to help, but you can’t insert yourself into private conversations that are happening off-line. The solution? Make your product or service compelling enough that people want to tell others about it.

The two parts of being compelling

Getting people to share about a product can come from two places.

First, if someone is using their product and it’s making their life better, they’ll tell their friends about it. You’ve probably seen some of my posts on here that share about products and services that I love.

Second, if a promotion for a product is interesting enough, they’ll also tell their friends about it. Classic examples include things like the Dove Evolution campaign, or the series of Blendtec “Will it blend?” videos from a few years ago.

People are going to be talking about the products that they love with their friends. How do you make sure that yours will be part of those conversations?

The Sunday Summary: Strategy, attributes, and escaping the algorithms

September 15, 2024 by greenmellen Leave a Comment

Reading Time: 2 minutes

In an effort to help me keep up with everything I post each week, here is my latest “Sunday Summary” of my posts from the week.

Mon, September 9: Never stop doubting
“Consensus is not always good; disagreement not always bad. If you do happen to agree, don’t take that agreement—in itself—as proof that you are right. Never stop doubting.”

Tue, September 10: Strategy lasts longer than tactics
“What you need to get comfortable with then, is this blend of stasis and movement: stasis at the strategic level, movement at the executional level.”

Wed, September 11: Your experience is someone else’s benefit
“Pro tip: Your experience is someone else’s benefit. Often the best people are like you were in the past or in industries you already have worked, even if it’s just as an employee. Your past experience leaves clues.”

Thu, September 12: It doesn’t matter what you think your customers “should” care about
“What you think they “should” care about is nothing. What they do, in fact, care about is everything. So whatever you do, make sure you operate honestly and realistically within those boundaries.”

Fri, September 13: What are your attributes?
Comparing the attributes through which I try to live my life to those of Benjamin Franklin, John Wooden, and others.

Sat, September 14: You can escape the algorithms, but you need to work for it
“And so we can wring our hands about it and complain about it, but we still have the ability to do something about it with our own mouse, with our own fingers, which is to intentionally seek out the ideas that might not be presented to us automatically. I wish I had a happier, easier automatic solution, but I don’t.”

I hope you found some value in this. If you ever have questions, ideas, or disagreements regarding anything I write, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

You can escape the algorithms, but you need to work for it

September 14, 2024 by greenmellen Leave a Comment

Reading Time: 2 minutes

We all hear many people complaining about “the algorithms” on social media, and it’s often a legit complaint. At best, the algorithms show us a bunch of stuff we didn’t ask for. As worst, they could be affecting political outcomes.

Part of the problem is the algorithms themselves, but the other part is our overall apathy — simply using those systems is easier than building one for ourselves. However, taking the time to put together your own systems not only avoids the algorithms, but allows you to intentionally hear from a variety of sources to help avoid the filter bubble.

In a recent podcast from Seth Godin, he teed up the idea with this:

“So through deliberate action, some people, people who realize that having a variety of inputs makes them more effective, are finding ways to use the very tools that insulate us to connect us. They subscribe to blogs that they don’t agree with. They read newspapers, as long as there are newspapers, with other points of view.”

A bit later in the show, he addressed the point I’m trying to make, saying:

“And so we can wring our hands about it and complain about it, but we still have the ability to do something about it with our own mouse, with our own fingers, which is to intentionally seek out the ideas that might not be presented to us automatically. I wish I had a happier, easier automatic solution, but I don’t.”

As he points out, the “easier automatic solution” that we have today isn’t the answer. I see two paths to solving this, though.

For now, RSS is still likely the best way. It’s fading a bit as time goes on, but it’s still a major way that I get my news and information, and there is zero algorithm behind it. I choose what comes in, and I choose what to remove. The challenge is that it can be easy to build a filter bubble using this, so you need to be intentional about choosing from a variety of sources.
If things go well, the “fediverse” may take off and could be a fantastic solution. In short, it’s a way for multiple social networks to all tie together, and then you can choose how to filter the content. The idea behind it is fantastic, but it remains to be seen if enough networks (and therefore users) join in order to make it truly valuable.

There are solutions now, and more coming, but you have to work to make it happen. As Seth said in his first quote, this takes “deliberate action” and I encourage you to spend some time to set up a better way to get information for yourself.

A great place to start would be with a service like Readwise Reader (which I shared a few years ago), but there are a lot of great options to choose from.

How do you prefer to get your news and information?

What are your attributes?

September 13, 2024 by greenmellen Leave a Comment

Reading Time: 3 minutes

I was recently listening to the “How to take over the world” podcast episode that discussed the life and values of basketball legend John Wooden, and there were some amazing things shared during the show.

One area that host Ben Wilson spent some time on was sharing the attributes of Wooden, with a brief comparison to Benjamin Franklin, and then Wilson shared some of his own. I’ve spent a while digging into the attributes of all three, as well as some that have been shared about Charlie Munger.

The interesting thing I found is that so many of them are the same. I don’t think any of them used the same words, but it was a lot of the same concepts. I’ll share all of theirs, and then end with some of mine.

Ben Wilson

Ben himself shared this list on the podcast:

Puposeful
Diligent
Joyful
Active
Honest
Frugal
Assertive
Creative
Grateful
Fast

Benjamin Franklin

Here is Franklin’s list, as found via the Farnham Street blog:

Temperance: Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.
Silence: Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.
Order: Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.
Resolution: Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
Frugality: Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing.
Industry: Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.
Sincerity: Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.
Justice: Wrong none by doing injuries or omitting the benefits that are your duty.
Moderation: Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
Cleanliness: Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, cloths, or habitation.
Tranquility: Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
Chastity: Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another’s peace or reputation.
Humility: Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

John Wooden

The focus of the podcast was on John Wooden, and here is his list as shared by Vautier Communications from Wooden’s “Pyramid of Success”:

Industriousness: Hard work + careful planning
Enthusiasm: Infectious energy comes from true enjoyment.
Friendship: Mutual esteem + respect + devotion.
Loyalty: Be dependable. Follow through. Resist temptation to sway.
Cooperation: Two together can do more than one alone.
Self control: Self control is the ability to have discipline to keep emotions under control.
Alertness: Always be observing. Stay open minded. Be eager, not just willing, to learn and improve. Ask why.
Initiative: Cultivate the ability to make decisions and think alone.
Set intentions: Focus on goals. Resist distractions. Be determined and persistent. When reaching previous goals, raise the bar and expand what’s possible.
Condition: Exercise and rest the mind, moral character, and physical body. Alongside training, sleep and nutrition are important. Seek moderation and avoid exertion.
Skill: Knowledge of and ability to execute the fundamentals. Be prepared and have an attention to detail.
Team spirit: An eagerness to work and play together.
Poise: Celebrating the authentic self and never fighting it enables ease in any situation.
Confidence: Respect without fear. Built on being prepared and having proper perspective.
Competitive greatness: Be at the best when the best is needed. Enjoy the challenge. Make others better. Along the way maintain peace of mind.

Charlie Munger

All of this reminded me of something that I read near the beginning of Poor Charlie’s Almanack, which was:

The quotes, talks, and speeches presented here are rooted in the old-fashioned Midwestern values for which Charlie has become known: lifelong learning, intellectual curiosity, sobriety, avoidance of envy and resentment, reliability, learning from the mistakes of others, perseverance, objectivity, willingness to test one’s own beliefs, and many more.

Mine

With all of that in mind, combined with some work that I’ve done on this in the past, here are the attributes that I define (or in many cases, aspire to). With each one, I’ll draw some comparisons to similar items above. Not only are most of them repeated above somewhere, but drawing the line between some can be tricky. Here’s what I’ve got:

Trustworthy, similar to Franklin’s “Resolution”, Munger’s “Reliability”, and Wooden’s “Loyalty”
Diligent, from Wilson, similar to Franklin’s “Industry” and Wooden’s “industriousness”. “Efficient” may fit in here as well.
Integrity, from Wilson’s “Honest”, and pulling a bit from Franklin’s “Sincerity” as well as “Justice”.
Attentive, from Franklin’s “Temperance”, and Munger’s “Sobriety”. While I’ve certainly consumed alcohol and (a lot of) caffeine in the past, I’m currently free of both.
Self-Control from Wooden, also like Franklin’s “Tranquility” and Munger’s “avoidance of envy and resentment”, with a bit of stoicism mixed in.
Humility from Franklin, similar to Wilson’s “Grateful” and some of Munger’s “willingness to test one’s own beliefs”.
Confidence from Wooden, also similar to Wilson’s “Assertive”
Curious, somewhat like Wilson’s “creative”, Wooden’s “Alertness”, and Munger’s “lifelong learning” and “intellectual curiosity”
Empathy, a bit like Franklin’s “Justice”, but more toward “Sonder“.

All in all, I’m happy with that list. I feel I’m pretty strong in many of those areas, and others are directions where I wish to improve. In both cases, this list feels pretty accurate.

How about you?

It was an interesting exercise to go through all of those. What are some that stand out to you?

It doesn’t matter what you think your customers “should” care about

September 12, 2024 by greenmellen Leave a Comment

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Last month I shared a bit about how I feel the web should be these days. As I pointed out in that post, my “should” is irrelevant. I can push toward that better web to a degree, and I’ll continue to, but I also need to spend most of my time dealing with the web as it is today.

It’s similar to how our customers view our companies. There are reasons that we think they “should” view us, but those reasons don’t matter. In his book “No Bullsh*t Strategy“, author Alex Smith frames it like this:

“In either event, though, a crucial ingredient of any strategic value offering is a deep respect for the consumer – for their time, for their priorities, and even for their biases. What you think they “should” care about is nothing. What they do, in fact, care about is everything. So whatever you do, make sure you operate honestly and realistically within those boundaries.”

There are a lot of things I see companies do that are things that they feel their customers should care about. A big one is longevity, with things like “we’ve been in business for 62 years“. While that might be relevant in deeper conversations, leading with that kind of statement on your website is almost never a good idea.

A great way to uncover the real reasons that customers will care about your company can be uncovered in a solid messaging strategy, which is the main purpose of that kind of work. Uncover the real messages and focus on those first, and once you get to know your potential clients a bit more the things that they “should” care about might start coming to the surface.

Your experience is someone else’s benefit

September 11, 2024 by greenmellen Leave a Comment

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Many of the best businesses in the world were formed to solve a specific problem that the founder had, and then they simply worked to help others solve the the same problem. I still love the quote from Rory Vaden that I shared a few years ago when he said “You’re most powerfully positioned to serve the person you once were.“

Your past self had problems, you solved them, and now you’re in perfect position to help others through the same struggle.

In recently reading the book “Beyond the Agency Box“, author Frankie Fihn shared a similar sentiment, saying:

“Pro tip: Your experience is someone else’s benefit. Often the best people are like you were in the past or in industries you already have worked, even if it’s just as an employee. Your past experience leaves clues.”

It could be a problem you solved that led to the creation of a new company, or it could be a problem that you solved for a client a year ago that gives you insight into solving the same kind problem for a new client today. In either case, learning from your past is an incredibly powerful way to gain trust and serve others in a profound way.

Strategy lasts longer than tactics

September 10, 2024 by greenmellen Leave a Comment

Reading Time: < 1 minute

In recently reading Alex M H Smith’s “No Bullsh*t Strategy” he shared some interesting thoughts on strategies versus marketing tactics. In essence, his approach is that strategies should be something you set once and run for years, while the specific tactics may change quite often.

Specifically, he says:

“What you need to get comfortable with then, is this blend of stasis and movement: stasis at the strategic level, movement at the executional level. A helpful way of visualising this can be done with something I call “multi-layer pacing”, which is a fancy way of showing that the more strategic an element of the business is the less it changes, and the more tactical an element is the more it changes.“

He puts the various company efforts along a continuum, with static items on the left, moving toward more frequently changing items on the right:

Strategy –> Brand –> Product –> Operations –> Marketing

That’s not to say that things like strategy and branding should never change, because sometimes they might need to, but the further to the right you go you should be updating more often.

Apple is a great example of this.

Their core strategy has remained essentially the same for 50 years
Their brand has been refined a few times
They unveil a new product every decade or so
They change operations frequently to add new features
Their marketing changes constantly to showcase product revisions and new trends

Once you develop a great strategy, run with it. When you have great marketing you can also run with it, but you should measure and adapt far more frequently.

Never stop doubting

September 9, 2024 by greenmellen Leave a Comment

Reading Time: 2 minutes

I recently read the book “Superforecasting“, which shared the stories and processes of those that are able to make predictions far better than most people can.

While there is a lot of nuance in the book, and it’s well worth reading, one theme that came up over and over was that the best forecasters never stopped doubting themselves. Even for things they fully believed, they’d push at the edges over and over to make sure they were right (or change their mind if they were wrong).

The title of this post comes from this snippet in the book:

“Consensus is not always good; disagreement not always bad. If you do happen to agree, don’t take that agreement—in itself—as proof that you are right. Never stop doubting.”

There are a lot of things that you and I believe that are probably 100% correct, but it’s impossible to know which ideas are right and which are wrong. Always look for ways to disprove yourself and therefore make yourself smarter going forward.

This next quote from the book reminds me of how many of us cling to things like political ideals or smartphone alliances:

“For superforecasters, beliefs are hypotheses to be tested, not treasures to be guarded.”

Many people hold things like politicians (and smart phones, and automakers, and many other things) as “treasures to be guarded” and don’t often give them a deep look. The smartest people change their mind quite often (including the superforecasters in this book), so don’t hold too tightly to those treasures.

Lastly, the book talks about how medicine around the world had stagnated for decades, largely because doctors assumed they knew it all:

“It was the absence of doubt—and scientific rigor—that made medicine unscientific and caused it to stagnate for so long.”

The prime example of that was doctors refused to wash their hands between patients as late as the mid-1800s because they “knew” that it didn’t matter. That particular example lead to the idea of the “Semmelweis reflex“, which is the “reflex-like tendency to reject new evidence or new knowledge because it contradicts established norms, beliefs, or paradigms.“

It’s much easier said than done, and I certainly struggle with it a lot, but doubting your own beliefs and frequently testing them accuracy is the best way to be right in the long run.

The Sunday Summary: Tedious tasks and shady marketers

September 8, 2024 by greenmellen Leave a Comment

Reading Time: 2 minutes

In an effort to help me keep up with everything I post each week, here is my latest “Sunday Summary” of my posts from the week.

Mon, September 2: What do you like that other people find tedious?
“One sign that you’re suited for some kind of work is when you like even the parts that other people find tedious.”

Tue, September 3: We think that’s stupid
“I really am just vibing with this person because we’re speaking the language. We both feel like even though others in our industry act this way and say these things, we think that’s stupid.”

Wed, September 4: Nick Saban didn’t give out game balls
“Nick Saban, the venerated head coach of the University of Alabama’s perennially championship-winning football team, doesn’t buy into the tradition of handing out game balls to MVPs, because he believes that singling out players for individual achievements goes against his winning objective; for him, success is all about the team’s win, not one superstar’s stats.”

Thu, September 5: Don’t ignore the shady marketers
Don’t reward marketers that do things that you don’t approve of. Really, any cold outreach is unacceptable and should be treated as such. Mark cold email as spam, disconnect from anyone that sends a cold DM on social media, and hang up on anyone that cold calls.

Fri, September 6: Of course other people can change us
“I find it so odd when people nod vigorously at the idea that you cannot change other people— and yet five minutes later talk about the toxic effect of negative people in their lives or workplaces. If your day can be ruined by an angry email from a client, a rude encounter with a neighbor, or a bad interaction with your manager, why is the opposite not equally true?”

Sat, September 7: Unique shows for everyone
Netflix and other services know a ton about us. We’re not far from the point where Netflix could have an idea for a show, but then customize it to feature things that would keep us individually more entertained.

I hope you found some value in this. If you ever have questions, ideas, or disagreements regarding anything I write, please don’t hesitate to reach out.