Mohtab Arabiat

  • Boost Your Instagram Community Engagement with GIFs

    Every week, I bring you a summary of the need-to-know news in the world of digital marketing. No fluff, just the good stuff.

    If you find it helpful, be sure to share it with a friend!

    Summary

    • 🌍 Meta’s New Twitter Rival Could Be Launching Next Month
    • 💃 Adapting GIFs in Your Community Engagement
    • 🏆 You Can Finally Schedule and Publish Instagram Stories
    • 🍔 McDonald’s Qatar Does TikTok Trends Right

    Updates

    Meta
    Get Ready for Meta’s New Twitter Rival: Launching Next Month
    Meet Barcelona. A Potential Twitter Alternative being developed by Meta that is rumored to launch next month.

    Reports suggest Meta is developing a separate decentralized social network for text updates, targeting Twitter users seeking an alternative. The prototype, known as ‘Instagram for your thoughts,’ resembles a text-based feed, capitalizing on the popularity of private messaging.

    Similar to Instagram Channels, Barcelona allows users to follow others and stay updated on text posts. The project is slowly taking shape offering a maximum post length of 500 characters.

    It will be interesting to observe the contrasting shifts in social media as Meta emphasizes text updates while Twitter moves away from text and focus intead on video. Twitter is expanding its focus beyond text updates by enhancing video features. Recent updates include 2-hour long uploads for paid users and playback speed controls for videos, reflecting Twitter’s efforts to diversify its platform.

    Prediction:

    As Instagram has evolved into a feature-rich app and Meta has a track record of unsuccessful standalone apps, it’s likely that the Barcelona experiment will eventually be integrated into Instagram. However, this poses a significant challenge as some users already perceive Instagram as being bloated with features.

    Facebook and Instagram paid verification starts in UK
    UK users can now get verified on Facebook and Instagram with Meta Verified. For a monthly fee starting at £9.99, subscribers receive a blue tick, protection from impersonation, and access to personalized support. The service requires users to be 18+, submit a government ID, and offers peace of mind through active account monitoring. Read more

    TikTok Ban in Montana: A Wake-Up Call to Avoid Reliance on Single Platforms
    Montana’s governor has signed a TikTok ban into law, set to take effect in January 2024. The ban prohibits TikTok’s operation in the state and imposes fines of $10,000 per violation per day on companies enabling app usage. The governor cites concerns about privacy and data harvesting by the Chinese Communist Party as the rationale behind the ban. Read More

    You Can Finally Schedule and Publish Instagram Stories via Third-Party Apps
    Instagram just upped its game with the addition of Stories to the Graph API. Now, social media managers can empower businesses to share their engaging Stories through third-party platforms. It’s a win-win for everyone—more exposure, more interaction, and a vibrant Instagram experience. No extra app review needed, so let the storytelling begin!

    TikTok Challenges Google as a Search Engine for Business and Discovery
    TikTok aims to rival Google in search. By prompting users to tag locations and share experiences, the app seeks dominance in cafe, hotel, and tourist spot searches. This offers new business opportunities and strengthens TikTok’s role as a search engine for the younger generation. Read more

    Instagram
    From FAQs to GIFs: Adapting to Instagram’s Community Engagement Evolution
    Instagram gets a GIF makeover, bidding farewell to serious analyses and welcoming a world of animated wit. Meta spreads the joy globally, tapping into Giphy’s vast library. Let the laughter-filled comments begin with the new GIF button, now available to all users.

    So What? How should you prepare for this?

    As the community engagement game shifts on the platform, brands and businesses better get their act together. Here’s are a few things you need to do to stay ahead of the curve.

    1 – Prepare a Frequently Used GIFs list 

    Curate a Frequently Used GIFs list: Similar to having FAQs for community management, develop a resource containing preapproved GIFs for your community managers to utilize. A good sense of humor and community understanding are now more crucial than ever.

    2 – Create your own branded GIFs to use

    If you haven’t already, consider establishing a brand page on Giphy and crafting custom GIFs that can be used in Instagram comments. Take inspiration from successful examples like McDonald’s and Expo 2020 Dubai. 

    3 – Embrace user-generated GIFs

    Encourage your audience to create and share their own GIFs related to your brand. User-generated content adds an authentic touch to community interactions.

    4 – Engage with trending GIFs

    Stay up-to-date with the latest trends and popular GIFs circulating on the platform. Incorporate them strategically into your conversations to resonate with your audience.

    5 – Monitor and respond to GIF usage

    Keep an eye on how your audience utilizes GIFs in their comments and responses. Take note of recurring themes or sentiments to inform your brand’s messaging and engagement strategy.

    6 – Give your community managers room to expirment

    You will have to trust your communtiy managers to understand the community they are leading and make their own judgement calls. 

    Remember, embracing GIFs as a new form of expression opens up exciting opportunities to connect with your audience in a more engaging and playful way.

    Resources

    Brand Watch

    McDonald’s Qatar Does The Bumping Into Each Other Marriage Trend

    McDonald’s Qatar does the “Bumping into Each Other” marriage trend from TikTok and nails it with their own mascot. In a brilliant move to jump on the viral trend, McDonald’s Qatar showcased their creativity and brand personality by ingeniously incorporating their iconic mascot into the popular wedding dance challenge.

    With a touch of humor and a dash of playful charm, McDonald’s Qatar turned an ordinary trend into a captivating and memorable moment. By putting their own spin on the trend, they not only caught the attention of social media users but also effectively strengthened their brand presence.

    Do check it out here (TikTok)

  • Brands Paying for Competitors’ Ads: Would You Do It?

    Every week, I bring you a summary of the need-to-know news in the world of digital marketing. No fluff, just the good stuff.

    If you find it helpful, be sure to share it with a friend!

    Summary

    • 🌍 TikTok introduces “TikTok World Hub” for sharing marketing insights and guides
    • 👋 LinkedIn’s App Leaves China for Good
    • 👩‍💼 Twitter Gets a New CEO and Elon stays as CTO
    • 🤩 Smart campaigns by Oatly and IKEA to watch out for

    Updates

    TikTok
    TikTok introduces “TikTok World Hub” for sharing marketing insights and guides
    TikTok unveils latest product updates and insights for marketers at TikTok World 2023 event. New ‘TikTok World Hub’ mini-site launched to centralize all featured elements including video presentations and guides to improve your TikTok marketing approach. Check it out here

    The main insight?

    Focus on good creative that is TikTok-first.

    They shared a number of cool resources at the event to help brands develop better creative for the platform. Here are some of them:

    They shared a number of resources and case studies to back this up. Check the Creative Codes PDF here and the Creative is Easy guide here. Both have a alot of great tips and frameworks to uplifting your creative game on the platform.

    What Does TikTok First Mean?

    • Go lo-fi (avoid glossiness)
    • Go 9:6
    • Shoot hi-res
    • Feature people (creators, employees, customers)
    • Adopt category/vertical norms

    LinkedIn
    LinkedIn’s App Leaves China for Good
    LinkedIn finally bid China farewell, closing its app as it laid off its remaining sales and product teams in the country. The Microsoft-owned platform cited “fierce competition” from local alternatives as the main reason for its departure. LinkedIn was the last major US social network to exit China, as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp were all previously blocked.

    So What: 

    Marketing to the Chinese market on social media is still possible in the absence of American social media channels in China. Brands can leverage popular Chinese social media platforms such as:

    • WeChat
    • Weibo
    • Douyin (or TikTok as we know it outside China)

    If you really want to succeed in the Chinese market, what you really need is an agency in Chinas as you will need to understand local cultural nuances and preferences, develop a localized content strategy, and use influencers and KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) to promote your products or services. Read more here

    Instragram Stories Fast Forward Button
    Instagram is testing a new feature on Stories that would allow users to fast forward through content. The new “Fast Forward” button would help users skip through stories they are not interested in. This new feature is still in the testing phase. See it in action

    WhatsApp Channels Coming Soon
    WhatsApp is reportedly working on a new feature that will introduce channels to the app in a future update. This feature will allow users to follow different topics and get updates from their favorite channels. sneak peak here

    Changes to Facebook and Instagram Shops
    Facebook and Instagram shops will be limited to those with Checkout enabled in the US. Businesses without a shop won’t be able to use Shop features including product tagging. Instagram ads with product tags will still be available. read more

    Expect a Drop in your LinkedIn Followers
    Expect to see a drop in your follower count on LinkedIn soon. LinkedIn has announced that it will start filtering connection and follower counts by removing restricted and hibernated accounts from the total count.Read more
    Thanks Naim Younis for the tip

    Twitter
    Twitter Gets a New CEO and Elon stays as CTO
    Linda Yaccarino has been appointed by Elon Musk to oversee Twitter’s business operations as he focuses on the technology and design as executive chair and CTO. Yaccarino’s main challenge will be to spin her knowledge of social media’s weaknesses into an asset and start competing with the traditional media industry.

    Who is she and how is this going to affect my marketing?

    Linda is coming on board and bringing her expertise in advertising and monetization to the table. We can expect some aggressive moves in this area, including new ad solutions and integration with third parties to optimize ad effectiveness on Twitter.

    What’s more, Linda’s experience as Chair of the Ad Council and her connections with global corporations and the US Government will prove to be valuable assets for Twitter, especially in navigating government regulations and policies. And let’s not forget her position with The World Economic Forum, which further showcases her strong international connections.

    So what does all of this mean for Twitter users? Get ready to see some exciting policy changes and fresh advertising solutions that will help elevate your experience on the platform. 

    Resources

    Brand Watch

    IKEA’s Proudly Second Best

    IKEA’s recent campaign, ‘Proudly the Second Best,’ is a powerful example of humility in advertising. Rather than boasting about their own strengths, they built an entire campaign around the special bond between parents and their children.

    By showcasing the importance of family time and emphasizing the significance of creating comfortable and functional living spaces that promote children’s development and creativity, IKEA’s campaign resonates deeply with customers.

    As marketers, we can draw inspiration from this approach to branding by emphasizing the human aspect of our product and how it positively contributes to the lives of our customers. IKEA’s ‘Proudly the Second Best’ campaign reminds us that humility can be a powerful tool in creating meaningful connections with our target audience.

    Watch the video here

    Oatly Takes on Big Dairy with Bold Climate Challenge and Free Ad Offer
    Oatly challenges ‘Big Dairy’ to disclose their climate footprint and offers free advertising in return. The ad campaign promotes Oatly’s own carbon footprint and its push for transparency. The ads ran in major newspapers and billboards in Times Square.

    Oatly’s promotion of sustainability while challenging their competitors is both inspiring and a bold move. They are taking a direct approach by promoting their core proposition and even paying for their competition’s ad space as part of their campaign. It’s a great example of how companies can take a strong stance on important issues and stand out in their industry.

    Read more 

  • The new social media platform so exclusive, invites are selling for $329

    Every week, I bring you a summary of the need-to-know news in the world of digital marketing. No fluff, just the good stuff.

    If you find it helpful, be sure to share it with a friend!

    Summary

    • TikTok’s new ad product gives publishers 50% stake
    • Why are ad prices on Facebook dropping?
    • McDonald’s gets burned 🔥 Think Twice Before Joining the Alt Text Meme
    • 🐦 The new social media platform so exclusive, invites are selling for $329
    • 📥 Say hello to your new Linkedin inbox. Linked unlocks private communication for brand pages

    TikTok
    TikTok’s new ad product gives publishers 50% stake
    TikTok has just launched a new product, Pulse Premiere, that allows select publisher accounts to sell advertisements alongside their content. And the best part? These publishers can receive a whopping 50% of the revenue generated by video ads that appear after their TikTok posts. This is a great incentive for publishers to stay on the platform and produce more content for TikTok. Plus, with insights into what content resonates with users, publishers can expand their presence on TikTok and potentially achieve higher engagement rates, increased brand awareness, and better ROI for their advertising efforts.

    Meme / Trend
    Think Twice Before Joining the Alt Text Meme
    Before you even consider joining the latest Twitter meme “Alt Text,” it’s crucial to pause and think about it. The current meme involves an arrow pointing to the ALT image description label, with a joke or punchline behind it. Brands like McDonald’s and Red Bull Gaming have already jumped on board. However, it’s essential to remember that alt text is used by blind or partially sighted people to navigate social media. So, before you participate, consider the impact it may have on others.

    McDonald’s has since removed the tweet and apologized.

    Facebook
    Why Are Ad Prices on Facebook Dropping? How Will This Impact Your Campaigns
    According to recent data shared by Jon Loomer, Facebook’s average ad price has dropped 17% in Q1 earning of this year, while the number of ad impressions has increased by 26%. While this may seem like good news for advertisers, it’s important to understand the reason behind this trend.

    So What: 

    It could be a sign of an increasingly saturated audience, which may not be a good thing in the long run.

    The drop in average ad price and increase in ad impressions are likely tied to an increase in inventory. More ads are being shown on the platform, either because there are more users or users are spending more time there. 

    For example, spending 100 minutes on the platform may result in seeing 100 ads, whereas only 5 ads may be seen after spending 5 minutes on the app.

    However, it’s important to note that increasing ad frequency may eventually make them less effective. Ad frequency is a Facebook metric that measures the average number of times users have seen an ad. When ads are shown too frequently to the same audience, it can lead to ad fatigue and reduced engagement.

    Blue verified checkmarks are coming to Gmail
    Google adds blue checkmarks on Gmail to verify select senders’ identity with BIMI adoption. Helps users differentiate legitimate messages

    Instagram is Testing a New AI Sticker Creator
    Hot on the heels of TikTok’s AI profile picture generator, their new AI sticker generator is here

    Screentime boosts reach on Twitter
    Elon announced that more screen time on posts leads to more visibility. Native video gets priority on platform

    WhatsApp’s latest updates include improved polls and forwarding of picture captions
    Finally, WhatsApp introduces single-vote polls, so you can prevent users from casting multiple votes.

    Bluesky
    The New Social Media Platform So Exclusive, Invites Are Selling for $329
    have you heard about the new cool kid in town? Say hello to Bluesky, the social media platform launched by none other than Jack Dorsey, the founder of Twitter. With all the recent changes happening at Twitter, many users have been flocking to this new platform for a fresh start. However, Bluesky is still in closed beta and only accessible via invitation. That hasn’t stopped some people from selling invite codes on eBay for as much as $329, making it more expensive than buying a blue tick on Twitter. Luckily, I managed to snag an invite and will be sharing some codes here once they become available. So stay tuned.

    If you are there already then feel free to say hi on there. @mohtab.com 

    LinkedIn
    LinkedIn Unlocks Private Communication for Brand Pages: Say Hello to Your New Inbox
    You know those times when you’re managing a LinkedIn brand page and you just wish you had your own private inbox to connect with your audience? Well, the folks at LinkedIn must have read your mind because they’re rolling out brand pages with their very own inboxes! Finally, a dedicated space for you to slide into those DMs and connect with your followers in a more personal way. No more cluttered message requests or awkward exchanges in your personal inbox. With this new feature, you can keep your professional communication separate and organized. It’s like a breath of fresh air for your brand’s social presence!

    Thank you Amel Njeh for the nudge 👍

    Job Board

    • Media Executive – Social [Dubai]
    • Media Manager/Senior Media Manager – Social [Dubai]

    Email Your Resume

    Brand Watch

    Speaking of jobs. Fiverr’s latest recruitment strategy was a smart move that turned a dull job post into a creative ad. By posting 50 seemingly ridiculous job titles on LinkedIn, the company was able to increase career page views by 91% and job applications by 43%. The successful campaign helped Fiverr fill all their job openings.

    Source: @jappleby

    Here is another example of this being done. A few years back The New York Public Library did a smart move publishing a full book in their Instagram Stories. Think how can you push the boundry this week.

  • Facebook Ads Gone Wild: Major Overspending Reported

    Every week, I bring you a summary of the need-to-know news in the world of digital marketing. No fluff, just the good stuff.

    If you find it helpful, be sure to share it with a friend!

    Summary

    • Facebook ad system errors cause overspending. Advertisers must monitor ad sets, set up alerts, and diversify ad portfolio.
    • Facebook Location Targeting Update Could Hurt Specific Advertisers: Watch Your Targeting Settings
    • Elon Musk rakes in $1.2M per year from Twitter Subscriptions
    • LinkedIn Algorithm Update: Editing Posts No Longer Affects Your Reach

    Updates

    Facebook
    Facebook Ad Accounts Hit by Overspending Glitch
    Oops, they did it again! 🙄 Facebook ad system errors causing overspending is like a recurring nightmare. To avoid being stuck in this financial limbo, advertisers need to stay vigilant, set up alerts, and monitor their ad sets and budgets like hawks! It’s like a game of whack-a-mole – knock down the overspending before it ruins your ad budget.

    Facebook
    Another Advertiser Alert: Facebook Quietly Removes Location Targeting Options
    As first reported by Jon Loomer, Meta has made an unannounced update to location targeting, removing the previous options and leaving only the “Living in or recently in this location” default option.

    So What:

    Previously, advertisers could choose from four options, including “People living in this location” and “People traveling in this location.” The change may not affect all advertisers, but those who rely on more specific location targeting may find themselves reaching the wrong audience.

    This could be problematic for businesses that can only ship to certain locations, offer services only to local residents, or cater specifically to tourists.

    There are a few possible reasons for the change, including low usage of the previous options, privacy concerns, or trust in Facebook’s algorithm to sort it out. As always, it’s hard to say what Facebook’s motives are, but one thing’s for sure, advertisers need to keep a close eye on their targeting settings to ensure they’re reaching the right people.

    Google Looker Studio now offers configuration options for Sankey charts
    Sankey diagrams show how values flow from one category to another, making them a powerful tool for analyzing information over time.

    YouTube to Boost Live Shopping via Scheduled Product Drops
    YouTube to improve live-stream product listings with scheduled product drops. Creators can upload details to appear at set times.

    TikTok’s AI Avatars: New Feature Lets Users Create Illustrated Profile Pictures from Uploaded Photos
    TikTok is testing a new tool that lets users generate AI-generated avatars for their profile pictures, based on uploaded photos. The tool will create stylized and illustrated images.

    Instagram introduces new feature to view story likes beyond 24 hours
    Instagram users can now see who has liked their stories after 48 hours. Previously, users could only see the list of people who viewed their stories within 24 hours, and afterward, the list would disappear. The new feature allows users to keep track of who engaged with their content for a longer period.

    Amazon Ads
    Boosting Ad Revenue: Pinterest and Amazon’s Multi-Year Strategic Partnership
    Pinterest and Amazon have announced a new multi-year strategic ad partnership aimed at bringing more brands and relevant products to the platform.
    This new partnership is a first for the image sharing and social media site and will be a big boost for Pinterest’s ad revenue. While Pinterest has been struggling with macroeconomic forces impacting its business, this partnership could offer consumers a more seamless buying experience, as users will be taken directly to Amazon to make a purchase.

    So What:

    This partnership has the potential to offer a seamless buying experience for consumers, which could result in faster checkouts as users are directed straight to Amazon to complete their purchase.

    Twitter
    Exclusive Content and Extra Cash: Twitter Subscriptions Now Available Globally
    Want to turn your Twitter fame into fortune? Twitter has introduced a new feature called “Subscriptions” that allows creators to earn a steady stream of income by offering exclusive content to their most devoted followers. Eligible creators from around the world can sign up for this program and start monetizing their Twitter game.

    Twitter Subscriptions has introduced a new feature that allows creators to estimate their potential earnings from the Subscriptions program. The calculator takes into account the percentage of followers and the monthly subscription fee to provide an estimated earning figure. This is a clever move from Twitter, providing creators with a visualization of the potential profits that could be made through the Subscriptions program.

    Subscriptions is open to all accounts that qualify if they:

    • Have subscribed to Twitter Blue or are a verified organization (obvious move)
    • Have at least 500 followers
    • Have been active in the past 30 days
    • Are at least 18 years old

    Elon Musk seems to be a big fan of Twitter Subscriptions, and who can blame him? By enabling the feature, he’s now making an estimated $1.2 million per year just for posting on his own platform – talk about a lucrative side hustle!

    LinkedIn
    LinkedIn Algorithm Update: Editing Posts No Longer Affects Your Reach
    LinkedIn has recently made a significant change to its platform, with the news that editing posts will no longer negatively impact the reach of your content. Richard van der Blom, a social media expert, reported that the LinkedIn algorithm will no longer penalize posts for editing, which is great news for brands and content creators who previously had to either live with typos or delete the entire post to avoid hurting their reach.

    So What:

    This change will make it easier for users to maintain the quality of their content without sacrificing their audience reach, and it is expected to lead to an overall improvement in the quality of content on the platform.

    Resources

  • Did Meta just kill Linktree?

    Every week, I’ll bring you a quick and easy summary of the need-to-know news in the world of digital marketing. No fluff, just the good stuff. And if you find it helpful, be sure to share it with a friend!

    Instagram
    Instagram’s new feature takes on Linktree and ‘link in bio’ providers, offering up to 5 links on profiles
    Instagram launches new feature challenging Linktree and other “link in bio” solutions by allowing users to add up to five links in their profile bios. The feature has been a top request among creators and can direct followers to other content such as online businesses, brands, or causes. Instagram’s previous platform limitations have allowed alternative solutions like Linktree to thrive. The move is seen as an effort to adapt to the needs of the creator community.

    Linktree, the popular “link in bio” solution provider, wasted no time in taking a jab at Meta when they announced their new feature allowing users to add multiple links to their Instagram profile bios. In a humorous tweet, Linktree pointed out that even Meta themselves are still using Linktree as their main “link in bio” service.

    Facebook
    Facebook Introduces New Metrics
    The new metric allows you to track how your content is consumed on your own page as well as other pages where it was crossposted or shared. This helps you get a better understanding of how your content is performing and who is engaging with it, allowing you to make informed decisions about your content strategy.

    So What: Tracking the new metric of video views on your page as well as on other pages where your content was crossposted or shared can give you insights on how to improve your content strategy.

    Example: Suppose your business page shares a video that gets more views on another page where it was crossposted than on your own page. In that case, you may consider partnering with that page or creating more shareable and engaging content to increase your reach. On the other hand, if your videos are not receiving many views when crossposted to other pages, you may want to revise your crossposting strategy or focus on promoting your videos through other channels. By optimizing your content, you can achieve maximum reach and engagement, leading to increased brand awareness, website traffic, and revenue.

    Twitter
    Pay Up $1000 per Month or Your Ads Won’t Run on Twitter
    Starting April 21, Twitter requires all business accounts running ads to have a verified checkmark or subscribe to either Twitter Blue or Verified Organizations. Accounts spending over $1000 per month already have gold checks or will soon, and will not be affected. This change is in line with Twitter’s verification strategy to improve content quality and reduce fraudulent accounts.

    Brand Watch

    Nissan
    The Power of Chill: Nissan’s Ad Takes a Lofi Approach to Marketing
    Have you heard of Lofi Girl? This YouTube channel has become incredibly popular with over 12 million subscribers for its animations and instrumental music that are perfect for studying or relaxing. Recently, Nissan used the Lofi Girl aesthetic for an ad for their Ariya electric vehicle. The ad was so well done that many viewers didn’t even realize they were watching an advertisement.

    So What: Leverage popular cultural trends and aesthetics to reach new audiences and create a more authentic and relatable brand image. By partnering with Lofi Girl, Nissan was able to tap into a community of music and animation lovers, and create a commercial that blended seamlessly with the content they were already consuming.

    Businesses can try this out by identifying cultural trends, communities, and subcultures that align with their brand values and target audiences. By partnering with creators or influencers within these communities, businesses can create more authentic and engaging content that resonates with their audiences and helps them stand out in a crowded market.

    Resources

  • Your Business Is More Than Just a Website or App

    The reason many new businesses (and even some old ones) fail is that they focus too much time and energy on the wrong things. Sure, having a good website or well-designed app will attract people to your business, but if you neglect the hard work of growing and maintaining your business, you will not succeed. This is because time spent focusing on the wrong things means time taken away from making your product or service the best it can be and is especially true when you are first starting your business. To learn how to focus on the right things and set your business up for success, read on.

    Not Sure How to Start? Try Starting Lean

    To effectively start and grow your business try starting lean. This means figuring out what product or service you want to provide, making sure it will exceed your customer’s expectation. Take steps to connect with your audience and get what you have to offer into their hands. A common misconception is that you need to build a full app or website to get your business off the ground. The truth is, you just need to develop a product and figure out a way to connect with your customers. Use whatever you have on hand, even just a laptop to check emails or a phone to speak with customers and clients. Many businesses have found success with just Whatsapp and an Instagram account. Of course, you must spend money to make money, but you can help even a lean business get started if you spend strategically from the start. Make sure you check out The Lean Startup by Eric Reis if you havent already.

    Don’t Let Fear Hold You Back: Just Go For It

    There will always be reasons to delay launching your business. Maybe you feel like your website could be better or that you would be more successful if you had a larger following. If you change your thinking, you can break your business down to its smallest form so you can start connecting with customers and testing your service or product as soon as possible. Many businesses can find success with a simple online listing or a social media project and grow from there. The first step is identifying what your customer wants, followed by finding a way to make that a reality. Once you are more established with a happy customer base, turn your energy and efforts to development projects like building a fancy website or launching an app that optimizes your business. It’s all about the timing, so if you are at the beginning of your business journey, just go for it and remember that you will have many opportunities as time goes on to make additions and changes to your business.

    Don’t Forget About Your Customers

    A fundamental mistake business owners make is spending too much time focusing on outward-facing things that are less directly related to their success. Businesses fall apart because they forget about their customers. Your customers should love the products and services your business provides, not just how your business appears to the outside world. No matter how lean you start your business, be sure to take note of the things that work and the things that don’t. This feedback will be helpful as you move on to new projects and focus on new business priorities.

    What Your Business Should Be

    If you remember that your business is a mechanism of access and delivery, you will help your business thrive. Prioritize the things that matter most. The quality of your product and the happiness of your customer. If you can only talk the talk but not walk the walk. None of the work or money you’ve invested into building your website or setting up your app matters.

    Build a business not a website.

  • What we can all learn from the “Hello World” Programming Lesson in Designing Training Programs

    When teaching someone a new skill or lesson, a way to quickly alienate and frustrate them is to focus too much on the theoretical and not enough on the practical. Practical lessons keep students motivated to complete the training program and move toward their goals. It is actually much simpler than most people think to design a training program that uses practical approaches. By looking at Hello World, the most fundamental programming lesson people can learn, you, can learn lessons in designing effective training programs for any topic.

    What is Hello World?

    Hello World is the first lesson anyone learns when trying to learn a programming language. It is one of the most famous programs and is often a new programmer’s introduction to effectively communicating with a computer.

    main()
    {
    printf("Hello, World!");
    }

    The Hello World program dates back to 1972 when Brian Kernighan included the test phrase in his book, A Tutorial Introduction to the Language B. Decades later, it is fair to assume that essentially every programmer has written a program using Hello World at some point in their training or career.

    By Brian Kernighan (1978)

    What Does the Hello World Lesson Teach Us?

    To understand why Hello World is such a brilliant lesson, you must first understand how the program works. You can run Hello World in virtually any coding language. The idea is to type “Hello World” as a line of code, and if you have done it correctly, your computer program will output “Hello World” back to you, letting you know that you were successful immediately. Hello World is a simple program, and most codes are more complex, but the important thing is that you could run a test by yourself, get feedback in real-time, and find out right away if what you wrote was accurate.

    Learning in this way helps students get familiar with a new topic from the inside out and learn how to navigate a new environment by diving right in. This lesson could apply to any subject, such as marketing, programming, engineering, or biology, and the results would still be successful. When you complete Hello World, you have just made your own program, probably for the first time ever, which gives you the satisfaction of building something new, seeing it come to life, and knowing you did a good job. When students learn like this, even if they are brand new to the subject, their confidence in the teacher, the topic, and themselves quickly grows, and they are left hungry to learn more and keep growing.

    Best Practices to Follow When Designing a Teaching Program

    When building any training program or lesson, think of it this way: Build your own Hello World. Create something that rewards students for trying to learn, no matter how small or short the lesson. If we know anything from looking at Hello World, it is that it works well enough to be the trusted lesson of virtually every new programmer, and this is likely because it helps students gain knowledge and confidence as they practice. 

    As a teacher, it is easy to get lost in the weeds from time to time, especially if the topic is complex. Remember that too much theory can interfere with how well your students learn. If they are focusing only on the theoretical without practice and without positive reinforcement, results will be slow, leading to frustration, burnout, and getting in the way of success. The amazing thing about Hello World is its simplicity. While users might start small, as they get better, they will be able to create more and more until they are fluent in the programming language and can create whatever they put their minds to. Whether you are a teacher or a student, remember that it’s completely fine if your project or program is not perfect or complex. What matters is that you made it, that it now exists, and that you will improve with time and practice.

  • Why You Haven’t Started Your Project Yet

    They say getting started is easy. Not when you have a project that has been growing in your head for too long. The beginning becomes a dreaded thing that you keep pushing off. Always ready with an excuse as to why you will do this one day, but not today. You want to start a new business, YouTube channel, or maybe a newsletter. But not today. 

    There are many challenges that keep you from getting started with your next great idea. Many of these you can should try to identify early on and get them out of your way. 

    Not having the right reasons to start

    Many projects die young. One of the main reasons for a premature death of a project is that the people give up. They never had the drive to see it through. They forgot what got them excited about the idea in the first place. The purpose escapes them. 

    Define your purpose before launching any project, business, or idea. Why should you sacrifice your time and energy on this? Write it down and revisit this often. This will help you find the motivation to get started and more importantly help you maintain the discipline to carry one once you do begin your project. 

    Motivation vs discipline 

    Projects fail when they depend on the mood of the creator. Motivation is great to get started but you have to walk into a project with the understanding that it will take a lot of discipline to see this through. Intentions will only take you so far. Plan your project in a way that works around your resources. Your resources are your time and energy. When is the best time for you to work on this project? Lock that time in and just commit to the work. 

    Don’t dream it, schedule it 

    Plans and dreams are amazing. They give us a dopamine rush as we fantasize of what it will be like turning this amazing idea into a real thing. Sadly many ideas stay in this phase. 

    Schedule the time to turn this into a reality. Want to start a Youtube channel? Allocate an hour a day for creating videos. Want to write a book? Make sure your diary has an hour locked for writing. We somehow always come up with an excuse to push things. Kill your excuses. Life will always get busy. Ask yourself “If not now then when?” If you don’t think you will have the time to start this in the next week then kill the idea. It is obviously not a real priority for you. Your Purpose or motivation to start is not strong enough to prioritize this over other things. 

    Waiting for Perfection

    Don’t spend too much time cooking up the perfect plan or product. Here is the truth. Your product will never be perfect. In the words of Reid Hoffman “If you’re not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late.” 

    Image of Sony rice cooker. First product they launched
    Source: https://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/CorporateInfo/History/SonyHistory/1-01.html

    Sony’s first product was a failed rice cooker. It failed at the main purpose it was built for. The rice was overcooked or undercooked most of the time. Yet they kept on going and kept on improving. 

    Understand that what you put out is not the final chapter in your story. You hold the pen and can keep on writing. 

    Don’t Build the whole machine at once

    Speed is key. You want to learn from your failures early. Don’t build a full machine and spend months or years on it to later learn that your audience has moved on and no longer want your product. Don’t wait till the full machine is ready to go out to the public. Learn from how tech companies go out and launch their products. People start sharing their expectations or feedback on the prototype early on. This helps you build a product that your audience wants. 

    Your first audience or users are usually early adopters. They are usually more forgiving. Embrace the imperfections and just ship. Improvements and additions can come in later. 

    Focus, focus, and focus

    Great ideas come from creative people. They usually have more ideas that come to them often. Find the right idea and then be ruthless. Kill all others for the benefit of one. Focus on one project at a time. There are many layers and elements that you have not discovered about your project yet. Many challenges will come up. You will need a focused mind to help you overcome these challenges. Think of this as pruning. The branches you cut will help the tree get stronger. 

    Focus on one idea at a time. Launch it before moving on to other projects. 

    The longer you wait to get started on your project the less likely it is to see daylight. Get something out there even if it is not perfect. People have higher expectations of themselves than others expect of them. 

    It is fine if your project is not perfect. At least it exists. 

    p.s. Every week I send out a newsletter that aggregates the top news in marketing that you should be aware of. I add my insights and take outs to save you time. I didn’t wait till it was perfect to launch it. It exists here.

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