Posts about marketing

Stop trying to find a marketing task you like and start engineering your growth.

As a builder, Engineering as Marketing is one of my favorite marketing channels. Popularized in the book Traction, these activities include building everything from simple calculators and embeddable widgets to generators and microsites.

When done well, they are backlink magnets and quickly establish trust because you're delivering value so quickly. The trick is to minimize the time to value and introducing the next logical step for the user (typically something included in your paid product offering).

Win by out-helping your competition.

You don't have to be the loudest person in the room. You just have to be the most generous.

Your marketing tech stack is either a cake or a salad.

It's made up of all the software tools that help you run your business.

Cake stacks are all-in-one, integrated solutions like Ghost, Kajabi, or Squarespace.

These tools offer a convenient package for website building, email marketing, analytics, and more. Think of it like a pre-made cake: easy and satisfying, but with limited customization.

Salad stacks are best-of-breed, modular solutions that use different tools for each specific task. This could include WordPress or Webflow for your website, Kit or Mailchimp for email, and Kajabi or Thinkific for courses - each tool best in its class.

Like a salad, you can pick and choose the best ingredients for your specific needs and taste.

But what makes a tech stack tasty?

It's about how user-friendly and intuitive the tools are.

How easy is it to publish a new blog post? Send a newsletter? Or update a product offering?

If you're going to be fighting a tool constantly, that's no fun (like eating food you don't like).

And, more importantly, nutritious?

Your chosen stack should actively be helping you achieve your marketing goals: generating leads, driving conversions, and boosting engagement.

Results matter more than tech.

And let's not forget spoilage.

Like real food, tech stacks can go bad.

Tools become outdated, integrations and plugins break, and new marketing challenges emerge.

Not only that, but costs rise, vendors change, and new tech makes tools obsolete.

Regardless of what you choose to start, expect to be updating your tools every few years.

Preventing tech rot takes ongoing effort.

(And is something that gets forgotten by those who instruct AI to just "make an app")

This is where a skilled chef can help.

The challenge lies in the sheer abundance of tools available and the fact that some tools can be used for different purposes.

For example, just because WordPress can host courses or sell physical products doesn't mean it should. You may be better off using Kajabi or Shopify instead, depending on your needs.

A marketing technology consultant (the chef) can help you select the right tools, integrate them seamlessly, and ensure your chosen stack stays healthy and delicious as your business grows.

After all, every business is unique.

Which would you rather eat?

Choosing between a cake and a salad often depends on your business's stage and your marketing goals.

A cake can be a good starting point if you have a new businesses with simpler requirements.

But as you grow and your needs evolve, you may find yourself craving the flexibility and power of a salad.

So what's your biggest tech stack challenge? Hit reply and let me know!

Social media is everywhere.

It can be hard to remember that other marketing channels even exist.

Whenever people ask me for alternatives to social media, I always point them to the book Traction. This article by Zapier summarizes the 19 channels nicely.

As an example, for the Quiet Startup, my primary marketing focus is on content marketing (my articles and notes) and SEO.

What I like about these channels is that they're high leverage and evergreen. This means I write something once and it keeps working for years.

Additional channels I'll be exploring include viral marketing (word of mouth), community building, and engineering as marketing.

So while social media gets all the attention (and consumes yours), there are plenty of other channels where you can market your business!