Celebrating two years as an independent consultant

It was two years ago this month that Bulbstorm was acquired, finally freeing me to set up shop as an independent marketing consultant.

I tried to escape the 9-to-5 world twice before. Both of those attempts blew up on the launch pad. I tried to start my own ASU sports magazine, but was runner-up for the booster club’s contract. Then I was set to become a freelance copywriter when Bulbstorm made me an offer I couldn’t refuse on my way out of Insight.

Two years into attempt my third attempt, this one seems to have reached orbit.

Yay!

I celebrated the anniversary as I celebrate most things – by traveling. Hey, after helping to organize the inaugural Phoenix Startup Week, I’d earned a vacation. So, I spent a week exploring the natural wonders of southeastern Utah.

Happy anniversary indeed!

yoga at arches national park

Enjoying my flexibility at Arches National Park. Flexibility! Get it?!

The Way of the Solopreneur

I define solopreneur as anyone who runs his own business without intending to hire employees. There’s a lot to like about being a solopreneur. The most obvious benefit is that you’re the boss. You make the rules.

An overlooked benefit is just that. Benefits.

Corporate perks are one size fits all. A Friday afternoon beer cart. A discounted gym membership. Bagels and benefits. There’ll be some variability in health plans, but if you don’t have a pet then that pet insurance subsidy is useless.

As a solopreneur, you choose your own adventure. Maybe you want to work from home instead of an office. Maybe you prefer to work only with companies with a conscious mission. I truly believe that a solopreneur should get more out of it than just not having a boss. It’s too hard and too risky otherwise.

For me, being a solopreneur has been all about summers off and the ability to work for anyone I choose and from anywhere that has Wi-Fi. Did you know that there’s Wi-Fi in Yosemite National Park? Sure, I pay 100 percent of my health insurance costs. But, yeah, benefits rule.

(I wrote more about my life as a solopreneur – including how I decide what to charge, how many hours per week I work, and more – at Scott’s Marketplace.)

How long could it last?

I’m loving my new career. I’ve learned about PR for tech startups and sharpened my sales skills working with Ubiquity PR. I’ve implemented CRM and marketing automation solutions for a number of companies, from software startups to a car dealership. I’ve built a digital marketing program from scratch for a custom tile manufacturer.

And, yet, I wonder if and when my career as a solopreneur will end at the hands of opportunity. Two years after exiting Bulbstorm, I’m starting to get the itch to do another startup.

Six years ago, Bulbstorm found me by googling Phoenix Marketing Copywriter and landing on this website. When I initially turned them down to focus on my new copywriting business, the CEO trash talked me on Twitter. I couldn’t turn him down after that.

Is the end imminent? I doubt it. But, as I learned in my experience with Bulbstorm, you’re always one unexpected email from getting back in the game.

 

3 marketing automation sequences to scale your startup

Over the last year, I’ve fallen in love with marketing automation. It appeals to my past as a writer and storyteller, an email marketer, and a sales enabler. And I love how effective it is!

I recently attended a three-day Infusionsoft University training event. Early on, the facilitator pointed out that 80 percent of deals require at least five touches to close. But only 10 percent of companies make five touches. I imagine the percentage is even lower for busy startups! marketing automation sequences

Tools like Infusionsoft make it easier to add touches by automating lifecycle marketing. At a minimum, Infusionsoft recommends three types of marketing automation sequences.

I’ve implemented each of these sequence types for my client Iris, a startup developing PR management software. I’ll use my work with Iris as the examples here.

1. Lead capture. Iris’ primary capture mechanism lets web visitors book a demo by selecting a time directly from our sales rep’s calendar. This is done with Infusionsoft plugin AppointmentCore. The meeting is added to the rep’s calendar, GoToMeeting info is distributed, and reminder emails are sent … automatically. No back and forth on availability required.

Someday soon, we’ll add webinar RSVP and whitepaper download options as additional incentives to prospects who aren’t quite ready to commit to a demo.

2. Lead nurture. After a demo, prospects receive a series of five emails reinforcing the Iris value proposition and encouraging them to buy. The first email covers Iris’s overall value proposition while subsequent emails touch on specific value prop pillars like PR measurement and relationship management.

When a prospect fails to purchase after receiving all five emails, the rep is alerted to reach out by phone. After that, the prospect is moved into a long-term nurture sequence that includes monthly product updates, value-added content, and occasional offers.

marketing automation sequence

3. New customer. Iris is a powerful platform for PR management. And with great power comes great responsibility … to train. Upon purchase, account ownership shifts from the sales rep to a customer advocate from whom a series of offers to schedule free training sessions is sent. Again, this is all zero-touch thanks to Infusionsoft and AppointmentCore.

After customers complete their training sessions, they receive a series of 12 emails with tips and best practices for getting the most out of Iris. Of course, these emails link back to the Iris resource center to really help customers get up to speed.

Marketing automation helps startups scale.

We worked on lifecycle marketing at Bulbstorm. However, due to the technology limitations of the past, the effort was laborious and expensive. It wasn’t automated. It couldn’t scale.

Now, as an independent marketing consultant, I get the chance to implement automated lifecycle marketing campaigns that really scale sales and marketing for startup clients like Iris.

Check out my recap of the Iris digital brand rollout, including positioning, website strategy, sales and investor decks, and more: Iris brand rollout overview 

3 dos and 2 don’ts for settling the digital marketing frontier

Seth Bullock doesn't have your back on the digital marketing frontier.

Seth Bullock doesn’t have your back on the digital marketing frontier.

I previously posted about the importance of a dedicated R&D budget for digital marketing innovation. Of course, a budget is useless if it’s squandered. And in digital marketing, there are plenty of opportunities to burn cash.

Digital marketing is an unsettled frontier, populated by self-proclaimed gurus, snake oil salesmen, and iffy startups. You can strike it rich in the Wild West, but you must remember that no one’s looking out for you but you.

Here are a few tips for thriving on the digital marketing frontier.

    • Do follow the top companies. There are innovative companies doing innovative things right now. Don’t wait for them to speak at the next digital marketing conference. Learn from the best today by benchmarking leaders like Intel, HBO, and American Express. (Be sure to follow your competitors too.)

 

    • Don’t just read Mashable. Mashable is the popcorn flick of tech journalism. Hey, even a chump like me can get covered. Dig deeper, and make sure your agency digs deeper too. I prefer Altimeter Group, the Inside Network, All Things D, and boring non-sponsored whitepapers.

 

    • Do go beyond the logos on a startup’s website. It’s easy for a startup to slap a Fortune 500 logo on a PowerPoint slide. Did the client actually use the tech, or was it simply a short consulting gig? Ask vendors how deeply engaged they were with clients. And ask for references.

 

    • Don’t just look at install base. Just because an app gets installed doesn’t mean it gets used. How many free apps do you have lingering away in dark corners of your iPhone? Demand to see monthly active user figures before investing in startup platforms.

 

  • Do ask how previous clients tracked ROI. Shady entrepreneurs pay their bills thanks to suckers who don’t ask about measurement. You may not be able to track all the way to a purchase. Just be sure to measure something. If a startup has no means of measurement, walk away.

How do you stay safe on the unsettled frontier of digital marketing? Let me know in the comments!

The benefits of a dedicated digital R&D budget

When it comes to digital marketing, there are huge benefits to being an early adopter.

First, there are cost efficiencies in new platforms due to lack of competition. Second, to borrow a real estate analogy from Tom Martin, those who move into a neighborhood before it’s popular benefit most from any future popularity.

Digital marketing is full of shiny objects. Of course, a preference toward early adoption can give way to shiny object syndrome. It can distract time and budget away from programs that are already proven.

That’s why a dedicated digital R&D budget is so useful. By sequestering a portion of the overall digital budget for experimentation, the brand and agency are empowered to balance new initiatives with proven programs.

And it’s as simple as documenting that, in the coming quarter or year, we will spend this amount on R&D. No more. No less.

Why does it matter? Here are three specific cases for a dedicated digital R&D budget.

1. Aggressive digital managers: Keep ‘em blocking and tackling too.

Here, the digital function is managed by an early adopter or tech enthusiast. She reads industry publications, attends conferences, and plays with all the new toys. With these folks, budgeting permits some playtime with shiny objects while protecting the rest of the budget for proven digital tactics.

2. Conservative digital managers: Keep ‘em out of their shells.

Here, we have a ‘traditional’ marketer managing the digital function (and perhaps several other functions). He relies on his agency to invest resources in research and pitch new ideas. A dedicated R&D budget lets him safely invest in innovation so opportunities aren’t missed out of fear.

3. All managers in a recession: Keep ‘em confident at the water cooler.

And finally, we have the resource-strapped manager with aversion to risk. The recession has left him and his peers under pressure to defend programs. Of course, ROI is hard to come by early in the R&D process. A budget protects him from sticking his neck out or going up the flagpole on every project.

By creating a dedicated budget for digital R&D, we can benefit equally from new technologies and proven programs regardless of our personality type. How do you create the freedom to experiment in your organization?

5 tips for closing, not stalking, your social media crush

Guest post by Bulbstorm jack-of-all-trades Grady Owen. Stalk, errr, follow him on Twitter at @gradyowen. He’s gonna be a lawyer, ladies!

Budding social media marketing star Grady Owen

Grady Owen says: “I’m not a player, I just crush a lot.”

Admit it. You have a social media crush. Sure, some people call it Facebook stalking. Others judge you for your flirtatious tweets. But don’t let those haters get you down.

You, my friend, are a visionary. A man ahead of your time. Like the first caveman to wear a loincloth or the first dude to try yoga, you have found a unique way to pick up women.

Are social media crushes healthy? Absolutely! Just act more like Tom Hanks in You’ve Got Mail and less like Erika Christensen in Swimfan and you’ll be okay!

Here are five tips for turning your social media crush into something more…

1.       Manage Your Profile. Would you go to a dance club with bed hair, sweatpants, and a 1980s He-Man T-shirt? No! Then why would you have ‘em on your Facebook profile? Your profile is an extension of you and it’s important to remain presentable. Make sure to utilize the untag, delete, and privacy features. Also, avoid profanity and poor spelling.

2.       Drive Engagement. Your social media crush wants someone with a balanced and active social life. As a result, it’s probably not a good sign if you have fewer followers than the Washington Generals. Make sure to drive high levels of activity and engagement on your wall.  Who knows? You might even stir up some jealousy if other girls leave you comments!

3.       Be Selective with Check-Ins. Foursquare is a great location-based social networking tool, but don’t go crazy with check-ins! Only check-in at appropriate locations. Checking in daily at bars, strip clubs, and casinos is a deal breaker and will drive your social media crush away.

4.       Do Not Drink and Tweet. Consider this the golden rule. Alcohol and social media don’t mix! We’ve all seen it: The intoxicated man who is trigger happy with his cell phone. After a couple of beers, he feels he’s Hemmingway reincarnated, leaving what he assumes to be a lyrical ballad of tweets. The tweets are never as humorous or insightful the next morning.

5.       Meet In Person. Conversing over Facebook and Twitter will only take you so far. At some point, you will want to meet in person and see if you have real chemistry. Group functions are much less intimidating than meeting one-on-one. If the social media crush is hesitant to meet, it might not be meant to be. Time to find a new social media crush!

I know, I know. You’re skeptical. Can I really convert a social media crush into an IRL relationship? Of course! Just don’t get stuck in the Facebook poking rut, follow the five tips above, and don’t waste money looking for Ms. Right with Facebook ads.

Have you ever had a social media crush? If so, how did you close to the real thing?