Hello ?
Happy Friday!
Short intro this week – thanks to everyone who sent feedback about Inbox Stash. Appreciate your comments. Currently working on getting the home page shaped into something a bit more friendly.
Last week’s most clicked was the SaaS tech stack database from Close. It was a close thing (sorry, couldn’t resist ?)
On to this week’s tools and articles…
? Tools discovered recently
FakeClients
I didn’t really get this when I first saw it a few weeks ago. But it popped up again as they’re getting a bit of traction so I looked into why you’d want fake clients…
So… what they’re doing is generating made up client briefs for design work.
Why?
For practice to build your skills using something a real client might give you.
The focus seems to be on logos but they’re branching into web design, graphic design, illustration and UX. Also other disciplines coming soon.
If you’re not running a business in those areas, it could be an interesting business opportunity. Think about building similar platforms in other markets. Doing is the best type of learning. Get this >>
Userships | Session Replay, Analytics & Insights
If you want to make improvements to the usability and conversion rates of your website, watching real users in realtime is a must. But, most software on the market is way too expensive when starting out.
Userships could be what you need. You get 100% session recording, deep analytics, intelligent search and insights tools. 20,000 sessions per month for free. Get this >>
SmartForms
Simple form backend for static sites that connects directly with Slack and Telegram or use Zapier. Of course, responses get emailed as well.
Free tier to try it out and very reasonable paid options. Get this >>
Unreadit | The best Reddit content in your inbox
This is my lazy way to keep track of interesting Reddit content without going to Reddit and getting caught in a rabbit hole. Sign up to the content you want and get a summary sent to you.
Been subscribed to this service for a while. And Unreadit just made some improvements to how they pull their content together. So it’s getting better. Get this >>
? Sponsor of the week
Get unstuck with advice from vetted growth mentors
In minutes, you’ll have access to 150+ vetted growth marketing and startup mentors, ready to jump on a call with you at startup friendly rates (or free!)
? Articles of the week
LinkedIn Growth Hacking – 9 hacks LinkedIn influencers don’t want you to know
If you can get past the clickbait title, this is useful guide to getting traction on LinkedIn.
Whether you’re frustrated with current results or want to broaden your social marketing horizons, this article will give you some good ideas. Read now >>
Productized consulting: 3 strategies for your business
One for the consultants (and applies to any service business).
“Productized consulting is a way to package your expertise into a fixed-scope, publicly priced thing people can buy. In most cases, it’s selling a high-value service as a low-overhead deliverable so you earn more income and have fewer logistical headaches”
And if you can do that, you have more opportunity to scale. Read this >>
SEO for Startups: 150 Experts Explain What to Do and What to Avoid
Helpful, practical article about making the best of SEO in a startup (tbh, any business). And there’s more to it than writing a great piece of content. Read now >>
The Best Time to Send Email Newsletters for Black Friday and Cyber Monday
Yep, it’s that time of year. Holiday season is coming.
Love it or hate it, buyers get their credit cards out so it’s an opportunity to boost some revenue. And it’s not just ecommerce that can capitalize – people are in a buying mood and that extends to other services as well. Read now >>
? Podcast of the week
Creating Flywheels, Asking the Right Questions, and Reverse-Engineering Your Ideal Clients with Nathan Barry
Nathan Barry (founder of ConvertKit) tells his story of how he got into digital marketing and built ConvertKit. He also talks about defining and finding the right clients.
Apart from the above, I liked his thoughts on money making as a skill learned over time. Can’t expect to hit home runs in your first innings. Listen now >>
? That’s it for this issue
Enjoy the weekend, I’ll be back next Friday.
Paul