Tip of the day Archives

Avoid decision fatigue

Decision fatigue is when it’s hard to make a sound decision because of the sheer volume of overall decisions to make. Avoid this by minimizing the number of decisions you have to make. Set up routines and habits that help you avoid these small mundane decisions. For...

Use a simple, low-commitment, and benefit-rich CTA

All, Conversion rate optimization (CRO), Copywriting, Tip of the day

Keep your calls-to-action (CTA) simple and low-effort. Low-commitment + High-benefit = Effective CTA Let’s take a closer look: “Buy now for $1,000,000” is high-commitment with no benefit. “Try it free for 30 days” is low-commitment with no benefit. “Start getting 50%...

Use the puppy dog close

All, Sales, Tip of the day

“Not sure if you want to adopt this puppy? Here, hold it and say hi…” 5 minutes later… You adopt the puppy and bring it home. 🐶 🏠 Why? Holding a product makes people up to 48% more likely to buy (props to Thomas McKinlay). If you don’t have a...

Create a personal Kanban

All, Productivity, Tip of the day

Kanban is a visual system used to manage and keep track of work as it moves through a process. And it’s a powerful way to stay productive. Use Trello.com (it’s free) to create 3 columns: To-Do Doing Done Only ever keep three tasks in the “Doing” column at...

Play up perceived value

All, Business strategy, Tip of the day

We optimized sites for over a decade. “Price” is almost always the #1 objection. But it’s not really the price… It’s the perceived value that’s lacking. For example: A business is sells an electric toothbrush for $100. Ouch. That’s...

Set SMART goals

All, Personal development, Productivity, Tip of the day

Use the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely) framework to achieve your goals. Let’s look at each one more closely: Specific: Visit Spain and Portugal vs. Travel more Measurable: Run a 50k vs. Run farther Attainable: Dive the Great...

Establish hard edges to your day

All, Tip of the day

Start and stop work at the same time, every day. You’ll be more efficient, effective, and less stressed when you refuse to work outside your regular work hours. For some, establishing hard edges is easy. For others—especially freelancers and people who work...

Make it pass the “blur test”

All, Tip of the day, Web design

Here’s a secret design tip no one uses: If you want to truly understand your design, blur your eyes. Even without focusing on the page, it should be clear what the page wants you to do next. Try it for yourself and see.

Include these elements on your landing page

All, Tip of the day, Web design

The goal of a landing page is to reinforce your ad’s message, elaborate on the offer, and capture leads (or sales). Include these key elements: A strong headline Key benefits (3–5) The offer (what the customer will get) Social proof (testimonials, star ratings, famous...

Keep your calendar empty

Productivity, Tip of the day

My calendar’s nearly empty. And I’m happy. I prefer to create systems that don’t require calls or calendar entries. Systems that feed into each other are self-regulating and make it easy for everyone to work asynchronously. If you do have a meeting...