Some things never grow old …

This is the 50th article in a series written for Indie Cambs 

Last week I was mentioned twice in someone else’s newsletter. Not for doing something unexpected or amazing, but for doing what I’ve been doing for over 15 years … sending out a weekly newsletter that works.

I was racking my brains to think of something big and clever to write as the 50^th instalment in this series of tips but after reading those comments I decided to do what I’ve always done instead.

My Work Smart Not Hard advice is all about showing the simplest ways to apply basic business strategies that work – and have always worked – to make running a business simple, profitable and fun, cutting through the hype and clutter, not wasting time on unprofitable activities and not re-inventing the wheel.

What works more than anything for pretty much every business is building your own mailing list and consistently sending interesting, useful, and hopefully, mildly entertaining information to the people who have chosen to receive it and who have given you permission to land in their in-box.

I’ve been writing on the internet since 2005. The thing that has kept me most connected through all of it is not a platform, not an algorithm, not a growth strategy. It is a weekly email — a consistent, showing-up-in-your-inbox act of thinking out loud to real people.

That is the direct opposite of what every social media platform is engineered to do. The platforms want you scrolling past strangers at two in the morning. (Thank you Bernie J Mitchell) An email from someone you actually know, talking about other people with whom you have something in common (you’re on the same list for a reason), gives you a feeling of belonging. You can reply to it at the click of a button and that reply will be seen, and you’ll get a proper message back – not an Out of Office automated response.

So here it is, my amazing piece of advice for my 50^th Work Smart Not Hard tip for Indie Cambs: build your own mailing list and talk to your customers, fans, or whoever chooses to join.

It’s not original, it’s not particularly clever but it works. You might not get direct sales – those types of message have the highest failure rate – but if you get it right you will build fans and fans recommend you to other people who many become customers or clients.

If you have any questions I’m happy to answer them and if you need practical help getting started I know people I can recommend.

The other 49 tips can be found on this blog and you can sign up for my newsletter here … Keep In Touch 

Happy 50^th WSNH tip!