Sunday Update 100
Here are the links for today’s update:
Looking forward to your comments on this one!
Please leave a comment below.
Note that I don’t reply to all comments, but I do read them all.
If I don’t reply to your comment, it most likely means that I agree with what you say and don’t have anything meaningful to add, myself. I appreciate and read all comments and your comments play an important part in what I write about, so keep them coming.
Spammy comments are always filtered or removed. No surprise there.
Sunday updates would be great if you would include Bug fixes, inventive examples of the plugins uses on user websites, maybe what future releases might include and if building a following a bit of info about the development team ie your location people etc
p.s love your plugins keep up the great work.
Our bug fixes and feature additions are usually posted to the sites of the respective products. But I sometimes mention big new features in an update, as well. :)
For “Sunday Updates” I like simple training videos like the one you included today (3 Essential Marketing Principles).
Great information (thanks Shane) that’s easy to digest and implement.
Also, the fact that it’s “Sunday” implies – at least to me – that the information will be a bit more laid back.
Regardless, thanks for the great info and the great products :)
Thanks for your reply, George! I do like to keep the Sunday Updates a bit more casual than my regular blog content. :)
I agree with DrGeorge that “simple training videos” are what I find most useful. Shane would you provide a training video about getting smaller mini sites to rank quickly and the selection of keywords and general tactics to use from an SEO point of view.
You could interchange the word rank with getting traffic, which is what we all want.
PS …how do I put my picture when making a comment??
Thanks for the Sunday Updates…
Hi Ronny,
I don’t give SEO advice anymore because I simply don’t care about SEO for my own business anymore. There are other things that have a far greater ROI, when I focus on them (for example, getting more affiliates).
Apart from some very basic on-page optimization, I just don’t do SEO anymore.
To add a pic to your comment, just go to Gravatar and get set up. :)
Sales tips, tricks and strategies. Ah yes, those simple marketing principles. That’s what interests me the most. I can never learn enough about effective marketing ideas. Thanks Shane, for all the updates!
Thanks for your reply, David!
3 Essential Marketing principles are great! Real-life Examples of those and other essentials using yours or highly recommended products would be very helpful in the ongoing and hopefully not endless battle against looking for the next great tool and forgetting that you either already have it in your toolbox or don’t need it…
Thanks for your products and your way of presenting im-knowledge in your down-to-earth-euro-style!
Thank you, Lars!
For a detailed explanation and examples of these principles in action with my product Hybrid Connect, check out this blog post.
Congrats, Shane, on reaching this milestone!
I remember watching your Sunday updates back before they were “Sunday” updates; back when you were still in Switzerland (?) and you would sometimes film outside before the weather got too cold. Time flies.
My favorite Sunday updates:
1. Sharing your insights on what you’ve learned in your business and what’s worked for you, e.g., your dissection of your latest plugin sales video was phenomenal. Ok, that wasn’t a Sunday update, but anything I can learn from you that shortens my path to success is appreciated. I think one of my all-time favorite Sunday updates was “The Grind”. (was that a Sunday update?….I can’t remember)
2. Once in a while, you share a book you’re reading for your business. Those are very helpful. (I still have to grab my copy of “On Writing Well”)
3. Your 30-day challenges.
4. Anything to do with productivity.
5. Site design “hacking” for improved conversions (unless this topic is better for blog posts since it requires in-depth coverage, your “Graphic Design for non-Designers” blog post series come to mind.
Cheers and here’s to your next round of 100 Sunday updates!
Thank you, Carmelita! Yes, you remember the first updates well. :)
Thank you or your detailed feedback on the topics you enjoy. This is a very helpful answer for me.
I think You Are Doing Great! I have tried to follow Video blogs before, and they are usually sporadic or just fizzle out. How do you come up with the topic / Topics every week? Also can you share some of your systems you use for getting things done, some you already use and maybe go through one as you are putting it together for a new project or task your system for building systems hahaha
Hi Jeff,
Thanks for your comment!
I don’t come up with a good idea every week, which is why Sunday Updates aren’t strictly every week. I think typically, I do 3 per month. That’s one important point, because I don’t want to waste anyone’s time. So when I don’t have a good idea of what to talk about, I’d rather not make an update at all.
Apart from that, it’s mostly about being immersed. I practice marketing and business building every day. I read about it most days. I encounter new problems and have to find solutions all the time. This gives me a lot of material to talk about, since I usually just take something I recently encountered in my own business and talk about the lessons I learnt from it.
Just Keep it coming Shane!
I’ve watched you morph from SEO into real serious business building, and as you grow your business, you hit the exact same problems and issues I’m encountering in mine – which is a world away from yours. The result is that I learn faster and am becoming more effective as I develop my own new business.
That’s why I always watch your Sunday Updates…
And with this answer above, you give us the exact template you’ve used to build this community. As a result, I’ve bought every piece of software you have released and I will continue to do so, because I know it will make my life a joy!
It is just so great to be around a team and community whose standards are outstanding…
Thanks Shane,
Michael
Thank you very much for the high praise, Michael!
Shane,
I enjoy all your updates. But I really like it when you show us all the tools you use within your business both software and hardware. You always seem to be on the cutting edge. Saves me time and brings me value.
Thanks,
Tim Cronin
Murfreesboro TN
Thanks for the suggestion, Tim!
I might make an update like that, giving a tour of my video setup or showing the apps I use most often. :)
I agree, Tim!! :)
– Carol
Shane, the more worthy experience and information you share the best. But you can’t do it every Sunday. So keep going and sometimes you have some great Sundays uodates and sometimes a little bit less worthy. So thats it… :)
Thanks for your reply, Gabrics!
Honestly, overall, I find most of your communication to be educational and useful. Thank you for that. And the two software tools of yours that I’ve bought are very good (I actually use them). But, being the kind of person who is always looking for more bang for the buck, and who’s always looking to have a positive impact, I always hope the update will be an invitation to be a beta tester for something you plan to release.
Thank you for your comment, Eric!
You know, I’d love to be able to release new and exciting products more often. It’s actually one of the things I will focus on for next year. I want to improve my process and speed up the implementation, so that we can get new products and new features for existing products completed more quickly.
On that note, I also think that this is an important competitive advantage. If we can be quicker than anyone else to release new features and improve our products at a fast pace, it can widen our lead and discourage copy-cats.
I Love RANTS. Things that emotionally really BUG you. Chances are they Aaffect me too. Just nice knowing I’m not alone.
I really am appreciative of being part of your TRIBE.
Scott
the “wine box guy”
Thanks for the reply, Scott!
I love a good rant too, actually. It’s just very rare that I really get worked up about anything. I’m a rather stoic kind of person, you know?
But I’ll make sure not to hold back, if I feel a rant coming on. :)
Wow. I can’t really say what sort of thing I want from a Sunday update. I think that one of the things that makes me go immediately to your video (there aren’t many videos I consider worth my time) is that I *don’t* know exactly what to expect, but I *do* know it’s going to be interesting, relevant, and useful.
Shane, I really just want to second Howard’s thoughts. There is not enough time in the day to view all the 10 minute videos that show up in my mailbox. I know that anything branded with IMImpact is always worthy of a view!
Thank you very much, Jeff!
Hi Shane
and congratulation for reaching that milestone! Awesome!!!
I do agree with Howard.
Without going back and checking I think more or less everithing you posted in these updates was valuable and a good mix.
I specifically
– like clever, ethical and non-hypey marketing ideas,
– your insights on what works or doesen’t,
– your reviews of tools – like e.g. the pagebuilders. With your extensive experience these comparisons extremely helpful.
Thanks for all your effort and your great work.
Thank you, Detlev! I’ll be sure to provide more of that kind of content. I’m working on a new tools-review as well as updating one of the existing roundups.
Thank you very much, Howard! I’ll do my best to keep things interesting and relevant. :)
Program updates, bug fixes , ways to use plugin(s) , New plugings that you are working on
New stuff we’re working on is something you’ll always hear about first, on Sunday Updates. :)
Updates, bug fixes etc. will usually be mailed out specifically to customers of the products and we have changelogs in the member’s areas as well.
Good job on reaching this milestone!!!
For me I would like to see more about getting traffic that converts, list building, conversion optimisation, split testing etc… I need to learn about all that stuff and still keep my wife off my case…as I tell her “Rome wasn’t built in a day!” and I don’t think she grasps what’s involved in building an internet business.
Can you come over and have a word with her?
Thank you, Nick!
I haven’t covered conversion optimization topics in a while. I’ll have to get back to those. Something like a list building case study would also be interesting. If I can find the time, I’d love to add some things like that to my blog.
Congratulations on hitting the 100th video mark!
What I’d really like to see from you (and believe me when I say I know it’s a really large order) — is the ability to be a fly on the wall — watching you and your team during the product creation process from a back office viewpoint of the development environment necessary, to concept creation, to the design/coding and implementation processes and management, thru to the marketing roll-out, including the results metrics for new products.
No BS, here…
I’ve watched you and Paul for a while now, and know and trust that I can learn a great deal from following your business and your advice. And your “low key” but very effective marketing method, really fits my own style and goals.
Hi Jesse,
Thanks for your reply!
I try to offer this behind-the-scenes perspective as often as possible. It’s difficult to do right, because I can’t just show you a live view of what’s happening. Watching me typing out a spec doc and creating wireframes for hours on end would get a bit boring, you know? :)
But trust that with my updates and posts, what I’m always trying to do is taking that whole process and distilling it down to the most important points.
How to get the very best out of your products. Many times the problem is that we often buy a product and use it maybe less than 50% efficiently that is to say, we don’t really get all the functionality that the product is made for.
OI have seen comments from some of your subscribers thanking you for a snippet or a video or blog post and saying “thanks a lot for that, I didn’t know you could do that with xxxxx and I’ve had it for ………………..”
Kind regards
That’s an interesting point, Joe. I guess more case studies about how I use my own products or about how other people are using the products creatively would be a great addition.
Hi Shane,
First of all, congrats on your number 100 update.
The fact that you’re still doing this, must mean you are determined to make this a “real” company and not just some hobby project.
I’d like the Sunday updates to be relaxed and easy to digest. Short items on products, things you’re working on and some tips&trics. But most off all I like them to be something to look out for.
Keep it up and I’ll be watching…
Thank you, Eric!
Hi Shane,
Great question.
First off, I’m not one to spend time reading and watching anything and everything. I always watch the Sunday update because it’s generally relevant and rarely commercial. When it is commercial you’re up front about it.
I agree with Howard who said “I think that one of the things that makes me go immediately to your video (there aren’t many videos I consider worth my time) is that I *don’t* know exactly what to expect, but I *do* know it’s going to be interesting, relevant, and useful.”
So, a great approach, and THANK YOU for the time and energy you put into openly sharing your thoughts and ideas
To answer your question, for me, anything that relates to WordPress, professional site presentation, and attracting visitors because I edit a blog for people who want to read or listen to the Bible in French.
Thanks for your reply, Martin!
The older I get, the more I value my time. While I can’t say I watch every Sunday update, I do watch most of them. I appreciate that you get to the point quickly, you keep it short (but leave helpful links in case the topic interests us further), you actually have something to say, and you are honest and genuine (not a guru poser).
I watch mostly to find out what you are up to – to find out if you have any offers coming up that I should know about (as you tend to develop better products), and to hear about your insights regarding things you may have seen or learned recently.
I’ve moved more into the offline b2b arena lately, but I respect your opinion enough to spend a few minutes on a weekend to see if you have any insights I might pilfer to my advantage!
Thanks for your reply, Garth!
I do make an effort to keep things short and to the point. I assume that my viewers are as busy as I am and I don’t want to waste anyone’s time. :)
Hi Shane,
Love any update but especially those that are actionable whether it be about improving conversion, productivity, focus…
Sam
Thank you, Sam!
Always happy to hear your updates Shane! I remember very well one when you said all the details of why you thought you failed in the launch of a contest (you were using Contest Domination for that I think), we all love that behind the scenes feeling that you give us. Things I would love to see? For example how you get traffic…do you use Slideshare? I used it, got views, but not many ‘likes’ on my fan page…do you use facebook ads? Step by step, and things like that. I’ve got a couple more things to say but will let you know directly to your email. Thanks and keep up the good work!
Thank you for your reply, Luis!
Traffic is big in demand, as a topic. That’s why I published two posts on the topic recently. Although my answers to the “how to get more traffic” question are probably not what most people expect. But they are a real representation of what I do in my business. :)
Facebook ads: not as much as I should.
Slideshare: many of my videos use presentations as a basis, but if you just look at the slides themselves, they make little sense. So I don’t use that a lot, either.
Thank you, Shane! I like when you pull the curtain back and show the business and marketing insights you find in your own business. Your products are always top notch quality but the value of understanding what goes on behind the scenes adds the most value for me.
I appreciate the time you take and your transparency in business.
You Rock!
Thank you very much, Michael!