Notebooks
Given that I just wrote about how annoying it is to get email signup popovers earlier that day, it struck me as odd that this one “worked” for me. When I saw this, I somehow wanted it, and did not feel annoyed by it in the same way. Now, I’m sure this is personal, but…
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Some years ago, internet marketers decided it would be very clever start pushing large forms in people’s faces that ask them to sign up for an email newsletter. These are called “popovers”, and can be programmed to appear at different moments when someone is visiting your site. The obvious core idea is: You have this…
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Dear designer-marketer: You think you are being cute by just making the thing you want me to pay attention to… jiggle a little. I am not stupid. I find it very annoying, and am very tempted to close your page right away. —User Unless you want to be annoying (I can’t figure out why you…
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This one is very simple, and you’ll see that the type is small and hard to read, but the point is that they are highlighting a promise of what you will get. And: In fact, notice that they are not highlighting the format, they are highlighting the outcome. “Weekly progress updates” is what you get…
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I like the way Tim Ferris puts his newsletter as a menu item on his website. This is part of an integrated strategy—I like what he says about the newsletter too: Every Friday, I send out an exclusive email with the five coolest things I’ve found (or explored) that week. It could include exclusive giveaways…
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What I love about this is that the design itself says, “we are not afraid to ask first before we send you emails.” People actually get to decide. This was literally on their lead magnet page! Now, this is on the website for a design company, and so the design elements are very well executed,…
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This post was originally published by me on Medium.com. I’ve built dozens and dozens of websites for small businesses over the past twelve years. I’ve seen a vast number of problems that can arise in the completion of those projects, and I have an idea why it’s so hard to get right. I know it’s…
Read MoreThis is a beautiful movement. As we become more and more aware that more is not always better, people have begun to innovate in the other direction, by asking: How can we do less? As all productivity folks (or, spiritual teachers) have pointed out, our attention is a critical resource. The mind’s temptation to expend attention everywhere only dissipates…
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