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Have you ever struggled with setting a hard date to start something? Then watch The Journey, Social Media Examiner's episodic video documentary that shows you what really happens inside a growing business.
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In episode 4, Michael Stelzner (founder of Social Media Examiner) and his marketing team are wrestling with a common theme—when to start. He makes a data-backed case that starting early is necessary. On another front, Michael is not taking his own advice, instead he's stalling.
The episode opens with Mike recognizing a truth. To build something sustainable—something that can become greater than the sum of its parts—you need a solid foundation.
Then it’s over to the office. With just over 6 months until Social Media Marketing World ’19, Mike and the marketing team get serious about choosing a launch date for the marketing campaign.
On the pro side for an early launch, Mike shares that 60 speakers have been signed. On the con side, integrating Stripe with the new registration/checkout process is more challenging than previously thought.
To persuade the team to buy into launching earlier rather than later, Mike walks them through an exercise to break the sales goal into monthly target numbers.
Mike also shares the results of some interesting data analysis he’s done with Chris Mercer from SeriouslySimpleMarketing.com.
Mike started with a hypothesis that people buy Social Media Marketing World tickets on their first visit to the website or they don’t buy at all. Working with (Chris) Mercer, he tests his theory. Spoiler alert: Mike was wrong!
Based on the results, an early launch data is set: August 20, 2018.
Next, Mike heads out on a walk. He wonders whether he should start a new podcast. Along the way he discovers some massive boulders that spark thoughts about unexpected obstacles. He states that you need to be ready to push through these barriers when you’re planning and building something new.
Back at headquarters, Jennifer Ballard, marketing manager, is searching for a new team member to help with marketing. She’s sent out a job req and has 10 incredible candidates she wants to learn more about.
Finally, Mike acknowledges that he’s stalling on Project Genesis. He’s waiting for something and he has no idea why. He goes out walking, hoping to find something that will turn his frustration in to inspiration.
Later, a conversation with Cliff Ravenscraft touches on what might be at the core of Mike’s inability to move forward.
What advice do you have for Michael to push through his blocks? Share your ideas and thoughts in the comments below.
Key Mentions:
What do you need to cut in order to be more successful? Share your ideas and thoughts in the comments below.
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