As the curator of the INSIDER Guide to New Product Development (NPD), I’m constantly keeping an eye out for bite-size information that will help you develop and scale better subscription products. Here’s my “Five on Friday” compilation for October 30th, featuring the five best trends, tips, quotes or stats from my reading this week.
1. Prepare Your Team Ahead of an Absence
The following quote comes from a short-but-valuable Entrepreneur.com post dealing with how to best prepare a team for the leader’s (temporary) absence. Been putting off that vacation, or even leaving to watch your kid’s soccer game? Take a look at the entire post for some easy ideas to help you begin to free up some time.
“Don’t let your company’s first autopilot attempt occur when you head off for a two-month trip to a place that doesn’t have Internet access. Instead, try staying home for a few days while maintaining a minimal presence in day-to-day affairs and see how your team fares.”
2. Two Big Crowdsourcing Myths Discussed in Less Than Two Minutes
A good, short video on two of the biggest myths regarding crowdfunding. Although there’s a 15-second commercial to get through, it’s worth a watch in its entirety. No time? A good thing to keep in mind, according to the video, is that the average amount raised in crowdfunding is $10,000.
3. Ways Small Businesses Can Save Money
While no secrets are revealed here, this SmallBizTrends.com post shares some ideas it’s easy to forget in the bustle of making our businesses run. My twist on one of the ideas? See if there are large non-competitive businesses in your hometown who are of a charitable mindset. Ask them to donate the time of their purchasing- or manpower to help you get off the ground. This may take the form of office space, supplies or knowhow. Hey – it can’t hurt to ask. No time to read the post? Here are the suggestions:
- Buy second-hand
- Hone your repair skills
- Share custodial duties
- Collaborate with your competitors
- Learn to barter
4. How to Maximize Long-Term Subscribers’ Satisfaction with Mature Subscriptions
Worth a read in its entirety, this Copyblogger post by Debbie Hodge, of GetItScrapped fame, lays out several practical ideas for increasing your subscription site’s utility to your long-term subscribers. Relevant indexes, a consistent presentation, personal checklists, and learning guides are represented in the recommendations here. My favorite?
“Offer checklists that logged-in members can edit, save, and access from their membership accounts They can check off lessons, worksheets, and videos completed, as well as enter notes. Even if a membership expires, the member’s progress and comments are still there for use with free materials or a resumed paid membership.” Debbie Hodge, GetItScrapped
5. CMO.com Reporting a Tepid Drop in Non-Mobile-Friendly Sites Post-“Mobilegeddon”
Remember Google adjusting its search algorithms back in April of this year? We discussed it in an earlier 5 on Friday. According to the Adobe Digital Index (ADI) as quoted in this COM.com article, sites that are not mobile-friendly have lost up to 10% of their organic search traffic.
While this certainly illustrates the need to make the upgrade to mobile-friendly, I think we were all (including yours truly) taken in a bit by the doom-and-gloom of pre-changeover press. Mobilegeddon? I’d say Mobilenado, tops.
Have a safe and festive Halloween!
Diane
Diane Pierson has deep experience in product management and marketing, having delivered results to companies including Dun & Bradstreet, LexisNexis, American Lawyer Media and Copyright Clearance Center. She has built products & services that have delivered over $100 million in revenue and knows what works, and what doesn’t, when executing product plans and strategies. She is also a contributor to Subscription Insider. (Read Diane’s full Bio)
