Swipe File #29: Focus on the big wins

Hey All,

Hope you enjoy this week's articles and if you feel inspired, pass it on.

Big Wins for Content Marketing (Or, Unsexy Strategies for Long-term Growth) via @jimmy_daly

I wrote this post in response to the recent fascination with "growth hacking." Long-term growth is achieved by nailing a few fundamentals, which I cover in the article.

These are not shortcuts. They are just the things that are often taken for granted, resulting in tons of missed readers over the lifetime of your blog. So stop fussing over the little things, and start getting serious about your investment.

How Bold Entrepreneurs Are Breaking $1 Million In One-Person Businesses via @ElainePofeldt

This is why the Internet is so awesome.

Allen Walton, 27, lives a life many Americans can only dream of: He is on track for seven-figure revenue in a business that has been a one-man show until very recently, when fast-growth made it necessary to hire someone to answer the phones.

Walton is part of an exciting trend in the U.S economy: the growth of ultra-lean businesses that are hitting and exceeding $1 million in revenue at a stage when they have no employees other than the owners.

15 Retention Emails to Reduce Churn and Keep Your Customers Happy via @jimmy_daly

Here's one I wrote for the Vero blog that dives deep on retention emails. There's a link to add the examples to your Evernote account for later use too.

Look for users in limbo. Users in limbo have completed one or more important actions – i.e. they signed up or created an account – but haven’t made the jump to happy customer. They might be stuck in a freemium plan, let a free trial lapse or even forgot they were paying for your product.

15 Actionable Copywriting Hacks to Build High-Converting Landing Pages via @josuevallesp

Hang onto this one. It'll come in handy next time you need to write a landing page or email.

With a couple of tweaks here and there, you can easily increase your landing page conversion rate up to 80%.

Bold promise? Of course.

In today’s post I’m going to share with you 15 copywriting hacks that will help you do just that.

Book Report: So Good They Can’t Ignore You via Cal Newport

After hearing several people I like and respect mention this book, I finally read Cal Newport's So Good They Can't Ignore You. The gist of the book is that "follow your passion" is bad advice. Newport dissects this idea, traces its origins and presents some alternative advice.

My big takeaway from the book is the craftsman mindset, which suggests that people who ask "What can I offer the world?" rather than "What can the world offer me?" find greater success and passion in their work.

You don't need to read the entire book to grasp that idea, but it's a worthwhile read for anyone struggling to find meaning in their career.

Check out Cal Newport's TED Talk for a primer on the book.

Have a great week!

Jimmy

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