Wednesday, August 25, 2021

Fwd: 4 Steps to Become a Masterful Storyteller



On Aug 25, 2021, at 2:28 PM, Jacob Morgan via LinkedIn <newsletters-noreply@linkedin.com> wrote:
This is part of LinkedIn's new Newsletter Series. To get weekly exclusive CEO...
Posted by at No comments:

Tuesday, August 17, 2021

Fwd: a company wants to buy BirdSend 🤑



---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Welly at BirdSend <welly@birdsend.org>
Date: Tue, Aug 17, 2021 at 7:28 AM
Subject: a company wants to buy BirdSend 🤑
To: <stevescott@bydf.com>


 

First, in case you wanna change email preferences:

If you don't want email marketing tips but still want BirdSend updates, click here.

If you don't want all kinds of emails, click the unsubscribe link in footer.

---

Here's this week's updates:

1/ Even when you get crickets, keep creating 💪

2/ Subject line → email body is wrong ❌

3/ How to REDUCE (not prevent) emails going to spam - Way #2

4/ Do you want to experience transformation or do you want a newsletter? 🤔

5/ A company wants to buy BirdSend 🤑

.

1/ Even when you get crickets, keep creating 💪

March this year — I deleted my Twitter account.

There were just too many irrelevant followers in my previous account, hence the decision to start afresh with a new one.

After being active there for 5 months, growth is slow. I only have a tiny 300+ followers 😅

And here's the worst part... 😭

Crickets is what you get when you have little to no followers...

And you post on social media anyway.

Nobody likes your post. Nobody comments. Nobody shares.

It's fine. It's part of the process everyone goes through in the beginning.

As a successful creator said, just keep engaging, empowering, and providing helpful content to your target audience.

Eventually it will pay off.

And the other thing to keep in mind is an email subscriber is worth 100X more than a social media follower.

Which social platforms are you active on?

.

2/ Subject line → email body is wrong

❌ When writing emails, don't write the subject line first.

✅ Write the body first, then the subject line.

When I flipped the order, I get new inspirations and ideas 💡 for the subject line which I normally wouldn't get.

Which do you write first?

.

3/ How to REDUCE (not prevent) emails going to spam - Way #2

Way #2 - Don't use false sender info

Image


SPF, DKIM and DMARC are the current standards of email authentication.

Mailbox providers will scan your emails headers for these. If not present, most likely they'll land in spam.

Most ESPs will take care of these for you automatically.

However, you still need to pay attention to your "sending domain".

✅ Your sending domain must be able to receive emails and have a valid MX record. Typically if it's able to receive emails, an MX record is present.

✅ Your "from email address" must be able to receive emails.

✅ Avoid using noreply [at] domain. com or the likes as your "from email" address".

Some mailbox providers automatically send emails from "noreply" directly to spam.

✅ Ensure your sending domain does not have a bad reputation with mailbox providers in the past.

If you moved from another ESP, and your sending domain has been reported for spam too many times, the chance of your emails getting into the inbox is small.

.

4/ Do you want to experience transformation or do you want a newsletter? 🤔

Okay I've probably beat you to death about this topic already, but please bear with me...

(valuable things/ideas/concepts/stuff are worth repeating anyway)

A few days ago I asked this question on Twitter:

image


And here are the responses I got:

image


Since the answer is so obvious, why are people are still saying "subscribe to my newsletter"? 😞

I'm really perplexed...

So if you know why, please reply and let me know.

.

5/ A company wants to buy BirdSend 🤑

Image


Receiving offers like this makes you feel proud and good that your work is recognized.

And lets you know you're doing something right, in my case doing something right with BirdSend.

Thank you my awesome teammates!

I humbly declined the offer 🙏

Did you think I made a mistake?

.

That's all for this week's updates. Any questions or feedback, just hit reply! 😉

---

Email is Profitably Fun!
Welly Mulia

enable images to see me :)

My customers send 30M emails/month combined. I write about using email marketing to boost sales. Founder of BirdSend - email marketing tool with high open rates while saving Indie Creators 3 - 5X every month.

Here's a 2-min slide deck on how BirdSend benefits you as an indie creator.

You can find me on Twitter and in our email marketing FB group.

---

Know someone who might benefit from this email? Please share to them.

If you're new, you can subscribe here.
 
 

Welly at BirdSend

BirdSend
 

Boring stuff:

1/ Can't stand my emails anymore? Click here to unsubscribe

2/ You change email address? Who still does that anyway? Update your email here

3/ Our office address (we don't welcome strangers though): 18th Floor, Maspion Plaza Gunung Sahari Raya No. 18 Jakarta 14420, Indonesia

4/ Think my emails are awesome and can't get enough of them? Whitelist welly@birdsend.org by adding it to your address book

5/ Have you joined our email marketing community?
open
Posted by at No comments:

Monday, August 9, 2021

Fwd: 🔻 Why businesses are bracing for extreme weather | The Coaching Habit (#3 of 5)



---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Shortform Business <business@shortform.com>
Date: Mon, Aug 9, 2021 at 6:01 AM
Subject: 🔻 Why businesses are bracing for extreme weather | The Coaching Habit (#3 of 5)
To: <stevescott@techacq.com>


Plus, how supply chain issues are jeopardizing Christmas
Business Letter

(Mon) Aug. 9, 2021

Businesses Brace for a New Normal of Extreme Weather

3 Key Points
  • Climate change-driven heat waves, flooding, and droughts are plaguing the globe. What's worse, the extreme weather events are exceeding climate scientists' projections—which suggests we're unprepared for what's to come.
  • It's too late to reverse the effects of climate change. All we can do is to keep things from getting worse and adjust to our new normal with adaptations like green technology, updated building codes, and better infrastructure.
  • Private industry is getting more involved with adaptation efforts, as it's becoming increasingly clear that severe weather will impact business.

Original articles from: The Economist | Wired | Financial Times | The Economist | The Wall Street Journal | NPR | Financial Times | NASA | The Economist

Full Summary


Heat waves, droughts, wildfires, and flooding are ravaging broad regions across the planet. Even more worrisome: Scientists didn't see this coming—at least, not like this. While established climate models have correctly predicted the rate of the planet's warming, they've underestimated the intensity and frequency of the extreme weather events it would cause.

Those miscalculations mean that we're underprepared for the realities we're facing and will continue to face as conditions inevitably worsen, despite mitigation efforts.


What the Models Got Wrong

Some scientists believe the models underestimated how the planet's warming would impact the jet stream, which contributes to heat waves, droughts, and flooding. Here's how it works:

  • The jet stream is a strong air current that pushes weather systems in its path. Greater temperature differences between warm tropical air and cool polar air makes the jet stream faster and more powerful.
  • However, the Arctic is warming much faster than the rest of the globe, quickly shrinking that temperature gap and slowing the jet stream.
  • As a result, a weather system sits pummeling the same region for longer periods before getting pushed along.

Additionally, warmer air holds more moisture. As Earth's temperatures rise and the air absorbs more water vapor, it acts as a greenhouse gas, trapping even more heat in a vicious cycle. The water-saturated air also causes heavier rainfall and precipitation, which is why Zhengzhou, China recently had a year's worth of rainfall in one day—breaking records going back 5,000 years.


The Smoking Gun

The weakened jet stream contributed to devastating flooding in Germany and Belgium as well as unprecedented heat and wildfires in Yakutsk, Russia, one of the coldest cities in the world. But it was the heat wave in Canada and the Pacific Northwest that really flew in the face of climate models' projections.

It wasn't just that the heat broke records, but by how much: In several cities, temperatures surpassed records by 9F. According to a recent report, that heat wave would have been nearly impossible without human-caused global warming.


Hot, Dry, and (Potentially) Powerless

The anomalous heat wave was one in a series that have relentlessly baked the American and Canadian West this summer, exacerbating extreme drought conditions. For the multibillion-dollar agriculture industry, this is causing devastatingly dry soil and forcing farmers to rely more heavily on diminishing groundwater to sustain crops.

For residents, the drought will likely lead to water restrictions and an overburdened power grid: As people crank up air conditioning, falling water levels in reservoirs are struggling to generate the hydroelectric power that helps to supply the region's electricity. Last summer, that led to rolling blackouts in California, and all signs point to more ahead.

Additionally, the parched earth is ideal tinder for dozens of active wildfires, which have already scorched more than 1.1 million acres in the Western U.S. and continue to burn.


From Prevention to Adaptation

At this point, experts say it's too late to prevent these extreme weather conditions from continuing and worsening—instead, we must learn to adapt. This will take many forms, including:

  • Updated building codes to withstand severe weather and heat.
  • Early warning systems that alert people about extreme weather events and close schools and other facilities, as necessary.
  • Better public infrastructure, including more shaded areas and cooling centers.
  • More investment in green innovations, such as renewable energy, decarbonizing methods, and solar geoengineering, which would make clouds and particles in the air more reflective to bounce sunlight away from earth instead of absorbing its heat.

If there is a silver lining in this bleak outlook, it's that adaptation is an easier pitch than cutting emissions:

  • While the benefits of cutting emissions are vague and long-term, adaptations have more direct and immediate payoffs.
  • The financial burden won't fall entirely on governments, as incentives are growing for private industry to invest in adaptations.

Adapting Is Good Business

As extreme weather worsens and the damage widens, private investments in adaptations make good business sense. First, the costs of not adapting will steadily rise, in the form of property damage, risk-based insurance premiums, and the costs of installing emergency systems and power. Second, there's evidence that adaptation investments pay high returns: A study of buildings in storm-battered Florida found that every dollar invested in adhering to stricter building standards brought 3.5x benefits.


Extreme Weather Is the New Normal

The planet has warmed more than 1.8F since before the Industrial Revolution, and the Paris Climate Agreement aims to keep that from doubling. However, we're falling far short on many fronts, which means the planet could soon be nearly 5.5F hotter than pre-industrial times. That would wipe out harvests, virtually eliminate coral reefs and the Amazon rainforest, and cause sea levels to rise by multiple feet, rather than inches.

Based on what the climate models got right and wrong, it's too late to reverse what we're seeing—it's our new normal. All we can do is learn to live with it and try to prevent things from getting worse.


Shortform Takeaway Questions

Where you live, what new weather extremes concern you the most? What's one thing you can do in response to adapt your lifestyle or your business?

Fast Wisdom

How shipping and supply chain issues are jeopardizing Christmas (from The Wall Street Journal)

  • Toys for the holiday season generally ship from overseas factories in July, arrive in the U.S. in August, and line store shelves by October—but logjammed ports are causing weeks- and months-long delays.
    • Although American toy companies are trying to stock up for the holidays, many are anticipating toy shortages.

  • Not only will toys be sparse, they'll also be pricier. Toy companies face rising costs for shipping and manufacturing, so they're rushing to raise product prices to compensate.
    • Toy companies usually set prices with retailers six months to a year ahead of the holidays. Now, they're racing to renegotiate in time.
    • Smaller toy sellers are feeling the squeeze, since they have less margin to absorb higher costs and less negotiating power to raise retail prices.

  • This is turning out to be a tougher year than 2020, when the toy industry posted16 percent sales growth—despite pandemic-related manufacturing snags—as parents bought toys to occupy their children during lockdowns.

How to talk so people listen (from Fast Company)

  • When you're talking to someone and they don't seem to be absorbing what you're saying, the issue may be that your delivery doesn't match their listening style. To avoid this, learn how to identify and match listening styles.

  • There are two ways people process information:
    1. Inductive processors want the details before the main point. To them, skipping straight to the point feels abrupt and aggressive.
    2. Deductive processors want you to cut to the chase before fleshing out the details. To them, starting with background information feels indirect.

  • To determine whether you're talking to an inductive or deductive listener, notice how they deliver information and match their style.
    • Alternatively, read their body language and adjust as you speak: if you start talking details and they look impatient or distracted, skip straight to the point.

  • Sometimes context trumps personal preference.
    • If the person you're talking to is in a hurry, start with the main idea. You may need to fill them in on details later.
    • In emails, start with the point. The receiver could be in a hurry or could get impatient with reading in search of the purpose of your message. (The exception is if you're catching up with a friend.)

Your favorite store could also be your new bank (from Fast Company)

  • Watch out, Wells Fargo—Walgreens and Walmart are jumping into banking. They're the first (but won't be the last) retailers to launch banking initiatives, and they could be stiff competition.
  • One of the retailers' biggest assets is their access to customers: An average person shops at Walmart roughly 30 times each year, and almost 80 percent of Americans have a Walgreens within five miles of their homes.

  • Retailers are also ahead of most banks in understanding their customers' behaviors and preferences through machine learning and artificial intelligence.
    • Retailers will bring this valuable insight into partnerships with fintechs to launch their banking initiatives. Together, they'll provide convenient and innovative digital services, like digital wallets.
    • Mobile-first is the focus for new entrants and established banks looking to compete, given that roughly 169 million Americans regularly do their banking on mobile devices.

  • However, while retailer-fintech partnerships will have the upper hand in some areas, they face a challenge in catching up with established banks' cybersecurity strengths.
    • Also, research reveals that people typically stay with their bank for decades, so established banks could have a fighting chance if they can keep up with the new competition.

The Coaching Habit: Takeaway #3 of 5

In the previous takeaways from The Coaching Habit, we discussed the first three of seven questions that help managers become effective coaches:

  1. "What's on your mind?"
  2. "Anything else?"
  3. "What's the central challenge for you?"

In the third of five takeaways, we'll explore the next two questions, which help you to empower and support your team members.


Question #4: What Do You Want?

This question aims to unlock what your team members want but may be afraid to express. Asking your team members what they want creates "psychological safety"—which is critical for producing high-quality work—by making them feel that:

  • You're on their side
  • They're valued
  • They have some sense of control over their future

This question also improves communication between you and your subordinates by reminding you not to assume that you know what the other person wants unless they've expressly told you. Clear communication is especially useful when:

  1. It feels like your discussion starts going around in circles, which can be a sign that the other person doesn't feel safe enough to articulate what they want.
  2. You and the other person reach an impasse. After asking the other person what they want, clarify your position by telling them what you want, as well.

Question #5: How Can I Support You?

As a manager, when someone comes to you with a question or a problem, you may feel like it's your duty to find a solution. While this may seem like the most efficient response, it can create a toxic environment:

  • Your team members become resentful that you step in instead of trusting them to solve issues.
  • You prevent your team members from learning and growing.
  • You needlessly add more to your workload.

Instead of taking the central role in problem-solving, asking how you can support them trains team members to find solutions by themselves. This process also forces you both to grow:

  • It helps you exercise self-control by keeping you from jumping into fix-it mode.
  • It compels the other person to be clear and direct about what they want. They might ultimately realize that they don't need your help at all, freeing you from unnecessary tasks.

If you're hesitant to ask this question because you're worried that they'll need more help than you're willing to give, know that you don't have to say "yes." Instead, remember that your goal is to coach and empower your team members, and say:

  • "Yes" when the request is necessary and something only you can do
  • "No" when the help isn't something you can give
  • "No, but" when you want to compromise by offering other choices
  • "Maybe" or "let me think this over" when you want more time to determine the best course of action

Coaching your team members to self-sufficiency—instead of jumping in with advice—requires restraint and empathic listening. Find helpful strategies for empathic listening in our summary of Nonviolent Communication. Then, use this exercise to help you recognize the underlying needs (such as freedom or understanding) behind your team members' desired outcomes and support.

Was Grumpy Cat Really Grumpy? This App Would Know

From Tech Times: In the pet-preference divide between cats and dogs, dogs are thought to wear their hearts on their furry sleeves and cats are perceived as more mysterious and coy. But a new app claims to demystify felines' fickle emotions.

  • The Tably app—launched in Beta mode by Sylvester.ai—uses facial recognition technology and a "Feline Grimace Scale" to measure cats' pain, health, and wellness through artificial intelligence.
  • The Feline Grimace Scale measures subtle changes in cats' facial cues, including the positions of their head, ears, and whiskers; tension in their muzzles; and orbital tightening (narrowing, squeezing, or closing their eyes).
  • Besides helping cat owners interpret their pets' cattitude, Tably's pain detection can help veterinarians catch health issues in the early stages.

For an even closer connection with your cat, pair Tably with MeowTalk, an app by the developer of Alexa that claims to translate cats' meows. But don't expect a philosophical discussion. The app includes just 13 phrases like 'Feed me!" and "Leave me alone!" It launched a few months into the pandemic—perfect timing for lonely lockdowns.

What'd you think of today's newsletter?

😠

Hated it		 😑

Just OK		 😃

Loved it
Shortform, Inc., 955 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
Don't want future emails? Manage your subscriptions or
Unsubscribe

Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)