I used to describe Serial Marketers as a hobby.
Then I started exploring how it could work as a business.
My favorite way to think about it now is as a product.
For more than a year, I’ve had a roadmap for this product, one that has gotten much better thanks to my advisors Orli, Peggy, Jessica, and Weston.
Then came the initial group of Premium subscribers and my technical resources Alastair and Jonecca. They all enabled me to launch, incubate, and plan new features for Serial Marketers.
The newest of these features is now live: Serial Marketers Advisors.
Here’s the premise: “Book time with vetted marketers who can help you solve a wide array of marketing-related challenges.”
Right now, advisors are sharing their time pro bono, whether out of generosity or to generate leads (perhaps both). In time, advisors will get to charge if they wish or keep it free. Book a meeting with one or more of them and try it out.
The launch embodies where I plan on taking the community:
1) Add more features for Premium members. They’re funding the new features. My goal is to create disproportionate value for them. With Advisors, they get exposure, leads, and potentially a new source of revenue that could make the annual community plan pay for itself quickly (the plan is $149, or $50 off with the limited-time discount code LETMEINALREADY; you can check it out here).
2) Create more value for all members. All the day-to-day community activities remain and will remain free. Members can log in as much as they want and post in #jobs, #offers, #wanted, and more to their hearts’ content. They can join the weekly Salon video chats and Upstream SpeedUps. They’re starting to get access to exclusive deals and opportunities; I’m rolling out several this week. The Advisors portal is open to the public for booking time, but other perks are just for members of the community. It’s a great time to join as a free member too — just go to or send anyone to the homepage of serialmarketers.net.
3) Co-create with the best partners. I met the Knowledge Up team via an Upwork event (you can call it the Up and Up). As soon as I heard about it, I told them I wanted it for Serial Marketers. We discussed each other’s roadmaps, and it fit well. They actually didn’t want it to be too big too soon, so I told them that it was perfect because I was just launching a premium plan and could make the offer exclusive to that subset.
This is a fun time to build. I’m used to being in the services business or marketing others’ products rather than building and running and marketing and selling my own. This is very new, I’m making a lot of mistakes, and I’ll make a ton more. That’s experiential learning.
Serial Marketers is forming its own identity. We’re emerging from the early years where we went from crawling to walking. Now, it’s a gangly teen getting a sense of its own identity and asserting itself. I appreciate everyone who’s been a part of this the past 27 months and supporting each other through our endeavors. I can’t wait for you to see what’s coming.
David
PS: Speaking of supporters, I’m also thrilled to share that Talkwalker, the social media analytics and monitoring platform, is the newest sponsor of the newsletter, so you’ll be seeing a lot of them the next couple of months. I’ve been a fan of their product for years, and I also enjoy collaborating with their team. Be sure to read their new report featured below, and check out their event 10/29. Thank you to the whole Talkwalker team for all you do for marketers.
——————————————————–
BROUGHT TO YOU BY… TALKWALKER
——————————————————–
2021 Social Media Trends: What the Experts Say
Power up your marketing strategy and discover the top ten trends that will matter most next year. Download the #SocialMediaTrends2021 eBook, filled with expert advice from 70+ industry leaders.
https://bit.ly/35etu4Q
————————————————–
LEARN. TRY. SHARE.
————————————————–
THE G-E-N-I-U-S OF BEE
This summer, I wrote about my devotion to the New York Times puzzle Spelling Bee. I’m not alone. The Times ran its own story on how others swarm around this.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/16/crosswords/spellingbee-puzzles.html
IMAGINE A WORLD WITHOUT AD TECH
What does online advertising look like without ad tech? Judy Shapiro shares her dream come true.
https://trustwebtimes.com/imagine-digital-marketing-without-adtech/
Thanks to Jaimee Kniffen, Chris Gorges, Don Steele, Rachel Pasqua, Matt Wurst, William Alvarez, Wendy Weatherford Marks, David Kohlberg, and William Alvarez for spreading the word about the newsletter recently.
————————————————–
SERIAL SPOTLIGHTS
————————————————–
Tech: Bridge is my secret weapon for making introductions. (Check out more tech in my regularly updated guide to 100+ resources.)
Reading: Dragon Hunter: Roy Chapman Andrews and the Central Asiatic Expeditions by Charles Gallenkamp. I’m enjoying this one of several I’ve gone through lately relating to the American Museum of Natural History. It’s about the rise of paleontology and also modern China — a great diversion I’m enjoying in print.
Moment of Gratitude: Thanks Bonin Bough and family, for creating and sharing his father Martin Bough’s virtual art exhibit. Happy 93rd birthday, Martin. As a bonus, the birthday festivities (wine included) made for one of the best virtual events I’ve ever been to.
