Bridget Willard | SaaS Marketing Agency

Author: Bridget Willard

  • Why Blogging Feels Hard — And How I Built Launch With Words to Fix It

    Why Blogging Feels Hard — And How I Built Launch With Words to Fix It

    Blogging isn’t hard because you’re bad at it.
    It’s hard because no one ever tells you what to write about.

    I built Launch With Words after years of watching smart business owners freeze at a blank page. This post explains why—and how I fixed it.

    I spend so much time promoting the Agency Packs for Launch With Words that I forget about the Free Blogging Prompts.

    The free blogging prompts is the heart of Launch With Words. To get you to write — and publish.

    January comes to us and we look in the mirror and wonder what we’ve been doing for the last twelve months.

    • Did we blog?
    • Did we lose weight?
    • Did we go to the gym?

    Over the last two decacdes, I’ve worked with dozens of small business owners (which is why Warren Laine-Naida and I wrote our book, The Only Online Marketing Book You Need For Your Small Business) who know they need to market themselves, but don’t know how.

    Most small business owners understand they need to write and publish blog posts but they don’t know where to start.

    And, suddenly, they’re back in 7th Grade English class feeling like they can’t write.

    I get it.

    Many times we just need a coach.

    The blogging and topic prompts in the Launch With Words Starter Pack are just that. Me, sitting next to you, giving you step-by-step instructions on what to write about, which questions to answer, and how to correctly format your blog post so you can hit publish.

    I’d invite you to watch the 2026 video I created today for step-by-step instructions on how to work with the prompts, even with ChatGPT. Because getting started is the real problem. You know what to write. That’s why you have a business.

    Want a Better Way to Write?

    Blogging doesn’t have to be something you put off. It can be something you use — to clarify your thinking, connect with your audience, and grow your business without burnout.

    If you’ve ever stared at a blank page and wondered what to write, I’ve been there too.

    That’s why I built Launch With Words — to give you a starting point that feels intentional, not generic. You can begin with the free Starter Pack, which includes prompts you can use right inside WordPress or your favorite writing tool.

    If you want help moving from idea to first draft without overwhelm, you can grab it here:

    Get the Free Starter Pack

    And if you ever want personalized support beyond the free prompts, all of that starts with a conversation — feel free to reach out on my contact page.

    Bonus: History of Launch With Words from Last Week’s Email Campaign

    Four Days Ago, I wrote a post on LinkedIn:

    Pre-packaged, ready-to-install, blog posts gives more value to your website builds at launch — especially if you can schedule the articles to publish in the future.

    If only there was a solution.

    I was so excited when someone replied,

    “If only!”


    So when I continued the conversation, it ended up with the myth of being penalized by Google.


    It’s not a new issue. When I tell people about what Launch With Words is, the problem it solves, most people are super excited. But then they find out they are purchasing a content pack and they ask me:

    “What about Duplicate Content?”

    Can we do a story first? Hear me out.

    Let’s go back to Bridget as the Director of Marketing for ThoughtHouse (2015-2017), an advertising agency in San Diego that specialized (they’ve since closed) in FranDev.

    Franchise Development is getting people to purchase a franchise (or a group of them, ideally). We worked with Paul Davis Restoration, Sports Clips, WIN Home Inspection, and more. We would build their websites, handle their social media, write blog posts, and even teach their franchisees how to market themselves.

    One of the problems franchisees have is syndicated content. You see, most of their websites are really a multisite. Blog posts would appear, but the franchisee couldn’t edit it — at all. They couldn’t localize the copy or anything. It was super generic, bland copy. So even though they are the business owner, they really couldn’t publish on their company website.

    Now, let’s fast forward in time when Bridget was the vendor for RooferMarketers.com (a 7-figure agency a la Josh Nelson, that was since acquired). My role for this marketing agency (because I have a background in roofing) was to write templated blocks of copy for our internal library. 

    When we built a website (one of three templates) we would add the templated block of copy for the service they provide. If they do metal roofing, copy/paste. If they do shingles, copy/paste. If they do siding, copy/paste.

    Copy. Paste.

    That sounds a lot like duplicate content. 

    Do you know what the difference was?

    The context of the website. The demographic. The geographic service areas.

    That’s how I got the idea of Launch With Words. Why not make templated articles that would help the business with content to share on social media? I mean, I’m always writing for my clients because they need content to share on social media.

    I recently recorded a video on YouTube about the duplicate content objection that I would like you to watch. If you have an open mind and are looking to anchor down on a niche, even better.

    If this sounds like a product you think would help you or someone you know who builds websites, would you do me a favor and share this? 

    You’re doing a lot to keep a single woman in business. I appreciate you.

    Full Video Transcript

    Bridget Willard (00:01):
    Hey there, it’s Bridget Willard here. Get a lot of questions from clients. “What do I write about for my small business blog?”

    Bridget Willard (00:10):
    That was the whole reason why I came up with Launch With Words. There is a very, a free version, if you haven’t heard about it, that’ll gives you blogging prompts.

    Bridget Willard (00:20):
    So you need this plugin from the WordPress repository, a plugin directory. My good friend Ronald Huereca built it for me. It has a lot of great reviews. It’s still going and it has a lot — a helper.

    Bridget Willard (00:38):
    So you get the Starter Content pack and you need to download this plugin. So let’s go to your website. Here’s my website. I just spun up from, from TasteWP, which is a great, a great little, great little way to taste WordPress.

    Bridget Willard (00:58):
    Let’s go to my dashboard. I’m gonna go to plugins, install plugins. Okay, thank you. Okay, I got it. I’m gonna install Launch With Words. I’m gonna, it’s not here, right? So I go add plugin, “Launch With Words.”

    Bridget Willard (01:25):
    The original reason for Launch With Words is to apply the prompts from my book, “If You Don’t Mind Your Business, Who Will?” into blog drafts that will help you and prompt you along the way.

    Bridget Willard (01:41):
    So I could go install now. Perfect. I’m gonna activate it. If you need to know how to do it, there’s a video right here. The, this is where you import your content packs, right here in this tab.

    Bridget Willard (02:04):
    So you need the author. And usually I create, I, I recommend that you create a user that is not just admin ’cause it looks ugly, right? So I’m gonna change it to my name, Bridget Willard. And I’m gonna have the name display as Bridget Willard. That’s important ’cause that will, that’s how the author will look. Update my profile.

    Bridget Willard (02:37):
    Now, for the categories, let’s pretend that I am a flower shop. So I’m gonna go in here to post and I’m go to go, I’m going to go to categories. Because the blog post prompts will come in and import as a category. So let’s talk about Floral design. Let’s talk about Services. Floral delivery, Floral Services.

    Bridget Willard (03:19):
    Okay. So we have those and we’re gonna make one of ’em a default. It lets us, (where?), I think that’s in the settings. Yep. Settings, “Florall Services” is gonna be my default.

    Bridget Willard (03:44):
    Oh, one other little tip, tip if you’re a new blogger, oops, is, excuse me, um, is to change it. To change your permalinks. So important. I don’t even know why this isn’t the default, the post name. Just make it the post name. You’ll be so happy you did. It’s a SEO thing. I really don’t know why date and time is the default for WordPress.

    Bridget Willard (04:13):
    So let’s go back to posts. Launch With Words is about blogging. So it’s always under posts.

    Bridget Willard (04:22):
    So I need my free starter pack, right? So download my free starter pack.

    Speaker 2 (04:29):
    It’s gonna take you to my website, bridgetwillard.com. Oops. Starter. Oh, there’s a starter pack in German. And we’re gonna take, we’re gonna take the regular starter pack. It’s free. Okay? I am gonna check out. Get now. Oh, I have to do this. There’s my receipt. The receipt will tell me how to get it. It’s downloading.

    Bridget Willard (05:23):
    It’s A-J-S-O-N file. Or Jason, JSON. I’m really not sure how you pronounce it. I should know. I always, I always thought it was json, but I hear other people saying, Jason.

    Bridget Willard (05:33):
    So let’s go back to my, my little website that I’m making. I’m gonna import a contact pack, author, floral Delivery. See, ’cause I made that the, I’m gonna change. I’m gonna change it to Floral Services. Choose file.

    Bridget Willard (05:55):
    Now, this part, it depends on what kind of computer you have. Windows Mac, I’m on a MacBook. It automatically goes to my downloads. So I know that that’s where it is. LWW Launch With Words Starter Pack 2025. I updated it last year. Look, 12 posts have been created. It took seconds.

    Bridget Willard (06:17):
    Now, now I go to all posts and here we have our posts. They’re all drafts. So if I went to my blog, which I need to actually make a blog. I forgot to tell you that.

    Bridget Willard (06:31):
    This is another weird thing about WordPress. You just need to make a page that’s called “blog.”

    Bridget Willard (06:41):
    Don’t do anything to it and just publish it. Then right now it, it just has nothing on it. So let’s go back to our dashboard. There’s one more little setting, and this is on WordPress because it, it’s just so weird. Let’s go to general. Um, oh, it’s Reading, right? Yeah. Homepage displays your static posts, your latest post blog posts or static page.

    Bridget Willard (07:19):
    So my homepage is gonna be the sample page, and my post page is gonna be my blog. And I’m gonna save that. So now when you go to my site, I have my sample page, right? And then if I click blog, I have my blog posts, which always has “Hello World.”

    Bridget Willard (07:38):
    There are millions of websites that have Hello World . It’s duplicate content.

    Bridget Willard (07:46):
    Alright, let’s, let’s go back. So let’s go back to our dashboard. This is all under 10 minutes. We’re at seven minutes.

    Bridget Willard (07:57):
    Go to our posts. Let’s go to January. It did, it did also email me. Oh no, that was something else. Sorry, you don’t need to see that. Where are we?

    Bridget Willard (08:23):
    Let’s go to January. I’m gonna edit. So I have some choices. So I have some choices. I have the draft blog post with questions I’m gonna answer or an AI prompt.

    Bridget Willard (08:45):
    Then there is a checklist. Grab yourself, a featured image. Create one on Canva. Just go through the link. Do your meta description, your ShareThrough like this. These are like pro tips right here.

    Bridget Willard (09:01):
    So if I wanna do an AI prompt, I can select this. If you use Atarim or Bertha.ai, you can do that. You can also go to ChatGPT and I’m going to paste that prompt in there.

    Bridget Willard (09:27):
    Now, the, the regular, the regular part is, “The beginning of the year is a great time to write about starting new habits. Topics for the beginning of the year should be more than just a post about your business goals or personal real solutions. Challenge yourself to create content that’s useful all year round and or highlight products, new or old that your company’s offering. How does your product or service factor into the customer’s journey? How does the customer use your products or services in a new way? How does your product solve a customer’s problem?”

    Bridget Willard (10:02):
    That’s the, that’s a great new year and you don’t have to do January in January, but this is a suggestion. Let’s go back to ChatGPT. Which service should we highlight? “So say I am a florist in San Diego, California, and my, and the service I want to highlight is funeral arrangements.” I mean, maybe that’s my big thing. Who knows?

    Bridget Willard (10:51):
    So you can go with this, right? You can pick the ChatGPT. So if that’s your way, that’s what you wanna do, you can definitely do that. Okay? Okay. I’m gonna copy this. Oops. But you’re gonna, you’re gonna select it all. Oops. We wanna, I, I don’t wanna delete the checklist yet, but I do wanna fix that and I wanna change the title from January Blog post to the title that ChatGPT gave me. I’m gonna delete this ’cause that’s just, that’s one of the things you’re gonna wanna do is make sure your slug isn’t, doesn’t say January, right?

    Bridget Willard (12:25):
    So let’s just publish it for now. It doesn’t have a featured image or any of that yet. Let’s view the post and there it is. There it is.

    Bridget Willard (12:39):
    So, it’s so easy to use Launch With Words to help you write. If you wanna do it yourself, that’s fine, but maybe if you’re using chat GBT, it gave you something to go off of and I would highly consider, uh, recommend that you would edit this.

    Bridget Willard (12:57):
    Anyway, my name is Bridget Willard. I’m the owner of Launch With Words, a small business copywriting plugin that helps you write one blog post every month, gives you topics. It’s totally free. I would love it if you would try it and I’d love it if you would review it. Bye.

  • Small Business Websites Lack Content – Duplicate Content Is Not Their Problem

    Small Business Websites Lack Content – Duplicate Content Is Not Their Problem

    Let’s be a bit frank about the number one objection I hear about Launch With Words: What about duplicate content?

    “Duplicate content. There’s just something about it. We keep writing about it, and people keep asking about it. In particular, I still hear a lot of webmasters worrying about whether they may have a ‘duplicate content penalty.‘

    Let’s put this to bed once and for all, folks: There’s no such thing as a ‘duplicate content penalty.’ At least, not in the way most people mean when they say that.” Google

    From SEO Expert, Warren Laine-Naida’s blog:

    How Many Different Brands of the Same Thing Do We Need?

    My grocery store sells nine different brands of plain yogurt. Nine. How many types of plain yogurt do we need? One.

    They sell fifteen different brands of ketchup, twelve different brands of mustard, and about twenty different brands of olive oil too. How many do we need? Honestly? How many would get the job done? Probably one of each.

    Most people use Heinz ketchup. 150% more expensive than other brands – it’s still all ketchup though.

    How many different colas are there? Aren’t they all just fizzy drinks?

    There are more than 3,000 different brands of mustard in the world!

    I don’t know how many olive oil brands there are but Spain alone has 93!!

    50 different brands of sandwich bread, 85 different yogurt brands, 100 different types of beer … !!!

    We live in a world of duplicate content, and we pay top dollar so it has a different label.

    Bridget Talks About The Real Problem Service Businesses Have

    Watch the Full Video

    If you want the full walkthrough—including real-world examples, Google quotes, and why this fear keeps resurfacing—watch the video here:

    Launch With Words vs the Duplicate Content Objection

    Duplicate Content Is Not Your Problem (And Never Was)

    If you’ve ever hesitated to publish content — or buy a Launch With Words pack — because someone warned you about a “duplicate content penalty,” this post is for you.

    In my latest video, I break down why this objection keeps coming up—especially from web developers — and why it’s largely misplaced fear.

    Here’s the short version:

    Most small business websites don’t have enough content for duplicate content to even be a concern. Also, Launch With Words isn’t so wildly successful (yet) that duplicate content would be a factor. But thank you for thinking that.

    Additionally, Launch With Words was never meant to be the only content on that website. That’s why it’s called Launch (as in launch the website) with Words (with blog posts).

    The Real Problem Small Business Websites Have

    The vast majority of local business sites:

    • Have no blog at all.
    • Have nothing new to share on social media.
    • Give visitors no reason to trust, explore, or convert.

    As a WordPress developer, this probably doesn’t surprise you. When was the last time you built and launched a website with blog posts?

    Potential customers still check websites to validate their searches and referrals.

    They get a referral. They scan a QR code on a business card. They Google the business name. And when they land on a site with no content, no updates, and no proof of expertise—it’s a dead end.

    Service-based businesses have a long-standing reputation of being fly-by night. Consistently publishing articles, shows customers that they’re serious about their contracting business.

    This is where Launch With Words comes in.

    What Google Actually Says About Duplicate Content

    This fear didn’t come from nowhere—it came from misunderstanding.

    Google has been clear for years that “here is no such thing as a duplicate content penalty.”

    What does matter is intent. If your client is a real business, they have nothing to fear.

    Google only takes action when duplicate content is:

    • Deceptive
    • Manipulative
    • Designed to game search rankings

    In other words: spam.

    Why Launch With Words Is Not a Duplicate Content Risk

    Launch With Words content is:

    • Not syndicated
    • Not auto-published
    • Not meant to be the only content on a site

    Instead, it:

    • Lives in drafts
    • Is editable and localizable
    • Gives business owners something to publish, share, and build on

    Think of it as a content foundation, not a content ceiling.

    It helps:

    • Signal freshness and authority
    • Inspire follow-up posts, videos, and case studies
    • Support Google Business Profile posts and social sharing

    The Hypocrisy of the Duplicate Content Argument

    Let’s be honest for a second.

    • Product descriptions are duplicated across retailers
    • News outlets publish the same AP content
    • Service businesses reuse the same core explanations

    Nike doesn’t rewrite shoe descriptions for every store.

    And yet—no penalty apocalypse.

    The risk is not publishing content.

    The risk is publishing nothing.

    Why This Matters for Web Developers

    Launch With Words isn’t just content—it’s a business lever.

    It allows you to:

    • Add content as part of maintenance plans
    • Upsell localization and optimization
    • Keep clients engaged beyond “site launched, goodbye”

    It turns a one-time build into an ongoing relationship.

    And yes—this content is written by humans (me + Warren Laine-Naida), includes strategic outbound links, real calls to action, and topics pulled directly from real search behavior.

    Launch With Words Is Repositioned for 2026

    I’ve updated the fee for multisite (just $200). There is an affiliate program. There are bundles.

    If you have questions about Launch With Words, content strategy, or how to use this responsibly for clients, you can always reach me at hello@bridgetwillard.com.

    Your Friend,
    Bridget

    Full Transcript

    Bridget Willard (00:02):
    Hey there, it’s your friend Bridget Willard here. I wanna talk a little bit about duplicate content. So it seems that a lot of people think about duplicate content from strictly, I’m gonna search this one thing on Google and maybe find some answers, right? So most websites aren’t even found in the first page results. So duplicate content is not your problem.

    Bridget Willard (00:31):
    Your problem is when you have a website, it has no blog at all. It has nothing for you, as the business owner, to share on Facebook, Pinterest, Reddit, LinkedIn, Twitter, X, et cetera.

    Bridget Willard (00:52):
    You people get referred to you, they get your business card, right? Get your business card, and they’re like, I wanna go look at this website. Or they, maybe there’s a QR code on the back. I, I collect all these web, all these business cards because I think it’s really fascinating.

    Bridget Willard (01:14):
    Now, these two were from a, a Fair Co. Cookies and Cupcakes. They have Facebook pages, Laura’s Cup, cup, Cakery Cupcakery has two as LinkedIn, I’m sorry, Facebook and Instagram. But there are no, there’s no website unless that’s what this QR code does. I have no idea the same, same with this, just a phone number. And that’s fine when you’re starting out.

    Bridget Willard (01:47):
    But you know, if I get, if I get a business card or if I see you, or if I see an ad for you, especially if you’re a home service, a handyman, I wanna go check you out. I wanna see what other work have they done. Do they have reviews on Google Business?

    Bridget Willard (02:04):
    So the idea of Launch With Words is that the developer will buy these packs or mini packs so that the website has some content on it that’s publishing. Either pre-published, back published, some published, forward publishing, but it is never meant to be the only content on that website. Instead, it’s meant to show the client that these blog posts are helping. They give them something to share on social media. There is something publishing, which is a, an authority signal to Google, and also it helps inspire them to write more content.

    Bridget Willard (02:51):
    If you use the Starter Pack along with one of the other packs, you’ll see there are 12 prompts, one for each month that asks the business owner questions. It also encourages them to make video, do case studies. And there are AI prompts that work very well with ChatGPT.

    Bridget Willard (03:11):
    So I think in 2026, not being afraid of AI, not being afraid of random penalties, none of these small businesses are ever going to have the volume that’s going to appear where duplicate content is their problem.

    Bridget Willard (03:30):
    Instead, what we’re, what I wanna share your, I’m gonna share the screen. Okay, here it is. Let’s, let’s share this. Duplicate content on a site. Here we go.

    Bridget Willard (03:51):
    “Duplicate content on a site has no grounds for action on that site unless it appears that the intent of the duplicate content is to be deceptive and manipulative to search results and to manipulate search results.” Google.

    Bridget Willard (04:07):
    So, in other words, spam. Okay? So this is from 20 2008.

    Bridget Willard (04:15):
    “There’s no such thing as a duplicate content penalty.” right? But it also says, “don’t create multiple pages, subdomains or domains with substantially duplicate content.”

    Bridget Willard (04:25):
    Now, this is something SEOs do all the time. You’ll look for a lawyer maybe in Corpus Christi, and you see these lawyers and it has a page just for Corpus Christi. And then their offices are where? Houston, San Antonio, Austin. They’re not in Corpus Christi. So these kinds of service pages where they randomly have this random page instead of just listing the cities that you serve, instead, you’re doing something that is really not working.

    Bridget Willard (05:00):
    It’s also about local. So what if I say roofer near me?

    Bridget Willard (05:10):
    Now I have some sponsors re sponsored results, I have more sponsored results, and now I’m getting to the maps. Bayfront Roofing, uh, we know them. They are on TV all the time. They’re in Walmart. Phillips Roofing, all this stuff.

    Bridget Willard (05:29):
    If you go to a a, you know, a website like this, you would expect to see blog posts that would help you decide about maybe what kind of materials to use, right? (That’s a lot of popups.) Now. They buried the blog.

    Bridget Willard (05:58):
    “What to consider before having a skylight installed.” Like these are actual, actual questions. So if the customer’s like, yeah, I saw Bayfront Roofing at Walmart and I talked to them, and now I’m kind of considering, ’cause really my hallway doesn’t have a lot of natural light, or my bathroom doesn’t have a lot of natural light. I know we get hail here. I know we have wind storms.

    Bridget Willard (06:21):
    Is that something that is important? You know, so December, 2025, they just added this. They’re gonna talk about it more natural light improvement in health, blah, blah, blah, blah. You get the point.

    Bridget Willard (06:35):
    So, if you have a website that has some of this content, you, the great thing with Launch With Words is you can edit it. It just gets imported into your draft folder. So you can localize it, you can change the call to action.

    Bridget Willard (06:52):
    It, it’s not syndicated content like every single newspaper has with the AP. Talk about duplicate content.

    Bridget Willard (07:01):
    How about product pages? Nike’s shoes have the same description. No, no matter where they are.

    Bridget Willard (07:08):
    The point of it is for you as a web developer to add in some profit to your service plan, not just website hosting, not just website maintenance, but content. Content that they can use to share on Facebook, to share on Google Business profile, and everywhere else.

    Bridget Willard (07:31):
    And you could offer a service to localize it for them. Another opportunity for you to upsell.

    Bridget Willard (07:39):
    Right now, we still have content for plumbers, roofers, commercial general contractors, residential general contractors. We have home health, um, care homes. Like if you have people living in your home for senior care, not dementia, but home care, residential care homes. We have one for the Chamber of Commerce. If you’re building those and we have a mini pack for mortgage brokers, that’s all been verified at in compliance.

    Bridget Willard (08:14):
    Now, why am I still talking about Launch With Words? Because I believe in this product. I believe in its ability to help you gain a better ground with your clients, that it’s not this one and done build the website. Keep the client for maintenance. Take control of the content. It’s not written by AI, it’s written by me. It’s written by Warren Lane-Naida. There are outbound links, there are calls to action. There are non-competitive outbound links strategically put there for SEO. The questions and the topics are top some of the top topics in a Google search. These are strategic, they’re not fluff.

    Bridget Willard (09:00):
    So I would love to have you go to LaunchWithWords.com. You can find it on my site in the footer. I’ve repositioned it. I’ve changed the multi-site pricing to only $200 as an add-on.

    Bridget Willard (09:14):
    This is a great idea. You know how to build websites, go pitch roofers, use my content pack. It comes with a free template that I built for Roofer Marketers that they use. They have now been acquired for the exact Mad Libs of home, about, and services. This is a great, great deal. If you have $500 and you’re willing to put some effort into building websites for local contractors.

    Bridget Willard (09:43):
    If you have any questions, reach out to me at hello@bridgetwillard.com.

    Bridget Willard (09:47):
    Thank you for listening. I believe in this product and I’m using it to build websites here too. So why aren’t you? Bye.

  • In-Store Apps Shouldn’t Be One-Night Stands — Focus on Retention and Churn

    In-Store Apps Shouldn’t Be One-Night Stands — Focus on Retention and Churn

    This article was written by Warren Laine-Naida and Bridget Willard. Although in the first-person, you’ll probably see both of our personalities. Bridget has a successful marketing agency that focuses on SaaS Products and also has a retail job while Warren defines himself as a web generalist who is also a teacher. Basically Bridget works with products and Warren builds websites. We both have a passion for understanding the WHY before doing the WHAT.

    We’d also like to note that we’ve written four books together three of which are a series and none of which were written by AI of any kind and the same goes with this article. 

    We’ve used our personal experiences as well as data from the original source for our arguments.

    TL;DR: Retail apps need to shift from transactional “one-night stands” to building a long-term customer relationship.

    • Problem: Apps focused only on single discounts (e.g., “$5 off first purchase”) result in high churn and low long-term engagement.
    • The Shift: Focus must move from install + redeem KPIs to sustained engagement (store visits, interactions) over weeks and months.
    • Value: Apps must provide daily micro-value (tips, small rewards, helpful reminders) and emotional hooks (streaks, anticipation) to justify retention.
    • Personalization: Leverage first-party data to deliver hyper-personalized content tailored to individual behaviors, ensuring the app is part of a cohesive omnichannel strategy that connects all touchpoints.
    • Strategy: Redesign onboarding to show value after the initial coupon. Integrate AI to augment staff, don’t replace them.

    Keep it Simple: 5 EZ Customer Service Reminders

    1. Be Proactive. Think like your customer – what motivates you?
    2. Do not see this as a cost. Customer service is a feature, even today.
    3. Interactions are opportunities to sell. Questions, answers, freebies, sales, loyalty.
    4. Don’t leave it all to AI – integrate AI, don’t replace your people with it. It’s just software.
    5. No one style fits all — tailor your offers to customer expectations. Easily done with digital.

    What Do Customers Want from In-Store Apps?

    In a word: convenience. And it’s not just Gen Z and Millennials – who adopt in-store apps above 84% (according to Chain Store Age). Consumers overwhelmingly also want scan-and-go. We know what you’re thinking (thanks a lot Walmart). Big Box Retailers often change the expectations of consumers.

    One of the things I love about being in retail as well as B2B marketing is I get data – every day – in real time. Even at discount retailers, customers want scan and go. They don’t know what kind of datacenter would be needed to track that kind of real time inventory. But I couldn’t even imagine self-checkout. With the price checks? Holy Toledo. There would be riots. And we’re not even talking about shrink that comes from self-checkout. 

    “According to the latest LendingTree survey of 2,000 U.S. consumers, 15% of self-checkout users have purposely stolen an item — and 44% of self-checkout thieves plan to do it again.” LendingTree

    Amazon ruined delivery. I’ll never forget doing customer service for a skincare line out of Austin, Texas. Customers were irate if the delivery was longer than 5 days – to Germany. (“I’m sorry, we don’t have a distribution center in the EU,” I would copy/paste in the emails.) Comedian Ronny Chieng famously has the “Amazon Now” bit in his 2020 Netflix special. 

    “To be hand delivered into your home like an Emperor… any fleeting thought.. When you’re drunk… I want just one pen.” Ronny Chieng

    But I Have an Online Shop. Why Do I Need an App?

    It’s true that an app often feels like a waste of digital storage and keeping inventory for physical shops isn’t necessarily for the mom and pop gift shop. An online store should be remarkably different than the instore app. Meaning, being online is an opportunity to have exclusive deals only found online while the in-store app can feature a map (like Walmart) or a way to manage your credit card (like TJ Maxx).

    A shop and a mobile app can compete with one another. A South Korean study done in 2022 by Boram Lim, Ying Xie, and Ernan Haruvy saw a “cannibalization” of the online store by the app. 

    “The mobile channel is a complement for offline customers but a substitute for online customers.” Science Direct


    “Respondents’ top frustrations with in-store shopping were out-of-stock products (43.9%) and long checkout lines (29.7%). These concerns are reflected in their preferences for must-have retail app features. For instance, 52.7% of respondents want to see real-time product availability. Consumers also value exclusive offers (52.3%), coupon scanning (52.2%), and loyalty programs (50.0%).” Chain Store Age

    Why Give One-Time Customers Free Stuff?

    • Quick scene: shopper downloads an app for “5 bucks off,” uses the coupon once, and deletes the app on the way to the car
    • Rhetorical question: If that’s your app strategy, what does that say about your relationship with customers?

    Stop treating that initial discount like the digital equivalent of ghosting. The “$5 off” is the opener, not the relationship. 

    If a shopper deletes your app on the way to the car, you didn’t fail the launch; you failed the follow-up. 

    Redesign your app onboarding to immediately showcase the daily micro-value — the personalized tips, anticipated weekly rewards, and content streams that earn the long-term rental space on their phone, proving you’re serious about more than a single transaction.

    Reminder: Micro-moments are the critical, intention-rich instances when people turn to a device, usually a smartphone, to satisfy an immediate need to know, go, do, or buy, demanding that businesses “be there, be useful, and be quick” with relevant information.

    If your app strategy is built solely on one-time transactions, you’re publicly broadcasting that your brand is only interested in a one-night stand. This is a fundamental hygiene failure in modern retail. Don’t talk to me about your sustainable marketing initiatives.

    Shift your KPIs away from mere installs and commit to turning the app into a true relational platform: use first-party data to inject emotional hooks and hyper-personalization that signal patience and commitment. 

    Your app is a persistent conversation, not just a temporary megaphone for generic coupons.

    “Personalized marketing is more than a nice-to-have – it’s a must-have. We’re not talking glorified AI from the far future either. The basis for any successful marketing is establishing a personal connection. Empathy. A relationship.

    Today, personalization means more than just addressing customers by name in an email. Personalization delivers individual content that corresponds to a customer’s product preferences and behaviors. It connects all channels – from email to shop to a mobile app.” Andrews Wharton

    What Companies Get this Right?

    TJ Maxx / TK Maxx in the EU gets this. Their app allows you to shop, manage your credit card, and use, track, and spend your rewards points. Plus, mobile users get their rewards points in 48 hours instead of monthly. The app is a must-have. 

    Walmart gets this. You can build lists, check out prices, compare products, and track Walmart Cash. Walmart Plus Members can view their gas discount codes at Murphy Gas Stations, get free shipping and delivery, and also get other rewards like 25% off Burger King Orders, save on auto care, get free online pet care with Pawp, and choose a free streaming app: Paramount+ or Peacock.

    Total Wine & More allows you to gain points as well as special coupons that you can apply for either in-store or delivery as well as mixing and matching from certain distributors. 

    The app can’t just be your one-way ticket to data for modeling. You have to give something in return. And if you want to keep your customers in their apps (active customer base with a higher lifetime value), then keep giving. 

    So many companies offer a one-time discount for email or SMS signups. We take the 10% and immediately unsubscribe and say “stop.”

    And by the way, slow down on the emails, will ya? I finally had to unsubscribe from Old Navy because they emailed every single day. This is too much. It’s badgering and harassment just one step away from a Temporary Restraining Order. Seriously. Once a week is enough. 

    Your App Isn’t a One-Night Stand. Or is it?

    • Most retail apps are built around a single discount or launch campaign, not an ongoing relationship. The result is cluttered phones, low usage, and marketing teams wondering why “the app isn’t working.”
    • I have a bakery app and a pet store app. They gave me 5 and 10 bucks off my first purchase. But since then, nothing else. WHY should I keep your app? This is just a digital extension of “subscribe to our newsletter for 5 bucks off your first order.” How many of those do people subscribe to and then never read another email from the company?
    • I still receive paper coupons in the mail identical to the coupons in the app. This makes as much sense as sharing the same thing on social media as you do in your email newsletters.

    Your $25,000 app isn’t bringing you results? It isn’t working because it’s a digital clone of your disposable paper coupons – an expensive one at that. There is nothing special for the people who give up memory on their phones and pay for usage. Stop treating the app as a launch campaign; it’s an ongoing ecosystem. 

    If your value proposition ends after the first transaction, expect the digital equivalent of a high-churn, low-usage landfill on your customers’ phones. 

    So, in effect, you aren’t asking why customers should keep your app; you’re silently proving they shouldn’t. And then you wonder about churn. 

    And in-store app churn is a huge problem. According to Business of Apps, shopping has a 30-day churn rate of 95.8% (2023) – up from 94.3% (2020). Ninety-Five Percent. That’s crazy. In the US, 30-day churn is 97.2% and in Germany it is 97%.

    So, people say they like apps, but do they really? And, are they just downloading your app to get the one-time discount? How do you keep your app on your customers’ phones? How do you justify the cost of the app with a 95% churn rate?

    Again, you have to go beyond the first date. Don’t just digitize your existing inefficiency; amplify your strategy. Sending the same offer across physical mail, email, and the app is digital laziness — it tells the customer the app provides zero incremental value. 

    So stop the redundant broadcast. Every one of your channels, especially your app, must deliver unique, personalized, and context-aware utility.

    “Apps aren’t a nice-to-have —  they are part of your sustainable marketing. Smarter personalization, less noise, better results.” Warren Laine-Naida

    Treat Customers Like You Would Like to Be Treated

    • Contrast: a one-night stand versus a steady relationship built on small, repeated moments of value. Do you give away the farm on the first date? No. You keep the relationship interesting as long as possible.
    • Question: If you wouldn’t treat a partner this way, why treat your customers like this?

    Everyone knows, the biggest mistake is giving away the farm on the first date. 

    A sustainable relationship is built on small, repeated moments of value, not one massive giveaway. 

    Inject daily micro-value (like tips, streaks, or tiny surprise rewards) and emotional hooks (like anticipating “next week’s coupons”). This continuous drip of utility, proven effective by thousands of point cards, is how you earn daily attention and retention.

    The customer relationship is a direct mirror of your marketing commitment. If you’re unwilling to put in the consistent effort and personalization required for a real-life commitment, why do you expect customer loyalty? 

    Ask your partner how long they would stick around if your relationship were simply your push notifications.

    Your business deserves relationship standards. If you aren’t passive or boring in your love life, stop being passive and boring in your marketing. As David Ogilvy famously said, “the customer is your spouse.”

    “First-party data is like a direct conversation with your customers, allowing you to gain a deep understanding of their preferences and behaviors.” Slixta

    What a Customer Relationship Looks Like: a Reminder

    • Daily micro-value: timely tips, tiny rewards, helpful reminders, not just “20% off, today only.” This is why point cards work! You collect points each time you use the app. I look forward to these apps and the new coupons each Sunday.
    • Emotional hooks: anticipation of “next week’s coupon,” streaks, recognition, and small surprises.

    The biggest strategic failure is mistaking a discount for a relationship. Stop relying on the massive, unsustainable “20% off, today only” blasts. You need to understand the psychology of daily micro-value.

    Point cards work because they create a collect-and-anticipate loop, not a spend-and-forget one. 

    Use your app to inject that low-friction, high-frequency utility — timely tips, tiny rewards, or helpful reminders. 

    Crucially, deploy emotional hooks: build streaks, offer genuine recognition, and cultivate the anticipation of “next week’s coupon” like a favorite Sunday ritual. This repeatable, addictive engagement is how you earn daily real estate on your customer’s screen.

    “Consumers want personalization, and they are more likely to buy more and spend more with brands that tailor the experience.” Forbes

    Upgrade from Ad Campaign Thinking to Relationship Thinking

    • Shift from “install + redeem” KPIs to engagement over weeks and months (opens, interactions, store visits).
    • Treat the app as part of a broader customer journey: in-store, email, social, and website, reinforcing each other.

    The “Install & Redeem” metric only tracks the first date. Shift your focus entirely to sustained engagement metrics – opens, interactions, store visits – over long time horizons. 

    Your app must be architected as an essential component of a complete customer journey, constantly reinforcing value found across email, social, and in-store touchpoints.

    “Smart omnichannel isn’t ‘post everywhere.’ It’s about every touchpoint working together – like a well-run shop. Social draws people in, email keeps them curious, ads help them decide, your app acts like a personal assistant in their pocket, and support makes sure they keep coming back.” Rocket.net

    Here are Some Practical Steps for Retailer’s Apps

    • Redesign onboarding: show what happens after the first coupon, not just how to claim it.
    • Build a simple content calendar: weekly offers, seasonal tips, local news, and customer stories that keep the app alive.

    Your current onboarding is a tactical failure. Redesign it to be a strategic promise. Focus not on claiming the first coupon, but on revealing the long-term weekly content calendar of value (tips, local news, stories).

    This structure is what signals an ongoing relationship and gives the user a concrete reason to let the app survive past the first swipe.

    “Rather than sending every user a generic 10% discount, a clothing brand can detect that a particular customer browses winter jackets every night between 9-10 PM on a mobile device and send a time-sensitive offer accordingly.” Artizone 

    Implement What You Know: Caring is Sharing

    • Brief example of two fictional stores: one “one-night stand app,” one “relationship app,” and how their metrics diverge over three months.
    • Highlight compounding effects: repeat visits, word of mouth, and data for better personalization.

    Run a three-month internal metric comparison: “One-Night Stand App” vs. “Relationship App.” You will see that the divergence in key metrics is exponential. Talk, hug, kiss vs. jump into bed.

    The relationship approach generates better data, fueling superior personalization, which drives repeat visits and priceless word-of-mouth — the true engine of sustainable growth. It’s all about happy, loyal, sharing, and caring customers. 

    Remember: UGC is generated by either really happy or really angry customers, not bored customers. Which customers are you nurturing?

    “Don’t have the App thing happening yet in your business? No worries – old school is no fool. SMS boasts a 98% open rate!” Rocket.net

    Wrapping Up: Isn’t Your Business Worth the Time?

    • Circle back to the love-life question: your business deserves the same patience, care, and commitment you’d give to a real relationship.
    • Call to action: before planning your next app or coupon, decide whether you want a one-time date or a long-term customer.

    The critical strategic decision isn’t the coupon amount; it’s the commitment level. 

    Before you budget your next app or discount campaign, look in the mirror and decide: Are you building a system for a single, fleeting transaction, or are you ready to invest the patience, care, and personalization required for a long-term, profitable customer relationship?

    Say, “I do.” 

    Loved This Article? Hire the Writers!

    If you loved this article and it gave you some things to think about and change in your business, then why not hire either Warren Laine-Naida or Bridget Willard to write for your brand or product, too! 

  • SaaS Case Study: Transforming Andrews Wharton’s Twitter Presence (2019–2023)

    SaaS Case Study: Transforming Andrews Wharton’s Twitter Presence (2019–2023)

    Editor’s Note:

    The SaaS Company, AWI (Andrews Wharton) was a long time client of mine — and it all came because I replied to one of their tweets. The NDA has since expired.

    They ended up buttoning down expenses and ending their engagement with me in 2023 for what I now know was an acquisition (January 2025) by San Antonio’s, Stirista — a company recognized by Deloitte as a “top 500 fastest growing tech company in North America” for the last four years according to CEO Ajay Gutpa’s LinkedIn post.

    Twitter (X) used to have amazing analytics and I tracked data (not just followers) in Google Sheets. So I asked ChatGPT to do a quick analysis.

    ~ Bridget Willard

    Overview

    In August 2019, Andrews Wharton, a long-standing data company specializing in consumer and audience data—and now part of Stirista—reached out after discovering my work on Twitter. What began with a single underperforming account grew into a multi-year collaboration including Twitter/X and LinkedIn account management, product launch support, article writing, content strategy, and cross-channel execution.

    Between 2019 and 2023, their Twitter presence evolved from sporadic posting to a streamlined, high-efficiency communication channel that consistently attracted the right audience, reflecting the brand’s authority and expertise in the data industry.

    How It Started

    Andrews Wharton’s former AVP of Marketing and Brand Strategy, Tracy Lee discovered me on Twitter and initiated the relationship that defined the next several years of the company’s digital presence.

    My article about it describes how an everyday interaction on social media turned into a strategic partnership that supported Andrews Wharton’s growth, new product rollouts, and ongoing visibility.

    Objectives

    When I began managing the account on August 5, 2019, the goals included:

    • Re-activate and stabilize a mostly inactive Twitter account
    • Establish consistent, on-brand communication
    • Increase visibility within the data, marketing, and advertising ecosystem
    • Improve engagement quality and conversation depth
    • Expand social efforts across multiple Andrews Wharton product and brand initiatives
    • Maintain results through changes in staffing, schedules, and platform shifts

    Performance Summary (2019–2023)

    Across five years of management:

    • 1,668 tweets published
    • 257,400 impressions
    • 20,535 profile visits — the most underrated metric of Twitter/X
    • 449 mentions
    • Net follower growth of +70 overall, with +167 followers gained from 2021–2023

    The most meaningful improvement: 22x Profile Visits Per Tweet

    Profile visits per tweet increased from 1.2 in 2019 to 27.6 in 2023, demonstrating a significant rise in qualified interest from a more aligned, data-focused audience.

    Year-by-Year Snapshot

    2019: Reactivation Period

    163 tweets, 53,324 impressions, 198 profile visits

    The account was revived and reintroduced to the industry. Early activity focused on consistent posting, audience warming, and algorithm re-engagement.

    2020: Visibility Breakthrough

    318 tweets, 112,634 impressions, 3,239 profile visits

    This was the highest-impression year. Engagement conversations increased dramatically, with 207 mentions. Profile visits per tweet rose to 10.2, showing meaningful lift in audience curiosity.

    2021: Audience Alignment

    430 tweets, 52,953 impressions, 3,343 profile visits

    Follower growth became consistently positive. Content moved toward higher relevance for the data and marketing audience, resulting in stronger alignment and interaction quality.

    2022: Strongest Follower Growth

    534 tweets, 23,300 impressions, 7,605 profile visits

    Despite industry-wide shifts, Andrews Wharton saw its strongest follower increase at +92. Profile visits rose significantly, indicating deeper engagement.

    2023: High-Efficiency Engagement

    223 tweets, 15,189 impressions, 6,150 profile visits

    With less than half the volume of the previous year, the account still earned strong engagement. Profile visits per tweet reached 27.6, the highest of any year, reflecting a fully mature, efficient strategy.

    Key Outcomes

    • Increased relevance within the data and marketing ecosystem
    • Higher-quality audience interactions and more meaningful engagement
    • Steady follower growth after early cleanup periods
    • Recognition and mentions from peers and industry accounts
    • Strong performance even with reduced posting frequency
    • Consistent, professional representation of the Andrews Wharton brand leading into its acquisition by Stirista

    Client Testimonial

    “Bridget and I met on Twitter and I thanked my lucky stars for the next four years working very closely with her.

    Bridget is organized, quick-witted, and understands Twitter from a user and a back-end perspective which makes her bulletproof.

    It began with a single Twitter account and transformed into multiple accounts, new product launches, copywriting projects, and none of this would have been possible without Bridget.

    I cannot recommend her highly enough. Bridget is a five star Yelp review. Full stop.”
    — Tracy Lee

    Conclusion

    Managing Twitter for Andrews Wharton during a period of industry change, platform instability, and company acquisition required consistency, adaptability, and a steady focus on audience alignment. Over four years, the account became a reliable channel for visibility, brand awareness, and professional reputation.

    The collaboration demonstrates how long-term social media management—done well—compounds over time. A single direct message turned into years of measurable impact and brand growth.

    Want to Build a Stronger Social Presence?

    If your company needs long-term, strategic, relationship-driven social media management, I can help you:

    • Build consistent visibility
    • Strengthen your position within your industry
    • Grow an aligned and active audience
    • Improve engagement and profile traffic
    • Support product launches and ongoing brand initiatives

    We can book a sales call and you can see the SaaS Marketing Plan that I modeled after working with AWI.

  • SaaS Case Study — GiveWP

    SaaS Case Study — GiveWP

    Challenge

    When Jason Knill from ThoughtHouse (GiveWP was our client) hired me as a freelancer to manage their new WordPress Plugin’s Twitter Account in June 2015, the GiveWP Twitter account had only 165 followers.

    They had been trying to tweet on their own but that didn’t take priority as they were building their plugin and dealing with support tickets.

    GiveWP was launched in April of that year and, at the time, had little brand recognition within the WordPress ecosystem.

    The goal was to establish GiveWP as the leading donation-plugin brand through consistent, human-centered social media engagement—without relying on paid promotion or buying followers.

    Competitors already existed both in WordPress and on platforms like Classy.org (now owned by GoFundMe).

    Approach

    I developed and executed a comprehensive organic growth strategy on Twitter (now X) for @GiveWP that focused on:

    • Community engagement: Replying to tweets (other people’s content) was the power move! (This one is huge.) Later, we participated in Twitter chats like #DigiBlogChat, creating a Twitter chat just for nonprofits (#NPChat), and sharing good content from our superfans.
    • Educational storytelling: Sharing helpful tips, nonprofit success stories, and original blog content that built trust and authority. (We also spent the bulk of 2016 publishing articles 4x/week. That was my responsibility.)
    • Relationship marketing: Prioritizing authentic conversations over automation, fostering real connections with customers and peers. This included attending Meetups and WordCamps.
    • Consistency: Maintaining a clear brand voice and reliable posting cadence to boost recognition and follower loyalty. We had a calendar.
    • Secret Sauce: I used my insights from attending WordCamps to come up with the “Saturday Morning Cartoon” Strategy. Ask me more about that.

    Results

    DateFollowersSource
    June 2015165Verified start
    July 2015601Verified
    August 20151,012Verified
    May 20174,700Verified
    July 20175,063Verified screenshot
    Estimated October 2017~5,800–6,000Projected end-of-tenure

    Growth: From 165 to ~6,000 followers in just over two years — a 36× organic increase.

    2015 06 givewp 165followers
    June 2015
    2015 07 20 givewp 600followers
    July 2015
    2015 08 24 givewp 1000followers
    August 2015
    2017 08 28 givewp 4804followers
    May 2017
    2017 07 12 givewp 5063followers
    August 2017

    Impact

    • Positioned GiveWP as a trusted and recognizable brand in the WordPress nonprofit space. It was later purchased by Liquid Web and became part of StellarWP brands.
    • Established a repeatable, values-driven content strategy that continued to perform after hand-off.
    • Demonstrated that authenticity and consistency can scale a SaaS brand organically.

    “How do you lead when you have no leaders? How do you decide when there is no boss? Well, that’s a big challenge in the open source WP community when ‘no one is the boss’ and ‘everyone has value in contributing’ bc we are all volunteers.

    Challenging to implement as these concepts are, Bridget, with her grace, patience and occasional assertiveness was able to be the post in the ground that got the collectivism spirit to actually work. Leaders don’t talk. They do. Bridget does.” Jason Knill, formerly of ThoughtHouse (GiveWP)

    Verification note: A screenshot from July 2017 confirms 5,063 followers, supporting a data-based estimate of roughly 5.8–6.0K followers by October 2017, when my employment at ThoughtHouse as Director of Marketing ended.

    Ready to Break Through the Noise on Twitter / X ?

    Want to build your SaaS or plugin brand the same way? Let’s chat.

    Book a Call