Bridget Willard | SaaS Marketing Agency

Author: Bridget Willard

  • Psychological Pairing: Forget Motivation – Actually Get Stuff Done

    Motivation is constantly being chased by apathy and rarely wins the race. So? How do I get stuff done? Psychological Pairing.

    What is Psychological Pairing?

    “In relation to psychology, pair by association is the action of associating a stimulus with an arbitrary idea or object, eliciting a response, usually emotional. This is done by repeatedly pairing the stimulus with the arbitrary object.” Wikipedia

    Motivation isn’t tangible. It’s allusive. It hides from you. Motivation is too hard to nail down. So what do you do?

    Basically, I bribe myself.

    Eat the Frog

    One of the sayings in productivity is to “eat the frog.” This means that you do the one thing you don’t want to do first. Everything after that tastes good. Having spent 30 years doing secretarial work, this is how I’ve lived my life. I still do it.

    So, you eat the frog. Now what?

    Set Limits

    It’s so easy to get distracted working at or from home. As I write this post, I’m a bit down so I’m in bed. This is a rule I generally don’t break. I have a desk in my living room (no TV in there). That is where I work. When I get up from my desk, I am done working.

    Limits help set expectations for yourself and for your friends and family. This especially helps if you have people living with you like family or roommates.

    Work like an employee. Block out your time. Take scheduled breaks. Write down what you’ve done. Make a task list but put it in your calendar. Tasks take time. If you don’t understand how much time you’re spending, you will underbid projects and overtax yourself. But that’s another blog post.

    “Work From a Calendar: I have recently picked this one up: to work from a calendar instead of a to-do list. What I find useful is that a calendar forces me to rethink my work from tasks to time units. It is a small change, but it increases the chance of getting things done.” Ye Chen

    Reward Yourself

    Okay. This isn’t about time management. But it is. So, essentially, psychological pairing is about doing something you don’t like doing and then rewarding yourself with something you do like.

    [bctt tweet=”To motivate yourself, pair a task with a reward. Small task, small reward. Build. Do. Accomplish. It’s that simple.” username=”BridgetMWillard”]

    For example, after my husband passed away, I needed to donate his clothing. It was overwhelming emotionally and physically. So I decided I could fill two plastic bags and then take it to Goodwill. Each time I took those donations to Goodwill, I went to In-N-Out for lunch. I treated myself for doing something I didn’t want to do.

    It doesn’t have to be that dramatic. Write a blog post, watch a movie. Do two hours of client work, have a cup of tea. Send a proposal, go for a walk.

    The key to psychological pairing is that you are self-aware enough to know what motivates you and that you break down the tasks. Achievable. Do it. Write it down. Rinse and repeat.

    Happy working my friends.

  • Marketing Isn’t About Tools – It’s About Psychology

    Marketing tools are simply that — tools. When you overly rely upon automation to replace human connection you will always fail, regardless of how slick the tool is.

    Marketing is about relationships. Relationships take time. No CRM or auto dialer will change that for you.

    A brand needs to be relatable. As your customer base relates, they develop affinity to the brand. Affinity leads to loyalty. Loyalty leads to sales.

  • Social Media 101 for Small Business

    Your small business has a website. Great. Now what? Use social media and be human to create online relationships the way you would in person.

    Once you have a great website for your business, or a client’s business, it’s time to get it out there. No longer is the Internet a Field of Dreams where people just show up. Using Social Media can help grow your brand awareness and show customers how engaged with them you are.

    I had the distinct opportunity to be part of Beginner Day at WordCamp Los Angeles again in 2018 to help small businesses maximize the use of their time on social media. It’s only 24 minutes long.

    Watch the Video

    Do you have questions?

    Just as I did in the video, if you leave a comment here with a question, I’ll be happy to give you specific advice.

  • You have email subscribers. Now what?

    Congrats. You have email subscribers. Now, what do you do? Do you have a nurture or drip campaign setup? You need Amy.

    You can have all the leads come to your MailChimp but if you don’t do anything with those emails, what’s the point?

    [bctt tweet=”A lot of businesses have the free opt-in offer, but then they don’t follow up with those people. The best way is with a drip email campaign. @GenuineAmyHall ” username=”BridgetMWillard”]

    Get Professional MailChimp Help

    Why be frustrated? Amy Hall is a certified MailChimp Expert and Partner. She’s also a WordCamp Speaker and one of my best friends.

    Do you need to know more?

    How about that she builds WordPress websites?

    How about that she teaches WordPress?

    She doesn’t toot her own horn — at all.

    So I am.

    Go to her website. Talk to her.*

    You won’t be sorry.

    Amy Hall on WPblab Episode 97: WordPress Plugins – Building Your Mailing Lists

    *not an affiliate link.

  • One Year In: Running Your Own Business is Hard — There Were Tears

    Everyone wants to be an entrepreneur. Through circumstances I didn’t choose, I started my business in October of 2017. Running your own business, not as a side hustle but as a pay-the-rent hustle, is a burden and a risk. It’s not all just WiFi on the beach and every romanticized photo you’ve seen on Instagram.

    It means being serious. It means being self-aware. It’s not a four hour work day, let alone work week. It takes pride and humility. Discipline and creativity. Blood, sweat, and late nights. And tears. Lots of tears. Seriously. Tears.

    The short version of this blog post is that I’m glad I did this but it is hard. It has taxed my ego and self worth and I’m learning to separate those triggers. It’s not personal.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo8HO4TAJvk/?taken-by=bridgetmwillard

    Here are some of the lessons I’ve learned in my first year.

    Set Boundaries with Friends and Clients

    It’s okay to say no. Saying yes too often eats away at your calendar, billable time, and productivity. Plus, if you’re not setting your boundaries, you’ll be resentful. You don’t want that. As a business owner (and sometimes remote worker), you have control over your time. Take it seriously.

    And yes, I’ve told friends that Saturdays (by appointment), I’m available for lunch. It’s completely fine with most people who have day jobs. They’ll understand. If they don’t, then it’s their loss. Protect your time with your boundaries. Be clear. You will have people who will test you. They may say you don’t have a “real job” since you work for yourself. This is even more so with remote work. So I have been practiced but firm.

    I’ve told clients I will email them between the hours of 8am and 6pm. That is reasonable. Then, I keep myself to those parameters. Setting boundaries, being self aware, and sticking to them helps you respect yourself and others to also respect your time.

    Go to brunch. Enjoy your time off. And try not to look at your phone.

    Specialize Your Work and Client Base — Refer the Rest

    “Everyone” is not a client. You won’t sync with everyone. Your personality may not be compatible with a potential customer. They might not be the right kind of business for you and, frankly, you may not be able to serve them well.

    I’ve turned down a lot of work this year. I don’t do press releases or resumes. I refer that. I don’t do Pinterest. I refer that. Find out what you do well and quickly. Refer the rest.

    I rock at Twitter. I don’t do SEO. I write bios, but not white papers.

    Say Yes by Saying No

    If you do turn down a job or client, do so by referring. Meaning, “I don’t write press releases but Jen Miller does. Here’s her email.” Then you are still a resource and helpful. If you just say no, you look like a jerk. That’s bad branding. Saying no allows you to say yes to the right things.

    Instead of wasting your time with the wrong work or the wrong client, spend time on the things that make you money. For me, that’s Twitter. I don’t make money on Instagram.

    Experiment with Pricing

    You can experiment with pricing. When I first started managing Twitter, I did it for $250 a month. Then I started this business and started at $1,000 as introductory pricing. Now, that same scope is $1,200. I know the market value because I worked at an agency.

    I also discount my work for some of my friends. During my WCLAX talk this year, Alex Vasquez asked me what I do about friends who want discounts. I answered by saying a real friend should pay full price. That said, I’ve discounted work for friends who are clients because it’s my business and I can make that decision. But understand why you are making that decision.

    For example, I offered a friend a three month trial at 25% discount. I said, “If you don’t see the results you want, we just stop. We’re still friends. No hard feelings. But if we continue, we go to 100%.” It was a fair price and helped us keep our friendship when we ended the account (temporarily, I might add).

    Know Your Cost

    I spent a long time in construction accounting so this wasn’t a big barrier for me this year. But yeah, $250 a month for Twitter ended up being minimum wage. Know how much you cost yourself to run your business.

    When I started, I reverse engineered my salary, then used that as a basis for my pricing. Create a basic budget so you know what your outgoing costs are. This helps you determine a baseline for your pricing.

    It’s okay to take a part-time job.

    Yeah. In February, I finally admitted. I can’t keep running out of savings or borrowing from family. It’s time to get a part-time job. It was really hard. I felt like a complete failure. In fact, I had to talk to some of my very good friends about my fears and feelings. I felt like the whole world was watching me fail.

    Instead, I met new friends. I love my Serbian family and my work doing office work and marketing at the travel agency. And, it’s helped me travel for work!

    I’ve been honest with my boss and she gives me flexibility. We’re both trying to run our own businesses. She’s in year 12 and I’m in year 1. But we need other people.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BgCYX14lK3b/?taken-by=bridgetmwillard

    Cash Flow Can Be a Bitch

    Oh man. This one is tough. One of my goals for 2019 is to have a fun bank account and a main bank account for bills and business expenses. I learned this tip from my friend  Robert. My biggest issue with cash flow is overly-optimistic projections. So, I had to borrow money from family and friends a few times. It sucks. It’s depressing. I’ve had my BFF hold my hand while I call to ask for help. But they were all glad to help. People like to help you.

    https://twitter.com/gidgey/status/1042216811708612608

    Be Honest and Open with Your Peers

    When people ask how you’re doing, tell them. Don’t be a complainer, but be honest. I usually say, “I’m good but can be better.” This gives you an opening. People don’t know you’re taking on work unless you tell them. So, if they ask if I have room for clients, I’ll tell them. Currently, I have two openings. I also tweet about it. Almost all of my work has come from Twitter or WordCamps.

    Sometimes You Have to Alter Your Business Model

    When I first started, a friend reminded me of my previous skills. So, while I was building my client base, I did collections for my friends for a commission.

    Be ready for shifts in perception and need. One of the reasons why I love Twitter so much is you can listen to your audience. So one day I saw someone tweet about how much they hate writing their speaker bio. I spontaneously tweeted that I would write a speaker bio for “$25 fast, fast PayPal Cash.” I’ve written over 30 bios and put  my price up to $50.

    Build Rest into Your Days

    Seriously. I built in the 2:30 nap so much that my dog is trained. When I stop taking 20 minute naps, I get too exhausted. The world won’t stop because you’re unavailable for 20 minutes. I promise. Even if you don’t sleep, lay down, take off your glasses, and close your eyes. You’ll thank me later.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BgChXMiltj2/?taken-by=bridgetmwillard

    Give Back

    Besides being a Make WordPress team rep for the marketing team, I was also a co-organizer for WordCamp Orange County for the second year in a row. I volunteered again for WordCamp Los Angeles, too.

    I became a recurring donor for 4ocean.com as well as Oxfam and FreeCodeCamp.org. Giving back helps keep your perspective in check.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BfzDTcIF-Qz/?taken-by=bridgetmwillard

    Keep Up Your Own Site

    A cobbler’s children have no shoes is unacceptable. The best way to get work is to do work. As a marketer, keeping up my website and social media profiles is important. These are the results that I can show to prospective clients. You may be asked to give case studies or analytics to prove your worth. It’s not for me to share my client’s stats. Discretion is important. But I can show my own. So I do.

    Numbers to Date

    • Written over 800 client tweets.
    • Written over 30 speaker bios.
    • My own Twitter account has over 16000 tweets and 5 million impressions.
    • Two keynotes and 8 WordCamps (two overseas).
    • An average of 24 Meetups attended (2-3 a month).
    • One laptop-less vacation.

    I’m at over 1300 words and I feel it’s important to share these, thoughts, especially after the feedback I got on Twitter.

    More Thoughts – Speed Round

    • Trust your gut. It’s intuition analyzing data.
    • You don’t have to take every client.
    • Ask friends. Have a close circle you can mastermind with.
    • Publish base pricing on your site. This helps manage expectations.
    • Mix recurring and one-off revenue streams.
    • Make sure your social bios say what you do.
    • Keep business cards with you even when at a bar. Never pass an opportunity.
    • Keep going to conferences. Stay top of mind.
    • Partner with your friends.
    • Your value comes through education.
    • Put expiration dates on your estimates.
    • Put terms on your invoices.
    • Follow up with clients.
    • Rely on tech to make things easier but don’t over-automate. I use Freshbooks and Calendly.
    • Discount if you more work but with an expiration (25% for 3 months).
    • Failure is a good thing. I promise. Learn to accept it. Learn from it.
    • Take job interviews anyway. Learn from them.
    • Email people from LinkedIn asking if they want to outsource. Ask them if they’d rather have a vendor than an employee.
    • Stay teachable.

    Looking forward to the next 12 months.

    I didn’t want to NOT start my business. If I end up failing, it won’t be because of the fear to start. So, looking forward in the next 12 months, I want to start another bank account and put my “fun money” allowance elsewhere. I also want to seriously consider starting a C-corp and putting myself on a salary through a payroll service. I’d also like to add teaching in my business model. I love that moment when someone gets it and they’re now empowered.

    PS

    I met Mark Maunder, CEO of  who makes Wordfence