Tech After Five and Google

I recently started attending Tech After Five, hosted by the Phil Yanov. The networking opportunities have been absolutely top-knotch. For one night Phil brings together over 200 techs with the equation of food, fun and beer at Barley’s Taproom & Pizzeria each month. During the event I have had the opportunity to plug into the [...]

I recently started attending Tech After Five, hosted by the Phil Yanov. The networking opportunities have been absolutely top-knotch. For one night Phil brings together over 200 techs with the equation of food, fun and beer at Barley’s Taproom & Pizzeria each month.

During the event I have had the opportunity to plug into the talent and creativity of our local community. While I lean toward the front-end side of web development, Tech After Five has given me a chance to digest some new ideas on Marketing, SEO, and Management… Let me share some of that diet.

Marketing

First off I can’t claim for a second that I’m an expert on Marketing; marketing just isn’t for me. However, I just happened to lean a few things last night that might be worth your time.

Sell your product as a persona! This really hit home for me. If you’re selling a website sell it as a salesman.

Your customers may think about buying a car in the same way they think about buying a website. They might see it as something that depreciates in value over time. They may not appreciate minimalism and usability. They may want every feature known to man.

Stop!

Number one, clients are not dumb… remember you’re a client every day. Change the way your clients sees your product. Turn it into what it really is. Your website is a 24/7 sales man that talks to customers, reports problems, and resounded to needs when no one is in the office.

Now, if you’re a new freelancer this is where it counts, don’t undercut yourself! How much would you pay for a 24/7/365 sales representative? Don’t just sale a product sell a persona.

SEO

Google has created a nice little tool called Wonder wheel! Let me explain. Wonder wheel is a tool, an excellent tool, for SEO. Any time you search using Google you have access to Wonder wheel. When you type in a search term or phrase Google populates what it thinks is relevant information on that term. Bla, bla, blaa…

Now, run a quick search and, BANG, half the work is done. Look under the Google logo and you will see a blue link that says show options, click it.

A new menu will expand and in that menu you fill find Wonder wheel. Click it, and the wheel is reveled. Google will now show you the most common terms used with your search. Google knows that the tap room is upstairs!

Management

Ok, I know that this can be a sticky issue. Management of time, resources, and capital are some of the hardest things to master. This I not exclusive either. Development teams, designers, marketers, and entrepreneurs all have to manage these assets wisely. Regardless, there is no silver bullet to it. Management is in best cases a process and changes slowly over time. However, there are a few thing I believe every manager can learn from.

Be passionate, be creative, know your stuff, and take risks! Get to know your employees, connect with and engage your customers. Finally, establish a process.

This process needs to fit into what you, your team, or company does best. Without this outline you will end up like a train without tracks… commonly known as a train wreck. Like the saying goes, “fail to plan, plan to fail!”

I can’t say that all the advice at Tech After Five has been applicable according to our target market. But, the advice has defiantly been added to the pot.

The Credits

Thanks go to Wallace Krebs, Phil Yanov, Jonas Flint, and Jim Ciallella for advice, ideas, and opportunities.