Simple first

Something I learned a long time ago was to start with the simple option first.

The more complex option might be tempting but most likely it'll cost more than you think and won't be as great as you think.

Let's say you wanted to start email marketing.

The simple option is to write an email to your customers like how you'd talk to your friends.

(Unless you swear like a pirate and fill your writing with in-jokes, then write like how you'd talk to your great-grandmother)

The more complex option would be to create a responsive HTML template with custom images, calls-to-action, and offers. All sent to customers based on their 90-day customer segment, with targeted products based on their exact customer lifecycle...

That sounds fun but most likely will take 10x longer than you think and might only be a 20% bump in sales. There's also a good chance you'd burnout or get pulled into something else before it even ships so it never sees the light of day.

Instead, start with simple first.

Just write an email (or an ad, or an offer... whatever thing-your-currently-thing-ing)

Then once the simple thing is working, try adding one thing to it. Maybe you send two different emails based on if a subscriber has purchased or not. Or maybe you vary the product offered based on their last order.

It's easy to improve and evolve the simple option as you go. It's near impossible to pare back the more complex option without rebuilding it all.

You might find that the simple option is all you ever need.

Not every store needs AI-powered robots who automate the customer discovery and acquisition to maximize shareholder value.

Eric Davis