Tag: WhatsApp

Why I created a Facebook page

Inspired by Rolf Dobelli’s book, I stopped using Facebook six months ago. Mainly because I was addicted, and also because the constant social comparisons and the instant gratification treadmill became toxic for me. (I’m still using Messenger/WhatsApp for one-one-one contact.)

The downside of leaving Facebook was that I lost a distribution channel for my content, and the people who were following me on FB suddenly stopped seeing my updates.

Reading Crush It! and Crushing It! by Gary Vaynerchuk convinced me that this was not wise if I wanted to maximize my impact, which I want.

So recently I changed my Facebook strategy and created a personal FB page.

Why a FB page?

#1: More reach: 1.52 billion people use FB daily. I want a slice of that.

#2: Compatible with social media software: I am using Crowdfire (they have a completely free plan, by the way) to manage my social media channels. You can only use such software with FB pages, not with personal profiles. This allows me to manage the page without having to actually log in to FB (which is what I don’t want).

#3: I can outsource my social media management: You can give third parties access to manage pages. So eventually I can completely outsource this channel.

#4: More options to customize: I can customize a page much better than a personal profile.

#5: Reply to private messages by email: I receive an email whenever somebody writes a message trough my page. I can answer by email, without having to log in.

#6: You can boost individual posts with ads. I’m not intending to do this, but it might be a good way to promote your business.

Final note on my private use of Facebook
I’m feeling a clear pressure to log back into FB occasionally. Some of my friends publish exclusively there (e.g. in private groups for travel notes), so each month or so I log in to check the updates of those selected people.

Also, less than 24 hours since creating my page, I received the first message from an acquaintance who missed my updates (and I his). I now make an effort to occasionally reach out to those people one-to-one. Since leaving FB, I ramped up my calls/lunches/dinners/coffees, which is socially much more rewarding anyways.

Follow me on Facebook.


Give up your storefronts?

An increasing number of hairdressers and manicurists are giving up their studios in China. They get booked via app and do home visits instead.

This is called Online-to-Offline (O2O), and it’s booming in China. (Link / Link).

Tired of bathing your dog? Hire a dog bather that comes to your home. Too busy to pick up your kids from school? Hire a private driver that brings your child home, and keeps you posted via app.

Are you ready to join this new economy? Or are you holding on to what’s familiar and comfortable?

No matter what you do, at least upgrade your service: give your clients an option to book online, or start communicating via text message or email.

My Crossfit gym has nailed it: all classes are booked via app, and the main communication channel is WhatsApp. Easy and effective!

I asked a bicycle workshop if they can send me a text message when the work is done, as other shops do. “We don’t do that here”, they said. I suggested that they think about adding it. “No”, they insisted. So I don’t come again, I thought. Simple.

Of course, you don’t need to build these services yourself. There are platforms and Software-as-a-Service solutions for everything.

Do the work and upgrade your business, before it’s too late.

(I learned this lesson from AI Superpowers by Kai-Fu Lee.)


Falling in love with Android

Last week, my 72 year-old aunt who is living abroad visited me in Switzerland. Thanks to her I am finally starting to understand the power of Android.

It all started with her friend who saw a deal for a “free” Android tablet. He immediately jumped on it, not fully understanding that he just entered a two-year data plan. He told my aunt who rushed to the store to buy the same device. She understood the two-year contract and was a bit uneasy about it, but the recommendation of her friend was stronger.

Lesson #1: Manipulative promotions sell.

Lesson #2: Word-of-mouth is a massive driver of sales, and can even overwrite uneasy feelings towards the deal.

Now, after decades of buying daily newspapers, she stopped (!), and uses Google instead. She says that the cost-savings fully cover her data plan, so in the end she is not paying more than before.

Lesson #3: Newspapers are dead. Seriously.

When she thinks “Internet”, she thinks “Google”. The fact that it’s so prominently integrated into Android is Google’s secret weapon. She doesn’t have an email address and doesn’t care about apps (other than Camera and Gallery).

To download an app, I had to create an email address for her (not a great user experience by the way). She doesn’t even know her address and won’t use it.

Lesson #4: Email is not dead, but certainly needs to be complemented by Whatsapp, Messenger and similar apps. Businesses should start thinking about it.

Instead, I installed Facebook and Messenger, so we can stay in touch. Messenger is Facebook’s secret weapon, because it’s so deeply integrated. She doesn’t need any other communication app.

Lesson #5: Facebook, Messenger, Whatsapp, Twitter, Snapchat all don’t require an email address to sign up anymore. A phone number is enough. Businesses should start thinking about that.

Calls are now possible on Messenger and Whatsapp. Skype was absolutely gone from my top-of-mind. Never would I recommend Skype in such a circumstance. It’s been successfully disrupted from this segment!

The device only has 1 GB of space, so I had to delete many pre-installed apps to free up space. Pre-installed apps seem to be a solid business model on Android. And a great distribution channel for app owners.

Lesson #6: My aunt would have never figured all this out on her own. Don’t underestimate personal assistance and service! It unlocks a whole new user experience that would have not been possible without such help.

We just launched our Android app for Exsila, and I was using a Samsung Galaxy S5 for testing. For a long time I have been using a Galaxy S3 for testing and had trouble to get adjusted to Android.

Now with a solid device, and the experience with my aunt, I am slowly falling in love with Android. It’s a solid platform, especially for the low-end of the market. And of course I sold my old Galaxy S3 on Exsila — for in fact a much higher price than I would have gotten elsewhere. This is the secret power of Exsila!