Introducing You to New Products
One of my favorite things is to introduce people to new companies and products that they don't know about. It is part of the way I feel like I can be helpful. But it often results in me having way too many tabs open.
How do I do it?
It's actually pretty simple. I am active on Twitter, and involved in a few Facebook groups. In those “communities” I pay attention to any reference of a product or company that I have never heard of.
When I hear something new, I open a tab and search for the product or company. Finding it, I bookmark it (in case all my tabs crash), in a category called “New Stuff.”
Then in the evenings and weekends, I dig in more. Sometimes it means signing up for a free trial. Other times it means reading reviews. Occasionally I'm excited enough to make a purchase.
Either way, I get to know the products. More importantly, I look for what they do well, and where they won't work so well. That's the whole point of being able to make an intelligent recommendation – knowing where to apply it best.
My Ten Questions
When I find a new solution, I ask a series of questions:
- Who did they build this for?
- Who did they not build this for?
- What problem are they solving?
- What problems are they not solving?
- How long does it take to learn?
- How well have they documented things?
- Where will this fit perfectly?
- Where will this not work?
- How much does this cost?
- Does the price change who I recommend it for?
Recent New Discoveries
Over the last few months I've told you about many of these new discoveries. Here they are – with links to their sites, but also links to where I've written about them already.
- Bannerbear – I mentioned them yesterday. They automate the creation of images and video. The API can connect to other no code solutions like airtable.
- Recapture.io – I mentioned them earlier this month. They handle abandoned carts for both Easy Digital Downloads and WooCommerce.
- SavvyCal – In January I told you about my favorite calendar app. They're the replacement for Calendly, and they're fantastic.
- Testimonial.to – Tied for my favorite on this list, and you know if you read this blog. They provide a fantastic solution for video and text testimonials.
- Bento – Another favorite, Bento is a new incredible CRM/marketing automation solution that is worth checking out.
- Newsletter Glue – I told you about Newsletter Glue just a bit ago. This makes it easy to write your newsletter directly in your WordPress site.
- Fast.co – I've mentioned them several times. They make your eCommerce fast by making your checkout a single click.
- ZipMessage – I've shown you how to use ZipMessage for coaching. It's the perfect solution for asynchronous video messaging.
- SparkLoop – The newest one on my list is one I'm testing out and will soon write about. But it's all about growing your newsletter list with referrals.
- Fathom Analytics – I told you when I switched to Fathom. They're a privacy-first analytics solution for websites (like mine).
So there you have it – my ten questions and ten of my latest discoveries. I hope one of these (or more) is new to you. Check them out.