What you achieve in life depends on how you treat your TEA!

What you achieve in #Life depends on how you treat your #TEA

Time. Energy. Attention

#Time - How do u spend your daily 24 hrs have a direct impact on what results you get. Do u spend large chunks of time getting sucked on your phone watching photos on fb/reading watsapp chat? Spending much time on your couch vs a workout/book; then blaming OTT? 

👍Tip - Keep track of your time that it goes where u want. Guard ur time and time block ur schedule.

#Energy - In the finite time we have everyday, we can get more done if we have higher velocity enabled by loads of energy.

👍Tip - Add an active life element (choose a physical workout - gym, run, yoga etc) + better food habits and stick to timely food. It will work wonders to your energy while u crack ur tasks.

#Attention - Attention is precious for you to focus on whats at hand. The precious zone of flow, that u enter when working on something u enjoy. But sadly, this attention goes for a toss due to calls, notifications on ur phone, mind that opens chat or opens email again and again.

👍Tip - Block all notifications on phone. Practise mindfulness. Are u experiencing what u r doing or just losing time? Enjoy what u r doing. Be present.

Do u have more #tips to boost ur #productivity? Share. #work #wfh 

#therunningmarketer

Your Product is a Vitamin or a Painkiller - Is it habit forming one?

Recently finished Hooked - How to build habit forming products by Nir Eyal. Have earlier read multiple books on habits, but first time on habit forming products. Its also a must read book for tech product managers. I loved it and recommend to marketers as well, here is a concept of product being a vitamin or a painkiller.

Products are seen as either pain killers (solves a problem u are facing and hence a must-have for target audience - If u have a headache, you require a painkiller; solving a functional need) or vitamins (enables u to become stronger to not face problems later and hence not important to use/acquire immediately). Companies love to have their products become painkillers because then they have a quantifiable market to capture.

To make your product a habit forming one, it needs to be both pain killer and vitamin. Eg. Facebook is a pain killer or vitamin? One can live without it, but provides a good benefit to stay connected with friends. (Vitamin). But after having connected with most friends and pages, it now provides me real time updates, pics and videos that it now has become my boredom killer (painkiller, pain being boredom or even feeling of missing out). So most social media platforms aspire to be in this space of being both a vitamin and a painkiller.

Lets see some other product category -shopping apps? Painkiller or Vitamin? Its a painkiller when I have an itch to buy something i need; on other days its forgotten. It doesn't have that vitamin promise to use everyday (like Facebook). Then, what should shopping apps do to make users visit more often with a habit? Send more notifications to tell about more styles to shop, or deals which are ending by the night? No, that would work only a few times and then u will loose these levers if used rampantly. Then?

Become more emotional than transactional. How? Here are few of my thoughts -

1. Become an Enabler; a Guru imparting wisdom they need - If yours is a fashion category, put up educational content on fashion - styling tips, mixing and matching, current trends, look-books. Get even influencers on the platform to impart this category wisdom; a Rajeev Makhani reviewing products on the platform will add to stickiness. Great Content on a shopping app - Firstcry.com becomes your go to place on baby related queries.

2. Become a Friend; who understands 'the consumer' - Personalize the solve your consumer is looking for. Telling me when i need something the most - Suggestions of gifts for my anniversary (7 days before so that I don't miss it), telling me about the new CSK T-shirt or memorabilia that has come (watch history on partner app/shopping history) or book recommendations from my favorite author (from my shopping history/Wishlist) and so on. Not lame personalization like the Diwali catalogue on Diwali.

3. Become a Community; standing for a common cause in the category/audience and solving consumer pain points. A brand who patiently listens to consumer's trials/tribulations in the category. You might get to know some problems which haven't been solved and can open a niche not served yet. You can even co-create with your users to solve and even empowering them. Consumers come forward to contribute to a cause that they relate to. Further, adding to the stickiness of your app. Some of the strongest community apps/brands take part in your journey to become better - Nike+, Redbull.

Pitfalls - 

1. Point system building Loyalty - Common knowledge tells that points system is a big driver of stickiness or building habits to the app. But that might be history. Consumer today is more fickle for a brand she can trust than loyal to 25 paisa points. Brands today build benefits in their offerings that alleviates the pain faster - Amazon's faster shipping as part of Prime program is that. Even Prime Video alleviates the pain of boredom; bundled in the program.

2. More things added on the platform to build frequency - Another pitfall in my opinion is adding too many functionalities on the app to make consumer come back for one thing or other; might not be right strategy. This can lead to confusion on the interface vs simplicity that alleviates consumer pain of finding a solve sooner. 

What do you think are more drivers of making your app/product both a vitamin and a painkiller? Share your thoughts.

#product #marketing #habits #vitamin #painkiller #growth #book

Actionsble Insights into building habits

Some #Insights into habit building from my own experience. 

How do i bring in consistency in running for now more than 5 years? Thinking Small.

Yes, contrary to what leadership principles tell, first #think #small when u r developing a habit. Just a km or 2, a walk around the block. Walk or little bit of run, daily. Thats it. Try to stick to a common time. Brain has memory.

Second, make it easier to NOT skip it. Change ur #enviornment! Build  triggers within ur enviornment. I bought runners clothes, shoes, headphones. Put them in the drawing room next to my mobile (with morning alarm) in the drawing room; so that i would have to walk across rooms to shut it. Helped!

Third, i linked my habit of morning tea to run. Wake up, make my morning tea and then after having refreshed, go for a run. It worked. #habit #linking

Fourth, started putting my meagre updates of 1-2-3 km runs on facebook, daily! It brought in a few comments from my network on how slow or lazy i am :) Make it #Public

Fifth, started participating in running competitions that invite u for a 5km, 10km run on the weekend. Helps to see others do it with fun; then why i cant! #Networkeffect

And then u hit that threshold before u enjoy. #Compounding catches up and takes ur curve up!

#Habits #Running #Passion #Life

Story of Keyboards and Inefficient Habit of typing with QWERTY

Habits are difficult to build and to break. This is the reason why, in todays world marketers and product managers are working to build habit forming products.

Habits which can help the users engage more often with the products leading to greater usage/purchases, greater attention (in this cluttered world) and thus making chances of larger lifecycle of the products, generating greater referrals and thus increasing the network (thus building more reasons for people to stay). Its an unending flywheel.

But is it too much to expect from a habit? No. Habits once built with much higher lifetime (continued duration of habit); can lead to such a resistance to newer ways of doing things even if rational. This is that Porter's 5 forces model's 'Barrier to entry'.

Recently came across this story around keyboards. Had heard of QWERTY keyboards that we use everywhere (touch phones, tablets, computers, typewriters) and is in vogue since 1870s when first set of typewriters were invented (currently with minimal modification). But have you heard of DVORAK keyboard? Apparently, invented in 1930s, it is ergonomically designed keeping in mind usage of letters and words in current english language. It is more efficient and comfortable if we use it today. But then why dont we use it?

Habits are difficult to break. Mankind has put in enough and more effort in adapting to QWERTY keyboard and migrating from typewriters to touch keypad. In QWERTY, the letters were ordered so that the keys which were mounted on metal arms would not jam pressed in too rapid succession (which was happening with user friendly ordering of alphabets).

Now despite knowing this fact that QWERTY keyboard is inefficient for non-typewriter era, we continue to see in new products because of this habit of current users. 

All marketers today strive to develop such good expectations or habits which work as a moat around our customers - be it a loyalty program, a UI, a colour scheme, a font, a shipping service thats super fast, an intuitive design which is easier to use and so on.

What you have built, that is building a habit?

Will our habits change post covid lockdown?

The world would never be same post hashtag#covid given our habits will change. Habits require a min of 21 days to develop while we seem to have much more! As hashtag#consumers, we have changed so much in last few weeks. Our time spent on screens has skyrocketed. We are trying hashtag#digital variations of various old world necessities already – a) Epapers over physical Newspapers/magazines b) Fitness Videos/Live sessions Vs a gym c) Cooking food via online videos Vs ordering food d) Watching user generated content over social media Vs proper content e) Reading/listening to hashtag#digitalbooks Vs physical books

f) Watching new genres of hashtag#OTT content Vs Cable because of lack of fresh GEC content All this will have some retention effect as we come out of hashtag#lockdown & thus brands are pivoting to add value to user experience in this period – 1. hashtag#YouTube changed its metrics of views from millions/billions to Lakhs/Crores. 2. hashtag#LinkedIn has added new features including ‘Featured Content’ 3. Many digital reading apps have given free trials for weeks/months – hashtag#Kindle, hashtag#Blinkist. 4. Education Content brands offering free classes/content – hashtag#Byjus, Amar Chitra Katha. Are you seeing any changes in your hashtag#habits in this hashtag#lockdown with adoption of a particular app/product or service? Which one?

New Year #Resolutions & 'how' to stick to them in #2018!

New Year #Resolutions & 'how' to stick to them in #2018!

We all have this 'resolution syndrome' to pick up all should do(s) at least this year...every new year. But it doesnt happen.

Here is how you can do it in 2018 -

First, the resolution has to be something with a big '#why', something which is more than just a 'should do'. What is it that you want to offer the world? Who do you want to be, what do you want more of in your life? And then asking: “How might I get there? What would create that as a consequence?”

Second, outsourcing #willpower really works. Share your resolution with somebody to have a collective force to force you to stick to it. A friend, partner, etc can really pull you out of bed on your weakest days.

Third, #Bribe yourself. As with any habit making, add a reward after the act or reaching a milestone. A reward that obviously doesnt impact the resolution.  Eg, a shopping spree after a monthly goal.

Fourth, making your #goal public gets you #socialsupport. When you share something in public, say facebook; people's likes/comments add to the fuel.

Go ahead! And make it real this 2018!! It has given me the power to stick to mine in terms of #running as a #habit.

Summarized from this nice article -
https://lnkd.in/fjuRmVh

What u believe is what u become!

I came across this thought today...and i think have read it somewhere before also. To me seemed like a hyperbole of sorts...with impressive words sandwiched to create an awesome sentence.

However, I started thinking about it.

One-day long back in my life, I believed that I would want to be part of this exciting marketing and advertising world... Having no idea of first or third hand experience of it, being a son of an engineer turned businessman and having spent 18 odd years reading dainik bhaskars of the hinterland ( no exposure to business press).

But I think, the belief came from reading a few business magazines during CAT preparation. And I believed it..that I can.

Thoughts started zooming in on my mind..as to how exciting life would be around brands and consumer behaviour etc. Al rises and Jack trout rocked my engineering days with I reading more of marketing warfare,  positioning etc than integrated electronics!

And yes, thoughts became words..with me finding myself talking more about marketing with my engg friends than anything else.

And words became actions. Mini adverts of sorts were getting circulated by me in the class rather than focussing on telecom networks lecture. Though that was also transmitting a message in the class:-).

And, I think that belief developed a habit in me to read about this side of the world. Out of no where I was reading business press especially likes of business today with a focus on brand buzz. At infy, my focus was more on activities which lend me explore my passion and I realised I was part of the communications team making ads for hr events, participating in ad-mads and so on...which helped me ratify my belief....that the other world is calling me

And here I am today, working as a marketer for last 8 yrs. And I enjoy where I am vs a world of machines with ppl handling them to increase output, efficiency and creating newer inventions and more machines and programs. I love to think what to do with those machines to get happy consumers.

Believing is becoming. Indeed!