StoryComplete.com blog [RETIRED]: Marketing by storytelling for ISVs December 20th 2010

Getting your message across when nobody’s paying attention

Welcome to Story Complete, my blog for strategy consultancy ISV Focus to help independent software vendors (ISVs) sidelined by innovation and new players entering the game to acquire the new strategy and marketing skills they need to get back onto the field, re-enter the game and win. I’ve now retired this blog, but if you’ve got any questions then please add your comment to the relevant article, or get in touch with me direct.

Blog design: And then there was one April 26th 2010

New design prefers content to sidebars. It’s built with the Thesis Framework but without the typical Thesis look.

I’m pleased to announce that Story Complete has a new design. As I hope you can see, it stresses the blog’s content and not the information found in most blog’s sidebars. If you’re seeing this post in your RSS reader then please pop over and take a look at the new Story Complete.

I changed to a 1-column design from the 2-column format used by most blogs. The post meta information is right of the post content; all other information in the page footer. This keeps the pages clean and highlights the content, which is, after all, why you’re here.

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Day 17: The story so far March 31st 2010

As Blaise Pascal (sort of) said: it takes longer to write a long post than a short one; ‘Writing is rewriting’ is so true.

Today I’m looking back on Story Complete’s first month. This is the 17th consecutive day I’ve posted. While at first I found the daily schedule difficult, I’m hoping practice makes perfect.

Written preparation is often the path to success, whereby the writing part is essential. My daily schedule forces me to click that scary WordPress publish button. On the other hand, sharing my thoughts in writing helps me clarify what I’m trying to say.

Life’s too short to read long posts. If they happen to say anything important, I’ll see it elsewhere. I’m a strong believer in “If the news is that important, it will find me.”

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StoryComplete.com blog: Marketing by storytelling for ISVs March 16th 2010

Getting your message across when nobody’s paying attention

Once upon a time it was lucrative to play the software industry game. We sold functionality at excellent margins. Annual maintenance was steady money for (rather) little work. Technology advanced at a manageable pace. The peer community dispensed recognition. Growth was steady and life was good.

But then the software game changed. In many niches FOSS has turned functionality into a commodity. SaaS upsets perpetual licensing, while annual maintenance is increasingly suspect. The community scattered as global players bought and consolidated. Innovation quickened. New business slowed.

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StoryComplete.com blog: Hello world! March 1st 2010

A blog for ISVs about marketing by storytelling

This is a dummy post to ensure FeedBurner doesn’t see an empty RSS feed.

Not found what you’re looking for? Then try the StoryComplete.com site map to explore by article title, category, tag, month and author.