Ode to Longer Loops

You came to software development for the immediate feedback. The tests pass, you’re done.
You came to the internet for the large village feel. Your people follow you, you post, and you get likes.

But the feedback loops got so short that you’re stuck in a corner with your skills. A corner you want to get out of.

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Gaining attention, pulling off an internet stunt, launching a marketing campaign, announcing a new offering, getting a waitlist up, finding people to follow you back. These activities don’t have the same feedback loops as coding or posting a cheeky tweet.

And buyers, to go in another direction, also don’t respond on our own timeline.
Only those who want progress will be on the lookout for a solution.
Of those, only those who are actively searching will bother to give us attention.
Of those, only people who hang around where we do will see our offering.
Of those, only those who jive with our feel will trust us as an authority.
Of those, only those with a real urgency will take out their wallet to buy.

Long odds. No wonder marketing is hard.

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So maybe there’s a way to get feedback loops that are shorter (and attainable) for those new activities.

Maybe having a peer group where you practice your pitches, where you review each other’s marketing campaigns, where you’re on the same customer interview call.

Or maybe focusing just on launching but not measuring. The numbers will be too small anyway, and they’ll wreck you if you keep too close a watch. Focusing instead on just putting in the reps.

Or maybe focusing on measuring the numbers of someone else, someone who deals with larger efforts, who is ahead of you. Maybe a client who can mentor you.

All attention can’t be given to the shortest feedback loops. If you want to progress on the hard new skills, you’ll have to move to some longer loops.