3 Things For April 3rd, 2025
The Game We’re Playing, WordPress Plugins – Less is More, Data Driven Decisions
Not Liking the Game Doesn’t Mean It’s Not the One We’re Playing.
I’m at that age. The age where I find myself grumpy about things changing too quickly, not being like they used to be, “kids these days”…the whole nine yards. I recognize that every generation goes through this as an adult where they don’t love what the future looks like. And yet, the future comes just the same.
I don’t love it, but I try not to hate it (too much) and instead reside in a witnessing state of awareness. And I realize that I must play the game currently being played. This includes embracing artificial intelligence tools, knowing what the latest search and social algorithms mean for marketing small businesses, etc.
I must shift with the tides of change because fighting a tide is a losing proposition.
With increasing importance, saying we’re doing something a certain way because we’ve always done it that way, just doesn’t cut it. Our brand and values can stay consistent but how our marketing is executed needs to shift with the changes in consumer behavior. This means rethinking not just our tactics but also potentially our marketing strategy.
A great place to start our analysis is to ask the following questions.
- If I had to build my business from scratch today, would I be doing the same things?
- Are there technologies I’m overlooking?
- How well do I truly understand the current pain points, communication preferences, and decision-making processes of my target audience?
- When was the last time I conducted a comprehensive analysis of how my competitors are evolving? Am I merely reacting to changes, or am I proactively anticipating and creating strategic shifts?
- Are the marketing channels and communication strategies I’m using still the most effective for reaching my ideal customer?
- What am I resisting or avoiding that could potentially transform my business? Where am I allowing nostalgia or fear to limit our growth potential?
Adaptation doesn’t mean abandoning our values or our unique perspective; it means finding new ways to express them in a changing world. By regularly challenging ourselves with these questions, we can position our businesses to thrive not despite change, but because of our thoughtful response to it. After all, the rules of the game will continue to evolve whether we like it or not—but how we play it remains entirely in our control.
Less is More: Why You Should Keep WordPress Plugins to a Minimum
Alright, it’s time for some real talk. Grab your favorite beverage, get comfy, and let’s dive into the sometimes harsh, always interesting world of social media marketing.
If you’ve managed a WordPress site for any length of time, it’s easy to fall into the habit of adding plugins to solve every little problem. Over time, though, that approach can lead to a cluttered, slow, and even vulnerable website.
Here’s why keeping your plugin list lean — and cleaning up your backend periodically — is essential for a healthy, high-performing site.
1. Too Many Plugins Slow Your Site Down
Each plugin adds code that can weigh down your pages and slow load times. That means a poor user experience, lower search rankings, and lost conversions — all because of unnecessary extras running in the background.
2. More Plugins = More Security Risks
Old or unused plugins are one of the most common entry points for hackers. Even deactivated plugins can still pose a threat if they’re not removed completely or regularly updated.
3. A Cluttered Backend Creates More Work
The more plugins you have, the harder it is to manage updates, avoid conflicts, and troubleshoot issues. A streamlined site is faster to manage, easier to edit, and more reliable overall.
Our Approach at Strategy 3
At Strategy 3, we manage and maintain WordPress websites for small to medium-sized businesses across Tacoma and beyond. When we design and build websites, we keep plugins to a minimum — using them only when truly necessary to support core functionality. Fewer plugins means fewer problems, better performance, and a cleaner experience for your visitors and your team.
Need Help Managing Your WordPress Site?
Whether your site needs a plugin audit, a performance tune-up, or ongoing maintenance, we’ve got you covered. Reach out to Strategy 3 to keep your WordPress website lean, fast, and secure — just how it should be.
Why Gut Feelings Alone Aren’t a Strategy: The Power of Data-Driven Decisions
If you’ve ever had that nagging feeling that your marketing “should be” working but you can’t quite prove it, you’re not alone. Maybe your ad campaigns look great on paper. Your team swears by them. Yet… the results just aren’t there. It’s frustrating. You’ve put in the work, trusted your instincts, and now you’re left second-guessing everything. This is where data becomes your secret weapon.
From Hunch to Handle: What Data-Driven Really Means
Data-driven decision making is all about replacing guesswork with clarity. It means looking at meaningful numbers (like site traffic, conversion rates, or email performance) to guide your decisions. Looking through the analytics of your website, your socials, and your emails help you see how your customers actually behave and what they respond to.
Yes, your creative instincts can spark great ideas, but they aren’t always a reliable compass. With customer behavior constantly shifting, data gives you the full picture so you can lead with confidence, not just hope. That doesn’t mean ignoring your gut, your instincts still have value. In fact, they’re the pilot of your strategy. But even the best pilot needs a map. Data is that map. It gives direction, context, and clarity so your instincts can navigate with purpose.
When Instinct Gets It Wrong
Your instinct is powerful, but it doesn’t always have the full story. It’s shaped by your personal preferences, past experiences, and assumptions—many of which might not align with how your audience actually thinks or behaves.
You might love a certain design style or messaging tone and assume your audience does too. But without checking the data, it’s easy to miss the mark. Maybe you’ve leaned into clean, minimal branding because it feels elevated to you, but your analytics show your more vibrant, information-rich content gets significantly more engagement. That’s a sign your gut might be steering from your lens, not your audience’s reality.
This is where data becomes essential. It helps you test those assumptions, course-correct where needed, and move forward with strategies that resonate. It’s not about replacing your gut, it’s about making sure it’s flying in the right direction.
Turning Numbers Into Next Steps
Gathering data is just step one. The real magic happens when you act on it. Letting reports sit untouched is like having a map but never unfolding it. Many businesses collect data religiously but never use it. It piles up in dashboards, untouched and unexplored.
When you start applying insights to your strategy, your marketing transforms from reactive to proactive, from scattered to streamlined. When you notice a blog post is killing it, you don’t just smile. You update it, promote it, turn it into a video, and capture more customers. That simple shift from observation to action is where results begin. Collect. Analyze. Act. Repeat. This cycle turns your raw numbers into something of tangible value.
Start Simple, Stay Curious
No need to be a data scientist. Start with what you’ve got. Open Google Analytics or your email platform. Look at your website traffic, social engagement, email opens. Ask yourself: What’s this telling me? What’s working? What’s not?
Even small shifts in perspective can lead to major results. Try focusing on one metric per channel. For your website, maybe it’s bounce rate. For social, it could be saves or shares. For email, maybe it’s your click-through rate. The key is curiosity, not mastery. It’s not about being a numbers person. It’s about asking better questions and following the answers.
Trust Your Intuition, But Check the Map
Your gut got you this far, and that matters. You don’t have to ditch your instincts. They’re still useful. But when paired with facts, they become sharper, more reliable. Instead of saying “I hope this works,” you’ll say “This is working and here’s why.”
Because when you blend creativity with clarity, your marketing becomes unstoppable and lets you turn “I think” into “I know.”
Scott Fultz
(253) 503-0328
scott@strategy3degrees.com