Posts Tagged ‘internet business secrets’

Marketers seem to be getting lazy these days.

Every blueprint they’re putting out, all the marketing material, almost everything…is on video.

That’s the only format it’s offered in.

What’s funny?  The wise marketers that I’m following…are still putting out PDF’s or even offering physically shipped items to your doorstep.

Marketers are getting lazy. Video is so easy to produce, that the format allows them to mass-produce their marketing easily.

But over time, they will lose eyes, because these marketers are failing to engage multiple senses (reading, listening, and watching).

Oh well, their loss.

Folks, it isn’t about Twitter…

It isn’t about Facebook, or Foursquare, or Digg.  It’s not about any one of those tools (which is all they are by the way).

It’s about the entire Internet. Quit getting wrapped up in a single tool to build a presence or business online…which is like trying to use a wrench to build a whole house.  It can’t be done…because you need a screwdriver, hammer, and a whole host of other tools.

(a really big secret is you have to know how to build a house too…but I don’t want to open that Pandora’s Box)

So, the point of today’s lesson is simple…if you’re trying to figure out how to “make money using Twitter”, or make money with Facebook advertising by themselves…open your eyes.

It’s much bigger than that.

See the whole picture, you’re using tools (Twitter, Facebook, Digg, etc…) within a bigger “toolbox” (the Internet) which is part of an industry (Marketing), which is building your house (your business).

Don’t limit yourself people.

Until the next time we look in the mirror together,

–Joseph Ratliff

I just checked out the email account I use to get autoresponder account messages from other marketers.  I use this to “spy” on how people are using email to market their promotions.

NOTE:  At least 50% of what I see these days is absolute garbage, but that’s for another series of posts.

One email in particular inspired this post.

I read the email, clicked over to to the offer, and wasn’t interested.  So I went back to the email to read it, and it was actually really poorly written.

So I went to unsubscribe, and that’s where I noticed something that once I thought about it, I see a number of “marketers” doing…

They put the unsubscribe link…

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Way down here in the email.

I can guess why they are doing it (out of site, out of mind to try and keep unsubscribes down)…but why do it at all?

Are you really that self-conscious about your content that you need to try and hide (read: deceive) the link from your reader, so they can keep getting crap emails from you?

Really?  Do you need to do that?

Wow.

Instead, learn how to write effective promo emails (or even better, content emails or “friend-style” emails a la Frank Kern)…then you won’t have to resort to deceit and trickery to keep your unsubscribes down.

Also, here’s another thought…do you actually think people are stupid enough to continue paying attention to your emails (for the most part) when you do stuff like this?  To me, that would create a pretty useless email list…reducing the chances of landing any lucrative JV deals or other opportunities.

So, if you do this in your email marketing, don’t get me wrong, correct the behavior ok?  Or don’t…and eventually you’ll join the giant filter coming.

The choice is yours, but I know what I would do.

Until the next time we look in the mirror together,

–Joseph Ratliff

It has begun…

…and if any of the things I mention in this post apply to you, take heed of the warning, or be prepared to close the doors.

This is probably going to rank in the most important posts I write all year…

Let’s get started, shall we?

Over the next decade, we are going to witness a “great filtering” of sorts in the online marketing arena (and business in general for that matter).

What do I mean?

The shady business people, the snake oil salespeople, the ones that just don’t care about their customers (or even worse, ignore them completely)…and any so-called business person that can be lumped into these categories…will start to suffer a slow and painful business death.

And I mean, all of them…not a percentage…not some, all of them (finally).

How can I make such a widespread claim?

One word…access.

The Internet has changed the game (not will change, has changed).  It has allowed a level of access on many different platforms…that businesses can’t “hide” any more…

• They can’t scam their customers and get away with it…
• They can’t hide behind a monitor and be “anonymous” anymore…
• They can’t make bold-faced lies to the people that do business with them (or are thinking of doing business with them) anymore…

Because it can all be revealed by using the Internet.

Yeah, there will still be scams, unscrupulous business people, and such…but when they set up shop…their lifetime is extremely limited, and will be even more so as the “great filtering” takes place over the next 10 years or so.

So what exactly is the great filtering?

It’s the process where those businesses that fall in the above-mentioned categories will begin to be “filtered out” by the public.

It’s already begun to happen, for example…

What happens to a book on Amazon when a bunch of people leave negative feedback (legitimate negative feedback)? It gets filtered out…falling off the charts.  Those that leave negative feedback that is just not legitimate get filtered out as well.

Spammers aren’t even being paid attention to anymore (other than the customary “how do we get rid of them?” feedback.

If someone uses an anonymous “user name” on a forum, blog, or other social communication media, they usually get “filtered out”.  In the rare case where they are listened to…they always have that barrier they must overcome before what they say matters (eventually, they won’t be listened to at all).

People want to interact with real people, not those who hide behind anonymous or “hidden” information etc…  While it’s certainly possible (for now) to continue to do this… eventually you’ll automatically become “noise” if you’re currently doing this.

There are a TON of other examples I can point to, and I will do so over the course of the next two years or so…(perhaps pointing out some specific examples as they appear to me).   For now, just think of ways for you to avoid “The Great Filtering Of Online Marketing.

If you already are, congratulations, it will get easier to do business as time goes on from this standpoint.