I came across a rant today by Mr X, the Internet Marketer behind the Adwords BlackBook. It’s well worth a read.
This got me thinking.
In the last few years, Internet marketing has gone from a legitimate business building skill with a few solid quality products to a industry of opportunity seekers blowing money on every dumb idea being tossed out.
As one anonymous copywriter I know put it: “Internet marketing has become one giant incestuous circle of marketer selling hype to marketer selling hype to marketer.”
He has a point. It started in the late 90s with the late Corey Rudl. Rudl was the first guru I followed. And his stuff helped. His sales force was relentless, I remember getting a call once in 2003 and being pitched a $5000 consultation with Corey. But his stuff worked. I still save a space on my shelf for his early courses. Corey helped me take my first site to over a million in sales.
Flash forward to 2005.
Many of Corey’s customers go online to make big bucks. But instead of pursuing niche fields (like selling construction equipment, gardening advice, leather goods etc), they decide to emulate their Guru and start pitching Internet Marketing advice.
Some of Corey’s students produce excellent work. Even Frank Kern admits to being a student. But most produce mediocre work. Want an example? Just download Mike Filsaime’s monthly MarketingProductReview Newsletter and check out the new products being put out each week. Based on what I know of this market, I’d say more the half the products on this list are crap.
Simple ideas are being tossed out at over-inflated prices. And many of these ideas are utter wastes of time and energy. (I’m looking at you Gurus who are currently pitching Web 2.0 marketing strategies to newbies.)
And the Victims?
The victims are the 70% of people in this market who classify themselves as newbies. They are forced to gravitate from flash-in-the-pan idea to over-hyped trend to the “get rich quick scheme” of the day.
So how do you get guidance. Here’s my advice.
Focus on products that teach the CORE. The core is never-changing and will set you up for success without costing you to waste time on the slew of new products being pushed to you every month.
This is the Core
1. Understand Human Behavior
The best book on this subject is “Influence” by Robert Cialdini. And it’s only going to cost you $15 on Amazon. This is the bible of marketing. Period. No other book comes close. Every guru I know raves about this book.
2. Understand Business Building
Read blogs and reports that help you boost your business-building skills. I recommend Rich Schefren’s Reports such as the “Internet Business Manifesto” (it’s free) and books like “E-Myth” by Michael Gerber which will cost you just $10 bucks.
3. Understand Your Range of Options Online
If you’re just getting started online – get Yanik Silver’s Moonlighting on the Internet book. It’s $15. Yanik is a great guy. (Case in point: sent me a free copy of a $2000 product just because I asked nicely. I’m still stunned. Guys like this are rare.)
4. Understand How to Launch a Business with Speed
At the seminar I just attended in Orlando, Rich Schefren got on stage and said the Jeff Walker’s Product Launch Formula is the most important internet marketing strategy he has ever encountered. Rich said that is you had to erase his brain of all his knowledge and allow him to retain only one idea – it would be the Product Launch Formula. Jeff Walker’s course was released in 2005 and you can get a used copy on EBay. Ver 2.0 is being released in 2 weeks but it will cost you $2000. I’m not going to insult you by giving you an affiliate link. But I do recommend getting it if you can afford it. If not, trying searching the net for older interviews and videos on Jeff Walker’s formula. I met some guys in Florida who did very profitable launches just by watching Jeff’s free videos.
Focus on the products that give you these timeless core skills.
When you get pitched on the next “get-rich-quick” fad – pause and ask yourself if this new product fits in the core. If not – forget it.
Finally an apology. I fell into the trap of pitching my list and blog readers on a few products last year that I did not 100% believe in. For a brief while I turned into an opportunity seeker and paid more attention to my affiliate fees than to the quality of information I was sharing with my list. I’m sorry. And I thank those of you who sent me emails that put me back on the right track.
Although I am friends with many Internet Marketing Gurus, I will only recommend products I know are good. And I’ll always provide cheap alternatives. I’m putting my list and blog audience before my affiliate checks.
PS – I’m writing this rant from an airport on a 8 hour transit stop. I’m not going to bother with proof-reading or grammar. So forgive any errors. And please comment on this post to keep this conversation alive. I think this is an important conversation to have.
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