Why It's Not Enough To Be A ________ Marketing Expert

Nowadays it seems like there are plenty of "social marketing experts" for hire. The explicit (or implied) promise is that if you get enough posts, likes and tweets, these modern-day wizards will magically solve your business problems.

This reminds me of the late 90s dot.com boom, and the promises I heard back then. Phrases like:

"It's a new era in business.... just get enough 'clicks' and 'eyeballs' to your website, and the profits will take care of themselves."


That advice didn't work real well for a lot of companies. Such as Pets.com... Contentville... Flooz... Kozmo.com, and other victims in the dot.com boneyard.

Clicks and eyeballs weren't enough to keep them in business. They still needed old-fashioned things like sales and cash flow.

A book was written about this dot.com graveyard by Phillip Kaplan titled F'd Companies. It chronicles the Alpha and Omega (beginning and end) of multiple companies with no product... experience... or realistic business model. Just hot air, blue sky and empty promises.

Todays 'tweets' and likes' seem to be the equivalent of the late 90s 'clicks' and 'eyeballs.' I'm not sold on the idea that if your Fan page is popular enough, you'll convert enough folks to purchase your product or service. Or that you can effectively communicate your marketing message in 140 characters or less.

I realize that you can write a short tweet or post that can get someone to a website or landing page. Social Media can be part of a sound marketing strategy, but it's not the be-all / end-all to your business challenges.

The biggest whopper I've heard from the Social Media Kool-Aid drinkers comes from the Head Twits themselves, Ev Williams and Biz Stone. Speaking last month to the "Tech Crunch Disrupt" conference, they had the chutzpah to tell capitalists in attendance to 'Stop stressing about how your business will make money. The money will come."

Ah yes, the Field of Dreams approach to business. Brilliant!

This quote is the leader in the clubhouse for the biggest load of BS I've heard in 2012. It's terrible advice, defies business fundamentals and common sense.

Why do I bring up the F'd Companies book and the Twitter quote? Because technology and good intentions aren't enough aren't enough to be successful in business. You have to put in enough consistent effort, and make sure that effort is guided by a sound business plan and fundamentals.

It's not enough to be a Facebook / Twitter / Other Social Media Outlet marketing expert... you have to know the fundamentals of good marketing to be considered an expert - or at the very least competent.

Preferably if you've learned those fundamentals from folks like Claude Hopkins and his book Scientific Advertising... John Caples and David Ogilvy, to name a few. Or more modern-day marketing wizards, such as Jay Abraham, Ted Nicholas, Gary Bencivenga, or John Carlton.

You really need to know the market you're selling to... what product or service(s) said market really wants... and what will motivate them to buy said product or service. If you hire a marketing consultant or copywriter to increase sales and cash flow, they darn well better know these three things - or else you're probably throwing your money away.

The moral of this story? I'll say it again: It's not enough to be a __________ marketing expert, and it's not the medium (or media) that make the difference... it's the rock-solid, time-tested marketing fundamentals put into action.

They've worked for all kinds of companies for over 100 years, and they can work for yours too. Give 'em a try. If done correctly, I think you'll like the results you see.

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Why Groupon Should Have Listened To Claude Hopkins...

It looks like the honeymoon is over for Groupon, judging by this recent article at Slate.com. The stock price has dropped from over $31/share down to $5.36 and no profits to speak of. Instead, Groupon has an annual net loss of 27 cents a share. Just like the over-hyped dot.com stocks of the late 90s, this Social Media darling has had plenty of hype and hot air... but nothing in the way of earnings, or a good business model.

You may be asking: "Why should Groupon have listened to Claude Hopkins... who the heck was he... and why was/is he so important when it comes to marketing and business?"

Claude was one of the great advertising pioneers of the early 20th Century. He believed that advertising existed only to sell something, and the results should be measurable and justify the results it produced. (That sounds familiar... I wonder who else has been talking about that?)... but I digress.

Hopkins wrote the classic marketing book Scientific Advertising in 1923. What Claude said back then about advertising still applies today. If you're serious about marketing or business, you should read this book. I'm reading it for the fifth time, learning (and re-learning) solid marketing fundamentals.

Groupon's execs should have read what Claude wrote to avoid the problems they face today.

What are these problems? Lack of long-term, repeat customers that result from Groupon and "daily deal" advertising... small-business clients selling goods and services at a discount... then paying Groupon steep commissions - usually 50% of the already-discounted sales price.

Groupon's business model assumes that a company will sell a discounted "sample" of its product or service.... then customers will gladly pay full price on future buys. That doesn't make sense to me, and it didn't make sense to Claude.

Here's what he says in Chapter 13 - The Use of Samples:

"For the same reason some advertisers say, 'You buy one package, we will buy the other (Ed: Buy one, get one free).' Or they make a coupon good for part of the purchase price. Any keyed returns will clearly prove that such offers do not pay. Before a prospect is converted, it is approximately as hard to get half price for your article as to get the full price for it. 

As Claude Hopkins reminds us, it's difficult (if not impossible) to pull this marketing feat off.

It's a great lesson for business owners, investors and marketers alike. Before you start-up or invest in any new or existing business, make sure it has a good long-term sustainable business model... and competent, experienced management.

Or if you consider hiring a marketing consultant or copywriter, ask them if they know who Claude Hopkins is. I can almost guarantee you that many of today's "social media experts" don't have a clue who Mr. Hopkins was... and why his words of wisdom are still so important today.

They know the ins and outs... likes and pokes... tweets and re-tweets of Facebook and Twitter... but I'm not convinced they truly know the "old-school" fundamentals of good marketing - which (if applied correctly) always work in any type of market or advertising medium.

That's what I'll cover in my next blog post, which talks about the difference between the medium and the marketing... and why it's so important for your business.

Until next time...

The Most Important Asset In Your Business - and Life

Thought this would be a fairly short post - went a little longer than I originally thought. It's a timely topic, with an ingredient you must have in your marketing to have more qualified customers buy from you.

I used to believe that if you got a prospect's attention - and got him to read through your sales letter or marketing message - that was enough. But nowadays, that's only part of the battle. Whether it's in business, politics or any other area of life, we live in a very "low trust" environment.

You absolutely, positively, must provide proof that you and what you're marketing are credible and trustworthy. That means providing real testimonials from satisfied clients, and as much 3rd-party documentation (through articles, medical studies, and proven results) as possible. A fairly well-known copywriter said a year or two ago that you didn't need testimonials in your sales copy. Maybe you could get away with it back then, but now, I believe it's a necessity in your marketing message.

I believe we're coming into a time in business, marketing and our culture, where people aren't buying into hype, flash and "bling" like they used to. It's more like the days of the Old West, where you did business with someone based on the product or service they provided... and the reputation they had around town. Gary Vaynerchuk talks about this, and actually giving a rat's a** about how your product or service helps your clients.

So what is this critical asset necessary to business and life success? Trust.

Confidence and trust in a person, product or business takes a long time to build up - but can be torn down quickly. Do everything you can in your business and relationships to inspire and maintain trust. Have your clients' best interests in mind... provide the best content and information on your product, service and industry... and keep the focus on what's in it for the client - and NOT about you.

Some people who are self-promoting shills really annoy me. They always seem to talk about themselves and, have to put their "brand label" in every video, web page or Social Media tweet or post. Dude (or Dudette), I don't care if you're the "rockstar" or self-annointed royalty of a Social Media platform... get to the damn point, and explain how what you're saying benefits me - NOT how cool you or your "brand" are.

Good marketing, salesmanship and yes, promotion is important - don't get me wrong. However, if you don't provide enough proof - and build up sufficient trust in who you are and what you do - it'll be a longer road to business (and life) success.

I've probably irritated some people by saying this, but I don't care - it needs to be said. I'm not sure when the next post will be, probably the middle of this month. Time seems to fly by nowadays, it'll be here before we know it.

Do everything you can to cultivate - and maintain - trust in your business and personal life. Feel free to comment on the best ways you know how to be trustworthy to your friends, family and clients. Until next time, I hope you're enjoying your summer.

How Social Media marketing Is Like Internet Marketing...

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that Social Media sites such as Facebook and Twitter have been booming in popularity and "buzz." Plenty of self-proclaimed Social Media "gurus" have been trumpeting how great SM is from the highest online mountaintops.

Don't get me wrong - SM is a great way to increase your online network, and connect with more people. But I'm not convinced that it's the be-all/end-all when it comes to business marketing today. The buzz with SM marketing closely resembles the earlier days of Internet marketing.

Here's how: Internet marketers really didn't have a well-thought out plan or business model as to how the Internet could help grow their business (selling more of their core product or service) in the longer run. What they did figure out how to do was sell info-products and services about... How to make tons of cash from Internet marketing!

Fast foward to today: Social Media is all the rage, and SM gurus are coming out of the woodwork. They claim all you need is a WordPress website and a Facebook fan page, and you'll be on the glorious road to riches. And they have for sale... info-products on how to do Social Media marketing - imagine that!

Now - I'm not criticizing everyone involved with SM or Internet marketing. People like Frank Kern, John Carlton, Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero and Stephen Pierce have some great stuff available, and they truly want to help people increase their income online. And there are other good online marketers out there.

Successful (and profitable) Social Media marketing is kind of like Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster: I've heard great stories about them, but I haven't seen very many people make a ton of money from SM marketing. I'll be glad to be proven wrong - but until I see the proof in the pudding, I'm sticking with proven fundamentals of online marketing, such as:

- Building a Qualified List
- Developing a Relationship With That List
- Selling More Products/Services To That List

Pretty simple, but very effective if done correctly. And I'll stick with these boring, basic fundamentals to help my clients increase sales and profits.

3 Keys to Business Success on Twitter and Facebook

I've had an account on Twitter and Facebook for a few months. While I wouldn't say I'm an expert, I have a pretty good idea about how you can increase your business through these Social Media websites.

These 3 success keys are the same ones that online entrepreneurs have used for years to grow their business. Here they are:

1) Get a reader's attention. It's difficult to do this if you only post once or twice a day - especially if someone follows a lot of people who have frequent daily posts - or if your posts aren't that compelling (especially in Twitter, where you're limited to 140 characters per post). That's why your posts must be like a good headline in a sales letter or on a website... and you should repeat the same interesting post several times a day.

It can address a business hot button (like increasing your list or conversion rates), tie in with popular current events (like swine flu), or be controversial. Or... I've seen several people who post motivational quotes or wise business advice; another good marketer threw in some Chuck Norris jokes this morning - which are hilarious.

2) Offer valuable content the readers you're targeting want to know more about. This overlaps a little bit with #1; however, this merits its own category because it is so important. If you want to increase your list, or generate more sales from social media websites, you MUST provide solid content that your target market of readers can benefit from. I've seen several savvy marketers have a compelling post, with a condensed link to a landing page, website and/or link to an audio or video.

You should have your "marketing funnel" planned out before you make these posts. Social media websites are great marketing TACTICS to use in your business; however, they're not necessarily a marketing STRATEGY in and of themselves. In other words, Facebook or Twitter may not be the "magic bullet" for your business if you don't use them correctly.

If you really want to delve into social media and how to profit from it, I'd suggest you get Joel Comm's book, Twitter Power; or listen to Mari Smith.


3) Make a post linked to a very compelling offer. You can promote a special you're running for a limited time (such as a "scratch-and-dent" sale for info-products in less than perfect condition); which can be a book, info-product, or a lower cost to your membership site. Here's a recent, real-life example of an almost-irresistible offer.

I subscribe to Ted Nicholas' The Success Margin e-zine. Last week, he promoted one of Bob Bly's books: Words You Should Know to Sound Smart, 1200 Essential Words, which sold for only $9.95.

That's a great price and value all by itself. He also threw in 33 bonuses, which were worth several thousand dollars. As I went through them, these bonuses had more value to me than the actual book did. And - I didn't know when I'd see them offered again, so it was a no-brainer to take Bob up on this irresistible offer.

While this offer wasn't made on a social media website, it's still a great example of a very compelling offer. And one you can use on Twitter, Facebook, your e-zine or blogsite.

Take these 3 success keys, put them to use in your business whereever and whenever you can, and I'm confident you'll see better business results.