Youtube Marketing Techniques

Recently, while working on a YouTube video, I happened across the most adorable video with related tags.  I have a cat that plays piano.  The video that amused and inspired me was about another piano playing cat.  The number of views for that video averaged 275,000 per month over the past year.  I’m betting that this piano teacher’s business also grew as her video went viral on the internet, even though she made only small mention about her area of expertise.

This video was awesome to me for several reasons.  In a moment of epiphany, I posted it to Public Skype Chat with my thoughts about how viral this sort of video could be if properly used in a marketing campaign.  A member of the group, who was similarly intrigued after doing some of her own research, asked me how I found myself using this sort of media to promote my business.

What is seemingly off-topic from business but is also cute or funny can be used to leverage your primary business, if it is done right.  Internet and Affiliate marketers have been using this tactic for years by employing misspelled or extremely similar domain names and keywords which leverage high volume searches on the internet.  If you would like to know what is hot on the internet in real time, I recommend checking out Google Trends.

From a consumer point of view, if we think of the things that attract us in marketing, we all know there are several.  Babies and animals may be at the top of the list.  They have a way of making most people feel comfortable or empathize with the marketing message.  Of course, some marketers still use sex in every advertisement, especially automobile companies and alcohol distributors.  Regardless of the psychological tool employed, humor is a wonderful way to capture and hold a prospect’s attention at your website.

The simple truth is, whether online or offline, there are certain things that resonate with consumers or business opportunity prospects and trigger their responses.  Traditional marketing understands and leverages this knowledge.  Market testing is not a luxury phase for any product launch.  If your product is digital, don’t overlook the power of Google Analytics while you are tweaking your sites.

If you have a perceived urgency to generate income or a limited budget, as a consumer of products and services, you know what works best when you stop and think about it.  Walk around to the other side of your virtual cash register and view things from that perspective.  Once you adapt your thinking to that point of view, your marketing message and techniques become obvious.  You must capture the attention of your target market and hold it without trying to sell them anything. 

This may sound counter intuitive but, if you think of your own reactions to sales, I know that you know that it isn’t.  Even if you are on a showroom floor, how do you feel when a sales person interrupts your train of thought while you are considering your choices?  Do you like being told the differences or would you rather quietly compare the features and functions of the product to the things on your wish list?  It may not be possible to create one message for both audiences but it is possible to put up two different sites with two different messages and find out which works best.     

Although few people understand this, a good marketer leads a person to understand what they want.  Did you catch the most important word in that last sentence?  A good marketer is a leader, not a sales person.  Internet marketing is much more than formulaic sales, OTOs and pop-up offers.  People have written volumes about website design but none that I’ve read have discussed the psychology of marketing or how to really use it online.  

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Dirty Facts of Life

Many new people approach internet marketing with a belief that making money will be easier.  All you have to do is throw up a website and put a great product on it and the money will come rolling in 24/7.  Right?  Right!

Yesterday, my post discussed how I had spent time observing how people were doing things as internet marketers.  I spent plenty of money on their products too.  Even taking detailed notes during teleconferences and webinars or reading eBooks more than once did not prepare me for everything I needed to know.  Internet marketers, like most services, leave out just enough to whet your consumer appetite and keep you coming back for more.

Eventually, I turned to a mentoring program to help me put all the pieces together.  Yet, even those training calls specialized on things that had worked for them.  As the size of the group expanded, it became crystal clear that I would need to be able to point to bona fide proof of my abilities, as a leader, as well as differentiate myself somehow.

Having intimate knowledge of traditional marketing and customer relationship management gave me a lot of material with which to work.  Of course, my experience of being a technologist as the internet morphed into the World Wide Web helped me to understand the devils in the details of was necessary to operate an internet business.  This breadth of experience is of great benefit to those who come to me for help or services too.

Recently, I was conversing with a new internet marketer working with another coach who told me of their mission at a bookstore to find a book to pull everything together for them.  As they described the myriads of titles they had perused and how this caused their head to spin, it occurred to me that finding the “right book” required enough knowledge to be able to discern whether or not such a book existed. 

The dirty truth is that the language is new, the concepts aren’t fully understood and the questions that need to be answered aren’t clear at the beginning of an internet marketing career.  Sometimes the questions that need to be answered aren’t clear to the grizzled veterans.  (smile)  As you begin to practice your new skills and apply them to the trade, you will discover the questions that need to be answered.  And always remember: “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear!”

The adventure lies in discovering something new to learn and, once it is figured out, having a bright and shiny new tool in your belt.  Establishing new friendships along the way and growing a business that has potential to survive any economic climate is both fun and satisfying.

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Even Internet Marketing Veterans Need Partners!

Although social network sites are a great venue for acquainting yourself with new people and finding potential business partners and recruits, each site has its own nuances.  If you are a blogger, some are much easier to feed through RSS than others.  MySpace makes it a little more difficult than most.

While researching the best method to feed my blog posts to my MySpace profile tonight, I happened upon the most useful site.  These wonderfully helpful people made it easy for me create a nice looking widget that stealthily produced an RSS feed to MySpace.  I would like to express Kudos to the folks at http://www.springwidgets.com! 

Although my interest in internet technology has led me to great proficiency with website design and delivery, my real skill lies in being curious enough to want to know how things work … and not giving up when it isn’t straight forward.  Technology may seem tedious to many but it is my belief that, even though some tasks can be outsourced, knowing how it is done helps a lot when negotiating services fees. 

Website delivery is a hobby that is also profitable for me but there are many more skills in my tool chest that my inherent curiosity has led me to develop.  As an internet marketing professional, I have spent a lot of time researching how other internet marketers conduct their businesses.  I wouldn’t recommend some methods but having awareness about them helped me determine what sort of internet marketer I wanted to be and how to go about attracting the sorts of people I’d like to be in business with me. 

If you keep in mind that you are the product, every communication you put on the internet is part of your brand image.  If you are consistent in your message and careful to not muddy your branding strategy, people who are researching you will see that.  If your goal is to be a leader, you must demonstrate that you have a vision others can follow and something that will help them accomplish their goals.

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How To Be a Conscious Internet Marketing Professional

When databases appeared on the technology scene, corporate marketing departments grasped the power at their disposal.  The possibilities seemed endless to develop and maintain high quality relationships with their customer base by understanding their purchasing habits.  Before the World Wide Web was in place, direct marketing was born.

As technology progressed, so did its marketing uses.  Eventually, direct marketers began to apply their knowledge and skills to internet marketing.  Even though databases and email made it easier to contact consumers, receiving unsolicited offers in email seemed more offensive to most people than throwing away mounds of envelopes. 

Internet marketers caught on to these techniques but, even after anti-spam laws began enforcing opt-in procedures, this hands-off approach to marketing is often found lacking.  Blasting out an offer to someone whom you have not taken time to know may produce sales but people don’t like to be sold and, eventually, they tune out or opt-out.

The goal of direct marketing campaigns, both in the early days and as technology evolved, was to emphasize customer retention by producing individualized satisfaction.  I may be mistaken but I believe that Amazon was the first company to use technology to recommend books or music based on purchasing trends.  As their stock prices soared, a point was proven.  Relationship marketing works!

Using social networks to develop business contacts is very powerful, if done correctly.  Before you begin interacting on social sites, determine what sort of person you would like to have in your business with you.  You must also know what you have to offer and, believe me, it is not a product, service, upline, compensation plan or business opportunity.  The only product that you have to offer is YOU and your unique skill set.

Perusing groups or forums is a good way to find individuals with similar interests.  While choosing a person with a smiling face who has taken some care to present themselves is important, you should also review their profiles before requesting to be friends.  Make a decision, based on your criteria, whether or not you want to know them.

Obviously, people may also request your friendship.  This isn’t a popularity contest and you should carefully consider whether or not you want to know them better by examining their profile before accepting.  Whether or not you initiated the process, always observe how they communicate with you and be mindful of how you communicate.  Relationship marketing relies on communication, as do most human relationships. 

A very important thing to remember is to NOT focus on immediate sales but to find some common ground with your new friend.  Determine their interests and motivations.  Once you’ve found some commonality, you can exchange ideas with your new friend about topics of mutual interest. 

If something leads you to believe your new friend might benefit from being in business with you, employ a consistent application of up-to-date knowledge by using stories about your experiences in your business.  Remember to be polite.  Ensure that they are interested in hearing these stories and remember to not always make the communication about what you are doing.  People also like to feel heard. 

If you have adhered to the guidelines of relationship building, there will be no need to use hard sales techniques to “close” your friends into your business opportunity.  You will have inspired them to want to learn more about you and what you are doing and will also have earned their trust by not trying to sell them anything.

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How to be Successful by Leading with Passionate Belief

In uncertain economic times, such as we are currently experiencing, it is easy to fall prey to the media hype predicting futures of doom and gloom.  It is not that they are lying but rather that media newscasters have penchant for sensationalizing the facts.  It is their job to keep the news interesting and, of course, in their best interests to achieve high ratings.

Success can be measured by data but often the value of the data used can be skewed.  Statistics can be presented for any given goal.  For instance, tonight I was reviewing a link that a friend sent to me.  They had been researching the meaning of IQ measurements.  As I scanned down the page, the percentile rankings increased.  It made me smile when I noticed that 99.5% of all people have an IQ between 60 – 140.  Even though the percent of people in that group seems impressive, what does the statistic tell us?

When I first began working online, the commonly cited statistic for failure was 97%.  More recently, this statistic has been cited as being higher.  Internet marketers who used this statistic have repeatedly suggested that they have helpful information which would allow me to become a member of the smaller group … the successful group.  Yet, even in our industry, these statistics are being sensationalized.  Is the intention to attract people who are bound to succeed or determined to not fail?

There is nothing to fear by pursuing a career as an internet marketer but, on the other hand, there is no magic.  When someone promises you instant wealth without putting forth any effort or claims to have all the answers that will help you succeed, they are sensationalizing their offer.  Inexperienced or naive internet marketers may buy into this belief and spend money but, ultimately, they will learn that their personal success has EVERYTHING to do with their effort and intentions.  Internet marketing is a business.  If you want to be successful, you must do what it takes to create that success.  Whether you like it or not, this requires some work.

When you are considering an online opportunity, you must know your reasons for wanting to work in that environment.  It is not about the products, the compensation plan or the upline.  The single most important question to ask yourself is this:

Why do you want financial freedom?

The law of attraction suggests that you will attract that which you focus upon.  If your motives for wanting financial freedom are completely self-centered, it is highly likely that you will attract other self-centered individuals into your internet business.  When your goals are larger than what the money will do for you, you begin to attract people into your realm who are helpful and interested in building enduring relationships that will lead to lasting success online.

 

How Do You Define Success?

Many of you who visit my blog will notice that there is a philosophical bent to my message online.  It is part of who I am, being an introspective sort of person.  As I was walking along a local path this morning, I found myself pondering the definition of success.  What resulted from this reflection was no less than an epiphany to me.

I was in a conversation with a friend yesterday afternoon.  This person is also on a spiritual path as well as being a business associate of mine.  He has an idea about what conveys a message of success and attracts people to each other.  I appreciated his point of view and relate on many levels to what he said but the fact remains that success has a personal definition for us all. 

Sometimes we have to wander through a few turnstiles that don’t necessarily lead to the sort of success we had envisioned but each leg of our journey is necessary for us to evolve and grow.  Isn’t the journey more important than a destination?

For many, success is closely coupled with the amount of money or material possessions they have gathered and can point to as a testimonial about their successes.  Their achievements are portrayed in the form of vehicles they drive or places that they live.  While money is useful and facilitates a lifestyle, money is a false God that has been idolized by our society for far too long.

Along my way, I have become acutely aware of something that I feel is important to share.  I have met many people who define their success though an identity or role.  That might be as a parent, spouse, lover, child, sibling, professional, or any one of a number of other choices we make about how we are living our lives.  In fact, most roles are temporary and are all too frequently influenced by people, places and things outside ourselves.  When that landscape shifts and too much importance has been placed on that particular identity, we can lose our way.

Underneath everything external in life is Being.   As humans, we are blessed with the gift of self-awareness.  This begins in the crib when we first discover our toes.  As our awareness matures, we learn to notice other things about ourselves.  Not everything is tactile or visible.  Whether or not we like what we discover, the choice is ours to make as to whether or not we want to keep that as part of our core way of Being.

We are all stimulated and energized differently.  When we are one with our passions, there is nothing that can stifle our creativity or keep us from being successful.  For me, success is not measured by money, possessions, identity or the vastness of my circle of friends.  It is measured by the amount of TIME that I have to freely pursue my passions.  

I’d like to end this post with a question to answer for yourselves. What defines success for you?

Big Foot is Real!

Big Foot is in the news today.  Many writers noted that the men who claim to have found Big Foot in the northern woods of Georgia also run Big Foot expeditions for profit.  If this breaking news was used as a means of getting free advertising for their business, it is a brilliant tactic.  We love our myths and legends, don’t we?

While reflecting on this news, I contrasted it to the way some internet marketers promote their products.  Their “squeeze pages” use compelling keywords that are well researched to attract people.  The landing pages claim to have found something brand new and yet undiscovered that will deliver endless streams of hungry buyers to your website and enhance your bank accounts by tens of thousands of dollars per day. 

The latest trend seems to be creating a sense of urgency by telling the reader only so many copies of this secret method will be released to the public.  Have you ever googled the product name to find out how many other people have published EXACTLY the same site?  Try it sometime! 

Let’s consider the idea of getting rich by doing nothing.  Many internet marketers are laughing their way to the bank selling products that claim to do just that.  Is that a hoax or is it possible?  Their business ethics permit them to play  on the emotions of people who don’t know anything about online success and are looking for a magic pill that will solve all their financial worries in the wink of an eye.  The website for any product or service that promises a fat wallet while you relax in a lawn chair doing nothing is not interested in you or your success.  They want your money and they are leading you down a primrose-bordered path to another disappointment.   

Is it unethical to leverage people’s emotions and interests to gain their attention?  I admit to using the Big Foot news today to bring you to my blog but I didn’t attract you here to lure you into buying the “next best thing” or seduce you into joining a membership site with excessive monthly fees that has “just launched” and will be fully developed long after your 56-day money back guarantee period expires. 

I want to help you REALLY succeed! 

Face it.  There are no magic wands or nose twitching techniques  that will turn you into an overnight millionaire.   You need a mentor with expertise to show you the way.  I can help you learn how to set up your online presence and also teach you how to use inexpensive or free internet marketing tools and techniques that WILL promote your online brand image and deliver targeted traffic and leads to your business website. 

Being successful at anything takes focus, work and practice.  An internet business is no different.

How To Market Effectively

As a former Realtor, I completely understand the importance of having a friendly image AND a good marketing message. A tagline I added to my business card, after hearing myself repeat it over and over again, became an amazing marketing tool.

That tagline was:

MY BUSINESS IS ABOUT YOU!

It was cleverly worded to fit that business but I also meant it.

Despite the fact that I no longer sell houses, nothing about my business ethics has changed. There are tons of things that I brought forward from my real estate business that assist me in present time with my internet marketing business in present time.

Internet marketing is much different than marketing beautiful homes. With the help of many generous mentors and a lot of personal dedication to expanding my own knowledge, I am learning to translate what I know about marketing to Web 2.0.

Effective marketing is much more than SPIN! You must KNOW and BELIEVE in your product. Blasting email to promote your “next best thing” is about as effective as cold calling a fish to sell them a bicycle.

Through the power of you intention, you will attract people to you and, once they respond, you MUST build a relationship with them. If you stop to think about it, this is to everyone’s advantage. It is nearly impossible to conduct business with someone you do not know, trust and respect.

How do you do this? By listening, asking questions and learning more about each other! Successful marketers listen MUCH more than they talk!

Still Smiling!
Marj Wyatt

Dream Do Have

In our youth, we are educated by our sphere of influence that the road to success is to get a good education, find a good job and work hard until you retire. 

How is that working for you so far?

Diligence is an important component to succeeding in life, regardless of your goal, but it is much more important to understand WHY you want to succeed.  Money should not be your only cause.

When I was first asked to articulate my reasons for wanting to succeed as a self-employed person, I truly put some thought into that document.  I considered all the things that were important to me.  I laid out all the dreams that were pertinent and still with me after years of living and learning. 

There is a point of view that suggests that you must first BE what you desire to be.  This decision leads you to DO things that allow you to HAVE your goal.  I liked that, for it is a simple formula. 

In my life, I have modified it to be DREAM – DO – HAVE for our dreams are worthwhile and guide us toward our futures.  And, face it, without dreams, life is dull.

So, I ask you to ponder, what are your dreams and WHY are those dreams important to you?  Put this into writing and refer to it often.  As long as you have sight of your dreams, you will DO what it takes to HAVE them come true for you.

How do you market your business?

When someone is thrashing around looking for a way to improve their life, the force of seduction caused by well crafted promotional materials can be overwhelming.  Flashy videos and professional voices describe best case scenarios and display alluring images of golf course homes or expensive cars to attract their target market.  I’m not suggesting that these materials are lies but they usually lack information that is essential to make an  INFORMED decision. 

Unless someone is savvy enough to ask the right questions, they may not even be aware that the person who is introducing them to the opportunity, the person to whom they will look for guidance while they are learning the ropes, has recently been seduced by the very same promotional material and hasn’t got a clue about how to make “the system” work.

But it is duplicatible.  Is that even a word?

In any business, the goal is to create a buzz … honestly and ethically … which becomes a Tsunami wave that ALSO delivers the goods!  While income is desired, greed should not become the guiding force.  George Foreman, the father of the infomercial, had a great idea but internet marketers who employ endless OTOs and limited time offers as tactics have caused people to become heartily skeptical.  That is a lot to overcome when you have something you want to sell on the internet. 

Marketing is a specialized skill.  It takes creativity and vision to develop a brand image that attracts people.  A successful salesperson is both a consultant and a leader. There is a responsibility associated with every leadership position and sales, especially a sales position.  Good leaders follow up and follow through, bottom line.  They share a genuine concern for the group they attract which develops loyalty and creates long-term relationships that are beneficial to everyone involved.

There is such joy in helping people find their way.  If some money comes along as a result, that’s nice too.