Last week I wrote about the Myths of Automated Marketing (http://danniellewood.com/blog/the-myth-of-automated-marketing-systems/). While that post was pretty long, it wasn’t a complete list of the myths (used as sales points) that the inexperienced fall for – believing these things are what will help them succeed with an online or home business. Today, I’m addressing 2 more myths.
Website Provided: These days, there’s not a system out there that DOESN’T provide a website for its affiliates (distributors, representatives, marketers, or marketing executives – whatever term the company uses to refer to its sales force). Most of the time, the site is some form of capture page (also referred to as a squeeze page), where your visitors have to provide their personal information (name, phone number and email address are common) before they can get any details whatsoever. But even if they’re not a capture page, they are still “cookie cutter sites.” Meaning that you and every other person representing that company, product, or service will all have the exact same webpage, with the same content, and the same meta tags. (Meta tags are what search engines use to know what a site is about, so that they can know when to bring it up in the search results for their users.)
What’s wrong with that?
- First of all, do you like putting your personal info into online forms? Sure, it says your info will never be used for any other purpose, nor sold to someone else, nor will possession of that info be abused. But don’t ya hate it when you’ve already forgotten whatever promise they failed to deliver on and they’re still calling or emailing you? If you’ve made a real connection or otherwise established a relation ship with them, regardless of whether or not you decided to work with them, it’s different. But here you are months and years later, and you’re having to opt out of a database that you don’t remember subscribing to.
- Secondly, search engines prefer to show unique content, so are only going to show the longest-running site with that content. If any of them at all! So how are you gonna be found amongst all those other reps who are depending on that same webpage to represent you on the internet? That’s not gonna happen. So, if you’re even thinking about plugging into a system that promises to provide the system and all the content for you, you gotta just know that you’re sabotaging yourself from the start with duplicate content as everyone else who buys that same system! You need unique content.
Marketing Training Provided: Here’s where all systems are not created equal. It’s unfortunate in this age of technology that there are still many companies that either don’t offer any training at all, or the training provided is cursory, at best. And too often, the companies, systems, or teams that attempt to address this issue fully, are apparently teaching the same ineffective techniques as everyone else.
I bet that if you’re one of my fellow online marketers, you’re doing some (if not all) of these:
Trying to be heard over the noise.
- Posting ads on sites such as CraigsList, FreeClassifieds, etc. The only people seeing your ad are you and everybody else looking for free marketing. And do you really expect them to see your ad and decide they want to stop what they’re doing and work with you instead?
- Posting status updates on social networks (facebook, twitter, linkedin, etc.) that don’t even pretend to be anything more than a link to your company site, or an invitation to look at your business. It’s a SOCIAL network. If you’re “all business and no social,” people start tuning you out – if not limiting, stopping, or ignoring all your posts, feeds, or shares. It’s not attractive – and certainly NOT attraction marketing.
- Inviting all your online friends to meet you for a google “hangout” or some such online “event,” which, again, is nothing more than an invitation to look at your business. Do you realize that many of your guests are merely there to find prospects for their businesses?
- Distributing flyers all over town – putting them on cars in parking lots, in mailboxes, on doors in apartments & condos, on power poles, or walking from business door to business door with your business card or brochure in hand. I don’t know about your town, but in my town some of these are illegal. Others dangerous (walking through parking lots, or along city streets). While others, unless you’re a professional talking to other professionals, aren’t really worth the hassle.
- Paying for ads in magazines, newspapers, or online – or joining a co-op for paid ads. Unless you’re a pro, or someone on your co-op is, you’re only gambling money away here. It takes really good headlines and kick-butt sales copy to create a productive ad. Is this a wise use of your money at this point in your career?
While those are all effective to a limited degree, the most responses you’ll get are from reverse-marketers. And to be effective, massive action is required!
First, you have to really dedicate yourself to putting in the time and effort to do the work, be creative about it so that you stand out above the rest, and learn to quickly sort through the tire kickers and time wasters.
Second, you have to be 150% dedicated to sticking to your support team and sticking to the system they have in place to help you succeed. Don’t try to go it alone, re-invent the wheel, or tweak the system. If there’s anyone on your team who’s successful (and that success was created WITH THIS SYSTEM), then the system obviously works, so plug in and don’t deviate.
BE UNIQUE! All that said, the one thing you’ve gotta understand about these two myths is that you still have to be unique. You can’t depend solely on the cookie-cutter company-provided website, and you’ve got to get some outside marketing training from an independent system.
Once you’ve reached a level of success so that you have the funds to reinvest into your business, THEN you can start marketing yourself as a guru, and either get educated on paid advertising, OR pay a pro to do it for you.
In the mean time, plug into a proven system. Such as the “Ultimate Marketer’s Tool Box.” You can find the details here: http://www.GottaHaveAPlanB.com.
