Adopting Internet Marketing Technology
Posted by admin on April 15th, 2008
Internet Marketing Reluctance
From my latest round of email, online, and offline discussions I have found that in the personal growth, self-help field (in this case, SelfGrowth “Experts”), there are a large number of people who make their living helping others and who are essentially Internet-illiterate. They know they ’should’ be using the Internet, but they are reluctant or are otherwise slow about adopting it.
I don’t know how many or what percentage of Self-Growth “Experts” are late in embracing Internet technology, but I notice that there are hundreds of SelfGrowth “Expert” pages which have been claimed and named, but which have not had any entries made. And, in our Mastermind group of SelfGrowth “Experts,” our members are often asking each other for how-to advice for their Internet Marketing activities.
I’m just wondering how we can help those in this personal growth & self-help field find ways to improve their business and leverage their expertise for wider distribution of their messages by using technology. Are there ways of using the Internet to get our messages out to more people and would this benefit them?
In conversations they say that they have tried one or two things on the Internet and they have yet to figure out how to make this new-fangled technology work for themselves. So, they continue to orient themselves into their one-to-one and small seminar arena.
Internet Marketing Problems and Concerns
Here is a list of problems and concerns I have recently noticed in this community with respect to adopting Internet technology into their businesses:
- Internet Marketing is confusing for them.
- They do not understand what to do or how to do it.
- The things they have tried did not work.
- They object (emotionally and/or ethically) to many of the popular Internet Marketing techniques.
- They feel overwhelmed by the complexity that seems inherent in the Internet in general and in Internet Marketing in particular.
- They are afraid they will lose the one-to-one personal connection with their clients.
- They do not see the benefit in using Internet Marketing, because their calendar is already full.
I’m developing another video to talk about this aspect of the SelfGrowth Expert community. Maybe by working together, we can all help each other improve our impact on the world. I think that by using the Internet we can grow our individual impact.
Comment About Internet and Internet Marketing
Will you use the Comment link at the bottom of this post to expand all of our understanding of this issue? Whether you are successful with Internet Marketing or not, will you tell us about it?
- With respect to using the Internet, what have you tried that worked and that didn’t work?
- Do you think that you ’should’ be using the Internet for getting your message out?
- Do you think that Internet Marketing is helping your personal growth / self-help business?
- In addition to the list of problems and concerns I showed before, what are your problems and concerns with Internet Marketing?
- On an Expertise scale of 1 to 10 (where 10 is “Internet guru,” and 1 is “have trouble turning on my computer”), what is your current level of Expertise with computers and using the Internet for your business?
- If you decided to improve your level of computer expertise, what form of learning traditionally works best for you: classroom, video, mentor, individual projects, group projects, one teacher or multiple teachers, demos, trial-&-error? Please explain situations with computers and Internet where your learning was successful.
- Is there anything else you think is important about this topic of adopting Internet Marketing for your business, or Internet Marketing in general?
Rodger Bailey
PS: Comment now while you are still here. I’m listening.
PS: If this topic interests you, please Join The Conversation.
expert pages helping others internet marketing internet technology mastermind group offline discussions personal growth self reluctance self growth
April 15th, 2008 at 10:50 am
1. - teleclasses work well for me; I haven’t figured out the ebook selling YET.
2. - I WANT to use internet marketing. It is part of my life and work change and internet marketing is growing. Anyone who sells something likely sees that.
3. - Yes; I’ve met many helpful individuals, purchased several helpful courses and sat in on some excellent teleclasses.
4. - Staying focused is something I work on regularly. In this case, focused on internet marketing.
5. - I’d rank myself an 8 on your computer savvy scale.
6. - It’s not my computer expertise to improve. It is exactly the topic you are talking about here: my internet marketing know-how.
Pat Weber, Sales Accelerator Coach
Specializing for Introverts, Shy and Reluctant
http://www.prostrategies.com
Are you a thermometer or thermostat during recession talk?
Listen to my podcast at http://salesacceleratorcoachforintroverts.mypodcast.com/
April 15th, 2008 at 11:15 am
Rodger:
Internet marketing is not the easiest thing for me. But I work at it. In answer to question 2 — yes, I should be working at it, and I am. One way, I work at it is to comment on blog posts.
To answer another question, I think I am about a “6″ on a 1 to 10 scale when it comes to internet marketing expertise.
I am launching my new book “Straight Talk for Success” next Tuesday (April 22). I am in the process of finishing up my internet launch campaign. I would appreciate it if you and your readers would purchase my book on Amazon.com on April 22 — to help me drive it to the top of the Amazon.com best seller list –for that one day at least. I will let you know how this campaign works.
You are writing a series of interesting posts. Keep up the good work.
Bud Bilanich
April 15th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
Thanks to Rodger for starting this dialogue. Reading his synopses of comments, it feels like he has already interviewed me in depth — I share so many of the thoughts and feelings of others.
I am a professional speaker and writer and pretty good at both. Yet I am lucky to make $30K a year at it. I worked hard to create a good speaker’s website (www.johngrahamspeaker.org) and another site for my new memoir (www.sitdownyoungstranger.com) but I don’t think anybody comes to either one. I simply don’t have the time to spend the “one hour a day” the “experts” say one must spend to keep a blog current. And I totally resist this SEO stuff as pandering– and I also realize that I will never be able to develop the expertise in SEO to outwit or even stay abreast of the millions of energetic 20-somethings who spend all day at it.
I could easily create some nice podcasts based on my books, but since I haven’t sold a single CD online so far, I wonder why I should go to the trouble of creating podcasts anyway?
An online newsletter? Well, I do have a pretty good list now of about 1,000 email addresses — but I gather one needs 50,000 in order to start making any real money online. When I do post one of my political opinion pieces, it gets great play - often picked up by dozens or hundreds of other sites, some major — but it never has led to significant book or speech sales.
Now here’s the good news. The old fashioned ways still work! I did a lecture/book reading for a small audience of 50 last Sunday — I sold almost $800 worth of books and created 50 terrific fans. There’s a lesson here.
However — I’m still buried in all of this advice to “go Web 2.0″ and I feel frustrated that I can’t (or wont’) do it successfully. Is these some sensible middle ground?
John Graham
April 17th, 2008 at 12:18 am
Rodger,
Thank you for addressing this issue. I’ve been following the mastermind blog without ever posting and came to your site to watch the video.
1. I have tried a “viral e-mail” encouraging people that I know personally to make our website their homepage and to pass the message on to people who they know personally and believe would be interested. This generated little to no response. Nearly a year later, I’ve concluded that our marketing is going to have to be in person and person to person. Our internet sales have come exclusively through people who went to the sales page because they wanted to buy a Token of Change.
2. I think that we need to find another way to get the message out and then support that message online, so that after people hear about us they can find us online.
3. I think an internet presence reinforces my message and builds credibility. Someone hears about Socratic Parenting or Token of Change and then googles it and finds my websites.
4. I’m not ready to make a financial investment in internet marketing that may or may not pay for itself in sales.
5. I’d rate myself around a 5…I set up my own websites (tokenofchange.com and socraticparenting.com) as well as my husband’s website (grayandfriend.com) without assistance through register.com.
6. I like to learn on my own time at my own convenience, while my family is at work/school or sleeping. Individual projects, demos and trial-and-error seem to be the most convenient for me. I’ve never had any computer class or formal training regarding the internet.
7. If there is a way to market successfully over the internet that does not require a financial investment with no guaranteed returns, I’d be interested in learning more about it.
Thank you,
Laurie A. Gray
April 17th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
1. I have tried posting ads on sites that offer free postings. I received a small increase in traffic to my site, however, it primarily resulted in spam emails.
2. I do believe that the Internet is a powerful way to get your message out to your market if it is done properly. It is another tool to help you with sales and marketing.
3. Yes, I have learned a lot over the years about Internet Marketing. There have been a lot of baby steps for me and this year I want to use more focused marketing strategies to take an even big step with my website.
4. I haven’t been able to better automate my efforts.
5. I would say I am a 7.
6. Video, individual projects, demos, mentor. I have found that mentoring has been the best source of increasing my knowledge of Internet Marketing. It has enabled me to learn faster about ways to better market my business online.
7. I agree with the ideas you expressed in your video presentation. There seems to be a consistent approach of using low winded sales letters with fancy bold text and lots of promises.
I have found that the businesses online that have got my attention are ones that focus on try to build a relationship with me before trying to using a old fashioned way of selling me a product.
I have over ten years of sales experience and one of the most important skills in sales is understanding your customer before discussing the product. In order to do this, you have to have an effective conversation with your client to better understand their needs. I see that the use of video, audio, interactive tools and blogging are allowing this to happen online.
Aaron Solly
Author of “100% of What You Want in Life is Between Your Ears”
www.BetweenYourEars.ca
“Anything and everything you want in life
is attainable by using that thing between your ears.”
April 17th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Hi Rodger and All,
RE: WANTED: DHARMIC INTERNET WIZARD…
I am one of those people you mentioned who opened an “Expert”page and have nothing on it. I am a “late adopter” of internet use for my topic, Empathy.
I was an “early adopter” of self-help and spiritual evolution in the 80’s. I still have MUCH to teach and share, my material is current, very practical, and in demand in the business world, healthcare arena, and personal-relationship sectors. I have also had time to develop almost thirty years of case studies and have written much material about this topic.
I DO have the trademark “Empathy International” and all associated domain names to launch it under. As I no longer want a business model that includes constant travel, I want to teach on the internet. What I DON’T have is a brain style that can cope with complexity on the internet AND hold the “energetic agility” required to successfully convey my material.
What I really want is someone to whom I can hand the ENTIRE responsibility of designing-for-marketing, building, launching, and maintaining “Empathy International”’s presence on the web.
So far, it sounds like nothing is available but a do-it-yourself approach. Where are the super-smart college graduates who can do the entire “INTERNET DANCE” IN THEIR SLEEP AND THEN GET UP AND EAT BREAKFAST WHILE SURFING THE NET? Where are the DHARMIC INTERNET WIZARDS? This is such a great business op, I hope SOMEONE is doing this and I just don’t know where to look.
SUGGESTIONS FOR FINDING MY “INTERNET WIZARD”?
Thanks, Sterling Fairchild
sgfairchild@mac.com
April 18th, 2008 at 11:48 pm
1. With respect to the Internet, what I tried that didn’t work was keyword advertising. Writing articles and blog posts has worked, although not in a huge way. Having a website definitely helps.
2. I definitely think I should be using the Internet; the idea appeals to me.
3. I think the Internet helps my business, but not sure that ‘internet marketing’ per se has helped all that much.
4. I think I have a lot of resistance to what I sense is either an approach that doesn’t feel totally ethical or that seems annoying, blatant, and not my style. Internet marketers can be as bad as telemarketers IMHO.
5. Expertise level 4.
6. I think I learn best when I have a project to do and someone to show me how to do it. I need a specific motivation.
7. I think the Internet is a wonderful tool for allowing people from all over the world to connect and get access to resources and information they wouldn’t otherwise have a chance to access. But I would like to figure out a way to combine that idealistic enthusiasm with earning a sustainable living!
April 22nd, 2008 at 5:36 pm
1. With respect to using the Internet, what have you tried that worked and that didn’t work?I have blog that uses a very advanced platform with proprietery plug ins. I have page 1 rankings in Google for many terms in the addiction recovery area. I have significant traffic.Pay per click is out of the question. Treatment centers with no marketing knowledge and big budgets make keywords $5-15/ click.I have written over 70 articles in my field that generate traffic.
2. Do you think that you ’should’ be using the Internet for getting your message out? My J.O.B caseload is 6. I reach about 12,000/month on the net.
3.Do you think that Internet Marketing is helping your personal growth / self-help business? Yes.
4.In addition to the list of problems and concerns I showed before, what are your problems and concerns with Internet Marketing? “The next new thing”
5.On an Expertise scale of 1 to 10 (where 10 is “Internet guru,” and 1 is “have trouble turning on my computer”), what is your current level of Expertise with computers and using the Internet for your business? Probably 8 or 9 in knowhow. Problem being not having product, but I finally have one created and am getting ready to launch and look for affiliates and JV partners in the near future
6.If you decided to improve your level of computer expertise, what form of learning traditionally works best for you: classroom, video, mentor, individual projects, group projects, one teacher or multiple teachers, demos, trial-&-error? Please explain situations with computers and Internet where your learning was successful. Undoubtedly screen capture videoes presented in a course over time.
7.Is there anything else you think is important about this topic of adopting Internet Marketing for your business, or Internet Marketing in general? Yes it is consistent effort over time that gets results. How did I get on page ranked on page 1 of Google for 56,000,000? By spending an hour or 2 each and every night creating content and links.
Bill Urell
http://addictionrecoverybasics.com/
April 23rd, 2008 at 11:06 am
Hi Roger I will comment on each of the following:
Internet Marketing is confusing for them- There is a lot of disinformation out there as well as just a lot of information period. And to ask someone to do or learn THAT on top of trying to earn a living is a challenge. I would recommend trying to automate as many functions as possible.
They do not understand what to do or how to do it- One of the great tools out there are forums. Forums work in a myriad of ways but one of the best features of forums is that everything is archived.
The things they have tried did not work- Ask yourself why? And were you convinced that it would succeed in the first place. What were your expectations?
They object (emotionally and/or ethically) to many of the popular Internet Marketing techniques-The idea is to grab eyeballs, but there are ethical ways to go about doing what needs to get done.
They feel overwhelmed by the complexity that seems inherent in the Internet in general and in Internet Marketing in particular. Internet marketing can be done by the amateur, but when would you have time to run your business? Ineternet marketing is a subset of your business and as such there is nothing wrong with outsourcing certain aspects. It does not need to be a big time suck.
They are afraid they will lose the one-to-one personal connection with their clients-You keep that connection using the various tools such as a personal blog, email, IM and forums, all of which can be done for little or no expense of time or resources.
They do not see the benefit in using Internet Marketing, because their calendar is already full- Thats a copout. Internet Marketing is as much a part of the fabric of doing business as fax machines were in their heydey.
The key is to trust someone or to find someone that can actually educate them. There seems to be a disconnect on what the internet can do for them, and how they can go about doing it without bleeding them dry.
April 23rd, 2008 at 10:52 pm
1.With respect to using the Internet, what have you tried that worked and that didn’t work?
Still relatively new, so for what my opinion is worth:
I have found PPC works well if your headline includes the exact words the searcher entered. Having a blog as well as a website seems to work quite well with a lot of my traffic coming to my website from my blog.
Do you think that you ’should’ be using the Internet for getting your message out?
Yes I do.
Do you think that Internet Marketing is helping your personal growth / self-help business?
Yes. My business model revolves around getting my message out over the internet.
In addition to the list of problems and concerns I showed before, what are your problems and concerns with Internet Marketing?
None. I think in the personal development industry that the internet is a great way to get the tools out there for a relatively cheap price. It allows anyone to be able to afford to get information on improving their lives (specially as a lot of the info is free)
On an Expertise scale of 1 to 10 (where 10 is “Internet guru,” and 1 is “have trouble turning on my computer”), what is your current level of Expertise with computers and using the Internet for your business?
I’d say 5-6, but improving all the time.
If you decided to improve your level of computer expertise, what form of learning traditionally works best for you: classroom, video, mentor, individual projects, group projects, one teacher or multiple teachers, demos, trial-&-error? Please explain situations with computers and Internet where your learning was successful.
I find that having someone explain the basics and then giving places where I can read more about it is helpful. For example, RSS, for some reason I am finding it a difficult concept to understand. I have it on my website and blog and I get a lot of hits to the RSS page but I’ve got no idea if people are subscribing to it or what’s going on.
Is there anything else you think is important about this topic of adopting Internet Marketing for your business, or Internet Marketing in general?
Not that I can think of right now. Probably need a bit more experience before I can suggest something intelligent.
April 28th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
Hi Rodger,
Three years ago I had exactly the same thoughts as John Graham and maybe it runs in the Graham Clan heritage. If you’ve ever heard the “EST” guru’s comment “I used to be different and now I’m the same,” that’s me. After I read the Eisenberg’s book “Call To Action” I realized the Internet levels the competitive playing field for any online venture. It’s not necessary to spend lots of time learning everything, just the specific computer programs you need to roll. And, the process of STARTING will tell you what is needed next.
Being on page #400 on Google didn’t keep me from getting a few customers. Finding the values of keywords on the Internet in my mind triggered my motivation to continue and expanded my addiction to Internet Marketing etc.
Optimization, ranking, linking, conversion, and all the other components of Internet work are simply productive side effects of just starting to do something. Fear of failure is an emotion which holds anyone back. I have never met any successful people who haven’t had some failures along the way.
Perhaps John Graham remembers the first time he casually strolled up on the stage for a lecture—each time up there made it easier, and he must have spent the time to hone his speeches to a fine tuned presentation. We all do that when we start.
If you don’t spend the time–you don’t get the dime.
Curt Graham, M.D.
CEO, L & C Internet Enterprises, Inc.
http://www.healthcare-toolbox.com
Self Growth Guide–Health Education