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The Most Overlooked Word In Internet Marketing Is...

by sal64
17 replies
Marketing!

After working with fellow warriors in 2010, it's the one aspect of the business that the majority seem to pay the least attention to.

I also see many threads here about all sorts of topics, but not too many about marketing... or more specifically... a marketing plan.

Maybe people just don't want to talk about it, but from the ones I have worked with, most don't give it much thought. It's been said time and again that you can have the best product, but if your marketing sucks, it won't sell.

And let me be honest... I'm as guilty as sin at times, of not doing things on a regular basis. I'm talking about emailing your list, pre-planning the year ahead with promo dates and so on.

We are first and foremost: marketers. But do we market enough?

So are you more focussed on product creation and the latest widget? Or do you devote a fair amount of time into the marketing?

Feel free to share.
#internet #marketing #overlooked #word
  • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
    I've been guilty of being less methodical than I probably should have, which is weird for a former engineer. On the other hand, as an enthusiastic angler, I have a high attraction for shiny objects.

    I used to carry a 30# tackle box, with just about every lure under the sun - in multiple sizes and colors. I finally got the point after fishing with a couple of very successful pro guides. Both had tackle boxes about the size of a small town phone book, and both caught a ton of fish.

    The same lesson can be applied to Internet Marketing. Know your "water" intimately, stick to things proven to work while allowing for experimentation, and plan what you'll do.

    Most of the really successful guides I've fished with and spoken with over the years keep detailed notes. They can look at those notes and tell you where they'll likely be taking clients in six months, with options for different conditions.
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  • Profile picture of the author bizman413
    First and foremost I focus on my squeeze page. I want to make sure that is good enough to promote. Then I start focusing on marketing and getting traffic. I have yet to launch a huge product, but that's just my 2 cents.
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    • Profile picture of the author Ross Vegas
      This is a huge annoyance I've always had about this niche.

      The problem is that a lot of people came into "internet marketing" via hard knocks or learning from low cost products. They simply have no idea about the fundamentals.

      Unfortunately, what gets labeled "internet marketing" in this weird niche of ours, is not actually marketing at all. It's for the most part how to make a buck using techniques and tactics.

      Why? Because those are the most convenient to sell and or giveaway, and therefore the most widespread knowledge. We know about squeeze pages, email lists, popups, and articles, but haven't the slightest idea about positioning, segmenting, pricing, and targeting to say the least.

      An actual product covering the depth of marketing and strategic marketing planning would be so immense a task that costs could hardly be justified. Not to mention, few would sift through the entire course material in order to gain anything from it. Most that have a deep understanding of marketing have been immersed and studying it for years. It's a very complicated field.

      One of my personal goals for 2011 is to try and integrate more intelligent discussions about marketing into the niche. I'm not convinced there's a strong demand for it, but we'll see.
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      • Profile picture of the author sal64
        Originally Posted by Ross Vegas View Post

        This is a huge annoyance I've always had about this niche.

        The problem is that a lot of people came into "internet marketing" via hard knocks or learning from low cost products. They simply have no idea about the fundamentals.

        Unfortunately, what gets labeled "internet marketing" in this weird niche of ours, is not actually marketing at all. It's for the most part how to make a buck using techniques and tactics.

        Why? Because those are the most convenient to sell and or giveaway, and therefore the most widespread knowledge. We know about squeeze pages, email lists, popups, and articles, but haven't the slightest idea about positioning, segmenting, pricing, and targeting to say the least.

        An actual product covering the depth of marketing and strategic marketing planning would be so immense a task that costs could hardly be justified. Not to mention, few would sift through the entire course material in order to gain anything from it. Most that have a deep understanding of marketing have been immersed and studying it for years. It's a very complicated field.

        One of my personal goals for 2011 is to try and integrate more intelligent discussions about marketing into the niche. I'm not convinced there's a strong demand for it, but we'll see.
        I agree that not enough emphasis is put on marketing. After all, it is boring to most. But the bottom line is that if you don't market, you don't get paid.

        Whilst not mutually exclusive, I think that people confuse internet marketing with selling things on the internet.

        A methodical approach to promotion is required. That entails building a list, building a relationship with that list and making valuable offers to that list on a regular basis.

        Even something as simple as a WSO requires constant attention to make sure it pays off (especially now that the price is $40).

        Setting up a funnel might take some time and planning, but it will reap rewards for you in the long run.

        My goal for 2011 is to really knock my autoresponder into shape so that everyone who joins will automatically receive the same series of emails and promotions.
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  • Profile picture of the author sarahberra
    Wow! I never really thought about that. Good points!
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  • Profile picture of the author paulie888
    I totally agree how marketing is pretty much overlooked in the quest for the next bright and shiny new object.

    With that said, it must be emphasized that marketing is not synonymous with advertising, though some people may use the terms interchangeably. The formal definition of marketing includes everything from product conception all the way to the final sale, and obviously this would include product pricing (and even product creation), the sales copy, sales funnel, autoresponder messages, etc.

    Marketing is actually a pretty fascinating subject when you appreciate it in its entirety, and definitely is a complex and ever-changing sum of all the moving parts within it. It's shame then that so many marketers tend to focus on only a few individual aspects at a time, instead of taking an integrated and holistic approach toward it.
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    • Profile picture of the author sal64
      Originally Posted by paulie888 View Post

      I totally agree how marketing is pretty much overlooked in the quest for the next bright and shiny new object.

      With that said, it must be emphasized that marketing is not synonymous with advertising, thought some people may use the terms interchangeably. The formal definition of marketing includes everything from product conception all the way to the final sale, and obviously this would include product pricing (and even product creation), the sales copy, sales funnel, autoresponder messages, etc.

      Marketing is actually a pretty fascinating subject when you appreciate it in its entirety, and definitely is a complex and ever-changing sum of all the moving parts within it. It's shame then that so many marketers tend to focus on only a few individual aspects at a time, instead of taking an integrated and holistic approach toward it.

      And that's probably the key. Look at any mega-successful person and you'll see a strategy that encompasses everything you mention... from audience survey to product creation, to promotion and to keeping in touch via email.
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      • Profile picture of the author paulie888
        Originally Posted by sal64 View Post

        And that's probably the key. Look at any mega-successful person and you'll see a strategy that encompasses everything you mention... from audience survey to product creation, to promotion and to keeping in touch via email.
        Marketing by definition would also include testing and tracking your conversions (and split testing), and this is probably one of the most unglamorous areas in internet marketing. Ironically, it is the one thing that could catapult your business into the stratosphere by multiplying your profits tremendously, if you implement it correctly!
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        • Profile picture of the author sal64
          Originally Posted by paulie888 View Post

          Marketing by definition would also include testing and tracking your conversions (and split testing), and this is probably one of the most unglamorous areas in internet marketing. Ironically, it is the one thing that could catapult your business into the stratosphere by multiplying your profits tremendously, if you implement it correctly!
          Very true. Maybe that's why not many focus on it?

          I mean let's be honest.. I don't exactly wake up every day and say: Woo Hoo, I'm gonna tweak my headline today... yippee!

          I had the pleasure of running a coaching site for a guru out of the IM field. And he was meticulous in making sure that everything was on auto-pilot.

          For example, he had a 4 week ecoaching program and it automatically launched every 90 days - 3 times per year.

          He charged $497 and always sold out 50 places. So he knew almost to a tee what his income would be. And that's just one example. So basically, he knew how he was going to achieve his 1/2 million income target for the year.

          This thread is more a reminder to oneself to extract the digit in this area... and a timely reminder to others IMO.

          I see too many thread titles on here asking how to make $1k per month or similar. Yet no one really looks at the strategic side of things. People pigeonhole things into revenue opportunities such as adsense or aff marketing. when as you suggest, you need a wholistic approach.

          Or dare I say it... start with the end in mind.

          And yet with a bit of brainstorming and planning, you can quickly build to that income target.
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  • Profile picture of the author Az Ozegbe
    Marketing is the key.It is said that not until you make sale,you are not yet in business.Even if you have the best product or service in the world and people don't get to know about it through proper marketing,it is nonsense.
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    • Profile picture of the author sal64
      And so we have a legit thread about boosting business revenue with only 12 replies (6 of them mine).

      Yet another thread complaining about squeeze pages has 40 replies.

      Go figure.
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      • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
        Originally Posted by sal64 View Post

        I agree that not enough emphasis is put on marketing. After all, it is boring to most. But the bottom line is that if you don't market, you don't get paid.
        Sal, I'm not even sure it's boredom. I think that people confuse "marketing" with the nuts and bolts. They prefer talking about the nuts and bolts, because it's something finite - something they can wrap their heads around.

        That's how my fishing epiphany worked. On one trip, I asked the guide what he had planned. He told me he was going to take me to some spots where I could catch some fish.

        I asked him if we could spend the day with me learning how to find my own spots and catch my own fish. You should have seen his eyes light up! We spent the day with me learning about tides and cuts and potholes and current and bait and water clarity and temperature and a bunch of other things. We spent about five minutes on tackle.

        His most effective fish catching rig was a piece of clear leader tied to the end of the line, a small yet wicked sharp hook, and a live, squirming baitfish allowed to react naturally when placed in harm's way.

        Once you understood the quarry and what made it tick, actually catching them was almost guaranteed. Catching something was, in some instances, actually part of the guarantee.

        Yet at just about every fishing seminar I go to, the first question asked is almost always "what lure should I use?" The answer is always 'in the right circumstances, any halfway decent lure will work - in the wrong circumstances, it doesn't matter because nothing will work'.

        Most of the so-called marketers you described in your original post are like my guide friend's normal clients. They want someone to take them fishing, hook the fish and let them reel it in so they can say they caught something.

        They want to hit the WSO forum or Clickbank or wherever, enter their Paypal or credit card info, and have someone put a working money maker in their hands with a minimum effort on their part. So they talk about the mechanical things like squeeze pages and back links and such, the same way anglers talk about fishing gear.
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  • Profile picture of the author E. Brian Rose
    I think the most overlooked word in Internet marketing is keting. Tern is often overlooked too.
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  • Profile picture of the author tecHead
    I agree, (as well), that "marketing" (in its fullest and taught sense) is overlooked by many an online "businessperson", but its not the only essential piece of the business puzzle that is heavily overlooked.

    Business principles in general; (as taught in business & accounting college courses); are overlooked and more so misunderstood by the masses. Principles that have fueled the International business world since the industrial revolution.

    One of my biggest pet peeves with 85% of the businesses that I consult is how much they overlook Accounting & Finance and how by paying close attention to that data; (once its religiously collected, that is); running analysis tests on it and studying the results to find even the most minute tweaks can exponentially grow their bottom line. AUAUGHGH!! Makes my blood boil just typing about it, lol

    OK, I have to go calm myself down, now...
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Originally Posted by tecHead View Post

      One of my biggest pet peeves with 85% of the businesses that I consult is how much they overlook Accounting & Finance and how by paying close attention to that data; (once its religiously collected, that is); running analysis tests on it and studying the results to find even the most minute tweaks can exponentially grow their bottom line. AUAUGHGH!! Makes my blood boil just typing about it, lol

      OK, I have to go calm myself down, now...
      You mean like this?

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      • Profile picture of the author tecHead
        Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

        LOL... dork
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        • Profile picture of the author sal64
          I honestly believe that the lack of business focus is born out of the way the whole IM dream is sold... ie it's easy etc. Make money in your underwear. Otherwise the noobs wouldn't buy into it. But that's another thread on it's own.

          As stated previously, we are marketers first and foremost. Everything else is a by-product of that.

          To take the fishing analogy further, it would be fair to say that if you want to catch fish all year long, then it pays to know where the fish will be in each season, and the best way to get to them in advance.
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