Why some think IM is a SCAM while a few LAUGH all the way to the bank!

[Travis24]

MOST EVERYTHING MAKES MONEY WHEN YOU LEARN HOW TO MARKET...clickbank, adwords, blogs, seo, list marketing... etc...etc...

EVERYTHING SEEMS LIKE A SCAM WHEN YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO MARKET...

I bet Miles could put up a blog and make money....he could write articles and make money...he could do Adwords and make money...HE KNOWS HOW TO MARKET.

It is my strong belief...that this is the MISSING INGREDIENT!!!! Why newbies get their arses handed to them...time and time again....

When a newbie buys the latest whizzbang course on how to make a million with a blog....he is buying the "frosting" on a cake...before he has a "cake"...

And he fails....thinking blogging don't work and he got SCAMMED AGAIN.

While "Miles" buys the same book...and makes a fortune...because he already knows "how to market"...and bought the book only to learn the "technicals" and a few pointers about "blogging".

This is why books like Affiliate Project X...do not work for a majority of folks...it is all techniques...icing if you will...if you have the cake (marketing knowledge) then you come out with a sweeter cake...but if you DON'T KNOW HOW TO MARKET...all you end up with is a BIG BLOB of frosting....and after you "leech" his landing page and the demand dies down...if you don't know how to market...YOU FEEL SCAMMED YET AGAIN....

Marketing can be incredibly simple!

But like riding a bike you are going to take a few spills until you learn how to balance...

But see that is the rub dudes...

What would you say to a 5 year old that does not know how to "balance" and ride a bike...but wants to buy the $199 video course on "how to half pipe"?

That seems so obvious when we look at it that way...but let the little munchkin buy that video and smear his little rear all over the half-pipe and he'll be screaming I GOT RIPPED OFF...I GOT RIPPED OFF...the whole ambulance ride to the hospital....

My advice...take it or trash it...is:

Find one method suitable to you...focus on that method until you learn how to market...

Understand that marketing broken down to it's simplest form is ALWAYS ABOUT PEOPLE...not clicks...not ctr...not a 1.56 conversion ratio...not an open rate...

IT IS ABOUT PEOPLE:

1. Find a hungry crowd
2. Find out EXACTLY what they are hungry for (STOP GUESSING)
3. Give them EXACTLY what they are hungry for.

Any marketing that fails/succeeds is directly related to that formula...

If you fail...

Your crowd is not hungry enough...
You do NOT UNDERSTAND EXACTLY what they are hungry for...
You are not GIVING them EXACTLY what they are hungry for...

That is a gross simplification...BUT IT IS THE FUNDAMENTALS...just like being a good dribbler is fundamental to basketball...learning to balance is fundamental to bike riding...

If you follow that fundamental...and pick a media that fits your "hungry crowd"...whether it is Adwords, Articles...etc...etc...and keep at it until you LEARN HOW TO MARKET...

You will never look back....

If this has a ring of truth for you...memorize the above "formula"...compare it to what you are doing now...

Are you?

Going to clickbank first (mistake)...guessing what people want (mistake)...and giving them what you THINK they want (mistake)...

Every once in a while you might get lucky...if you got all three ingredients right...the odds of doing that once are not good, but happens...the odds of doing it consistently are about the same odds as a check for $100,000 with your name on it showing up in your mail box by accident.

Do you see how following THAT is going to get you very poor results...I know that is what a majority of newbies do...it is what I USED TO DO... :)

What turned it around for me...was...I was a very successful salesperson offline...because I understood the people I was selling too...I understood exactly what they wanted...and I gave them exactly what they wanted or gave them more of what they wanted than any competitor.

So...after being a dunce for so long...I simply applied my offline knowledge to the online world...

I started and learned HOW TO MARKET online...with articles and AdWords....that is just me...

Also when you are looking for advice from someone...look for advice from someone that you know KNOWS HOW TO MARKET....

If you are going to buy a book...buy a book that will help you understand HOW TO MARKET better...there is TONS of classic books on marketing...that you can buy right at your book store...or read free online...

BUT BEWARE! You have to put your butt in the seat...and actually ride that bike and risk busting your butt....or you will never learn to balance (market)...

Wheew....I feel very strongly about this topic...BUT...these are my opinions...based on my experiences...and from my experience of helping some other folks "learn how to market"...

You are free to come up with your own conclusions...of course.

Happy Holidays,
Travis

[ClayTrainor]

Yea it's true man.

I even thought ur bum marketing course was way over rated, until i learned that i was basically taking the entirely wrong approach.

I now know how to market quite well, and how to find keywords that sell, and no matter what method i use to "target" an audience... it doesnt matter... the most important part is that i know how to target them, the rest is all "icing on the cake" like you said.

[carr11]

Well Put Clay!

[mattb348]

Travis, how do you suggest that we find a hungry crown online, and figure out exactly what they are hungry for??

Last time I checked, most people here (me included) do PPC only, and in that case, you don't even KNOW your audience, you just gather keywords that you think will convert :)

The only way it ISN'T guesswork doing this (atleast for me), is if I listen to what other people are successful with, and then do the same thing. Yes, I still do have to get my own keywords obviously, but I happen to be pretty good at getting effective keywords. But like I said before, this is still based on the assumption that the ppl that do these searches will be "hungry" for the product I'm putting on my fishing pole.... :)

I don't mean to try and discredit you, and you definitely come up with some great ideas (bum marketing), but could you please clarify a bit more? I can see how you can get to know what people want if you are a salesperson offline, and actually get out and talk to people, but how the heck do you do that online? And on top of that, you need ALOT more of an "audience" online VS offline, unless you are selling something that pays like a $1,000 commission or something :)

Maybe I'm missing something here. Please set me straight :)

[reina]

[B]Some think it is a scam because it is a fear of the unknown. They don't fully understand the what to do nor do they posess all the necessary knowledge. They work off the zeal and make unwise decisions, which sadly I must say, I did that in the beging ... and it cost a lot of money.

[Biff_Tiberius_Farnsworth]

Great post Travis. You really should start working on an ebook if you haven't already. You've built up a lot of credibility,

~B

[Biff_Tiberius_Farnsworth]

Travis, how do you suggest that we find a hungry crown online, and figure out exactly what they are hungry for??

Last time I checked, most people here (me included) do PPC only, and in that case, you don't even KNOW your audience, you just gather keywords that you think will convert :)

The only way it ISN'T guesswork doing this (atleast for me), is if I listen to what other people are successful with, and then do the same thing. Yes, I still do have to get my own keywords obviously, but I happen to be pretty good at getting effective keywords. But like I said before, this is still based on the assumption that the ppl that do these searches will be "hungry" for the product I'm putting on my fishing pole.... :)

I don't mean to try and discredit you, and you definitely come up with some great ideas (bum marketing), but could you please clarify a bit more? I can see how you can get to know what people want if you are a salesperson offline, and actually get out and talk to people, but how the heck do you do that online? And on top of that, you need ALOT more of an "audience" online VS offline, unless you are selling something that pays like a $1,000 commission or something :)

Maybe I'm missing something here. Please set me straight :)

Salutations Matt,

I'm considered to be a super affiliate by several vendors and for one, I am their top performing affiliate. I only do PPC for them and I did it by observing and finding the keywords that resonated with the "hungry people". Many people and even vendors themselves have tried to copy my campaigns and all have failed to be successful (so far). I believe it is because they are distracted from targeting those "hungry people" by things like CTR, using keyword tools instead of their brain, etc...

So give it some thought and maybe you'll come up with an angle no one else has thought of :)

~B

[Surfbay]

MOST EVERYTHING MAKES MONEY WHEN YOU LEARN HOW TO MARKET...clickbank, adwords, blogs, seo, list marketing... etc...etc...

EVERYTHING SEEMS LIKE A SCAM WHEN YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO MARKET...

I bet Miles could put up a blog and make money....he could write articles and make money...he could do Adwords and make money...HE KNOWS HOW TO MARKET.

It is my strong belief...that this is the MISSING INGREDIENT!!!! Why newbies get their arses handed to them...time and time again....

When a newbie buys the latest whizzbang course on how to make a million with a blog....he is buying the "frosting" on a cake...before he has a "cake"...

And he fails....thinking blogging don't work and he got SCAMMED AGAIN.

While "Miles" buys the same book...and makes a fortune...because he already knows "how to market"...and bought the book only to learn the "technicals" and a few pointers about "blogging".

This is why books like Affiliate Project X...do not work for a majority of folks...it is all techniques...icing if you will...if you have the cake (marketing knowledge) then you come out with a sweeter cake...but if you DON'T KNOW HOW TO MARKET...all you end up with is a BIG BLOB of frosting....and after you "leech" his landing page and the demand dies down...if you don't know how to market...YOU FEEL SCAMMED YET AGAIN....

Marketing can be incredibly simple!

But like riding a bike you are going to take a few spills until you learn how to balance...

But see that is the rub dudes...

What would you say to a 5 year old that does not know how to "balance" and ride a bike...but wants to buy the $199 video course on "how to half pipe"?

That seems so obvious when we look at it that way...but let the little munchkin buy that video and smear his little rear all over the half-pipe and he'll be screaming I GOT RIPPED OFF...I GOT RIPPED OFF...the whole ambulance ride to the hospital....

My advice...take it or trash it...is:

Find one method suitable to you...focus on that method until you learn how to market...

Understand that marketing broken down to it's simplest form is ALWAYS ABOUT PEOPLE...not clicks...not ctr...not a 1.56 conversion ratio...not an open rate...

IT IS ABOUT PEOPLE:

1. Find a hungry crowd
2. Find out EXACTLY what they are hungry for (STOP GUESSING)
3. Give them EXACTLY what they are hungry for.

Any marketing that fails/succeeds is directly related to that formula...

If you fail...

Your crowd is not hungry enough...
You do NOT UNDERSTAND EXACTLY what they are hungry for...
You are not GIVING them EXACTLY what they are hungry for...

That is a gross simplification...BUT IT IS THE FUNDAMENTALS...just like being a good dribbler is fundamental to basketball...learning to balance is fundamental to bike riding...

If you follow that fundamental...and pick a media that fits your "hungry crowd"...whether it is Adwords, Articles...etc...etc...and keep at it until you LEARN HOW TO MARKET...

You will never look back....

If this has a ring of truth for you...memorize the above "formula"...compare it to what you are doing now...

Are you?

Going to clickbank first (mistake)...guessing what people want (mistake)...and giving them what you THINK they want (mistake)...

Every once in a while you might get lucky...if you got all three ingredients right...the odds of doing that once are not good, but happens...the odds of doing it consistently are about the same odds as a check for $100,000 with your name on it showing up in your mail box by accident.

Do you see how following THAT is going to get you very poor results...I know that is what a majority of newbies do...it is what I USED TO DO... :)

What turned it around for me...was...I was a very successful salesperson offline...because I understood the people I was selling too...I understood exactly what they wanted...and I gave them exactly what they wanted or gave them more of what they wanted than any competitor.

So...after being a dunce for so long...I simply applied my offline knowledge to the online world...

I started and learned HOW TO MARKET online...with articles and AdWords....that is just me...

Also when you are looking for advice from someone...look for advice from someone that you know KNOWS HOW TO MARKET....

If you are going to buy a book...buy a book that will help you understand HOW TO MARKET better...there is TONS of classic books on marketing...that you can buy right at your book store...or read free online...

BUT BEWARE! You have to put your butt in the seat...and actually ride that bike and risk busting your butt....or you will never learn to balance (market)...

Wheew....I feel very strongly about this topic...BUT...these are my opinions...based on my experiences...and from my experience of helping some other folks "learn how to market"...

You are free to come up with your own conclusions...of course.

Happy Holidays,
Travis


:punish:

Years ago, some folk beleived the earth was flat . . . I guess they didn't know any different then. And maybe they had no way to prove otherwise.

Maybe there were those that did not concern themselves . . . one way or the other.

Confusion and ignorance will continue to steer people in the wrong direction !!!

[nebula1]

I want to market

[Travis24]

I want to market

Yeah...hee...hee...you could probably learn me a lesson or three.

Travis

[jburdic]

Travis, i've been impressed with your knowledge and training in this.... "Arena"


keep up the good work man

[Travis24]

Travis, how do you suggest that we find a hungry crown online, and figure out exactly what they are hungry for??

Last time I checked, most people here (me included) do PPC only, and in that case, you don't even KNOW your audience, you just gather keywords that you think will convert :)

The only way it ISN'T guesswork doing this (atleast for me), is if I listen to what other people are successful with, and then do the same thing. Yes, I still do have to get my own keywords obviously, but I happen to be pretty good at getting effective keywords. But like I said before, this is still based on the assumption that the ppl that do these searches will be "hungry" for the product I'm putting on my fishing pole.... :)

I don't mean to try and discredit you, and you definitely come up with some great ideas (bum marketing), but could you please clarify a bit more? I can see how you can get to know what people want if you are a salesperson offline, and actually get out and talk to people, but how the heck do you do that online? And on top of that, you need ALOT more of an "audience" online VS offline, unless you are selling something that pays like a $1,000 commission or something :)

Maybe I'm missing something here. Please set me straight :)

BEYOND AWESOME QUESTION!

This is exactly the questions and answers you should be asking and finding.

Let's talk about this...

It is so much easier this day and age than it was even 15 or 20 years ago to find hungry crowds...

Usually I start with...what are people buying like FREAKIN' CRAZY RIGHT NOW?

(there are dozens and dozens of websites eBay pulse for one...that tell you exactly what is HOT)

or What is all over the news right now?

or What is everyone talking about right now?

Here is a quick example...

We all know GAMING is hot...we see it on the news...we go to ebay pulse and see that xbox, ps2 and nintendo wii are selling like hotcakes...

(hell we could start with that if we wanted)

Now there are also dozens and dozens of GAMING FORUMS. Where gamers talk about WHAT PISSES THEM OFF. What they really like. WHAT THEY CAN'T WAIT TO BUY. What problems they have....and on and on...(THEY ARE TELLING YOU EXACTLY WHAT THEY WANT)

Not only that but there are forums for gamers into PSP...or PS3...and forums for even just a particular game.

I know a newbie who made his first money by hanging out at the World of Warcraft forums...and realizing that there was a common thread to many...many discussions...and realized that he had found A REALLY HUNGRY CROWD....and EXACTLY WHAT THEY WERE HUNGRY FOR... (I won't reveal it because he is a friend of mine.)

There is another fella' making a SIX FIGURE income from MADDEN NFL football game...if you are into that....you probably have ran into his website....

Also Myspace as marketing research....is invaluable for finding out what a certain niche is hungry for...there are hundreds of niches broken down there...

Meetup.com is a place where folks hang out...form groups based on their interests and yammer on about it....

Go to Amazon.com they tell you exactly what books are selling the best...find you a niche...and then go hang out on those forums...and discover what problems those folks are having...what they are talking about....what products they are buying and why.

YOU CAN KNOW A TON ABOUT YOUR MARKET ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU ARE USING PPC!

The way a person types in a keyword...or what keywords they use CAN TELL YOU A TON about who they are...what experience level they are at...how ready to buy they are...

EXAMPLE I see all the time...I will use "make money" because it is a niche we are all familiar with....

COMMON MISTAKE:

Advertisers that use "make money" and drive that traffic to say a landing page talking about how great Affiliate Project X is!

Why is that wrong?

For a ton of reason...

"make money" is typed in by a person who is only beginning his quest...his has probably NO CLUE...what an affiliate is...what adwords is....etc...etc...

That is a person who is probably not ready to buy in the first place...

Can you make money from that person?

Sure!

If you realize what he is really hungry for!!!

Which right now...is FREE INFO...GUIDANCE FROM SOMEONE HE CAN TRUST....

So if you want to advertise on the term "make money"...you would do best by giving him a FREE GUIDE...on all the different ways to make money online...and GET HIM ON A LIST!!!!!!

Build a relationship with him...show him you know what you are doing....and if you don't scam him....he will probably buy many things from you...

Now compare "make money" to the phrase "best adwords guide"....there is a fella who at least knows a little bit about what he wants...and he is using what I call a modifier...which in my experience means he is much later in the BUYING CYCLE...which means he is more likely to BUY RIGHT NOW...

If you give him EXACTLY what he is hungry for...and can make a GOOD case on what the best adwords guides are....

And NEARLY EVERYONE likes a great deal! So give him a SWEET ASS bonus if he buys from you!

I AM SUPER GLAD YOU BROUGHT THAT QUESTION UP!

Try to learn about the people that you are marketing to...learn about WHAT EXACTLY THEY ARE HUNGRY FOR....and you will be amazed...

Use the online resources as research tools...FORUMS ARE GREAT...

Take your niche and go to google and type in

niche +forum

a good place to start is to look at the topics with tons of views and replies.

Will find many forums...

(sometimes you won't find a forum or an ACTIVE FORUM...THAT may be telling you something too.)

Travis

[nebula1]

Yeah...hee...hee...you could probably learn me a lesson or three.

Travis


Can eI tech yoo merkating

[Travis24]

How to know when you are on the right track with your research.

Okay...so I am going to reveal I am somewhat of a nerd...

Remember when you were in school and you studied real hard the night before and the teacher asked a question in class and you were like

"OH...OH...I know...I know...waving your hand furiously in the air."

That is a lot like what it feels like when you find a hungry crowd and exactly what they want...

All of a sudden you know almost exactly how to write your adwords ad...and you know what to put on your landing page...

Now the "REAL TEST" is if they whip out there wallets and purses and buy...or opt-in...

There is no greater feeling in the world! Than when you know you found a hungry crowd...and you were RIGHT about exactly what they are hungry for...and they are giving you their money and you in return are giving them that satisfying meal....

The only greater feeling is knowing that you can do this time and time and again...

Travis

[Evil_Genius]

wow...seems theres more to marketing than meets the eye, thanks Travis
i'm going to put this info to use right away

[hgarcia0509]

Whats Internet Marketing?... :confused: :lol: Help!! Where am I?

H Garcia

[ArtColombia]

This is for me a WoW thread - not only from Travis (my BM mentor - though I have only made one sale so far I AM on his mailing list and taking instruction -as was mentioned here: free info 4 newbs + trust = conversion) - but also from the accompanying comments.

Well done.

Hope to see more glints of gold like this for newbies like myself.

[matchoo77]

Whats Internet Marketing?... :confused: :lol: Help!! Where am I?

H Garcia

Inside Your Google Adwords Accounts ...no? :lol:

[hgarcia0509]

Inside Your Google Adwords Accounts ...no? :lol:

Ahhhhhhh... Thanks mATCHOO!! Bless You... :lol:

H Garcia

[CJ1223]

good post travis, opened my eyes a bit more

[Mpio]

Excellant Post Travis.

All this information is undoubtably very valuable.

However, for anyone who can read in between the lines, you will find out that you can achieve many goals and many dreams not by waving some Magical Wand, but with ALOT of Hard Work and Determination.

This is, and can be a very rewarding Business to get into, but you are going to have to work at it for many, many hours in a day doing a multitude of tasks to achieve the results Travis has achieved.

Make no mistake. This is Work.