What is marketing?
Wikipedia says: “Marketing is used to identify the customer, to keep the customer and to satisfy the customer. With the customer as the focus of its activities, it can be concluded that marketing management is one of the major components of business management. The evolution of marketing was caused due to mature markets and overcapacities in the last 2-3 centuries. Companies then shifted the focus from production to the customer in order to stay profitable.”
If all of the Internet Marketers adopted this simple strategy, the competition would be overwhelming. But fortunately for us newcomers to Internet Marketing, the old and tired tricks of the “Black Hat” gurus will eventually cause them to just retire to their mansions and yachts while those of us who can implement this plan will have a real shot at success.
The concept is an old one, but it works! Put the customer ahead of all else-sales, profits, the glorious “bottom line.” Yet every day my e-mail inbox fills up with crap. One scam after another. All that these bozos are interested in is how much they can squeeze out of my credit card.
In his report, “Gurus Nightmare,” Alex Jeffreys tells us that we will deal with prospects and customers. The prospects are those folks who search the Internet looking for the answer to a problem. They want, need and deserve useful information. The idea behind article marketing is that you provide useful information to the prospect and he just may become your customer-buying whatever you offer at the end of your article. On the other hand, he may just click off and continue searching for more free information. Sorry folks, that’s just the way it is.
But if we make this prospect a customer and deliver our affiliate product to him, he will either be pleased with himself for finding the answers he was seeking or he will be totally disappointed in the crap he downloaded.
All too many gurus are simply in business to sell you something-with the hope that the you won’t ask for a refund. Since I’ve been a victim several times, having had firsthand experience with this “marketing” tactic, I have gotten a couple of refunds when what I received was a rehash of what even the newest of the newbies knows, or it was just plain rubbish to start with.
Many gurus are constantly at work writing new e-books and slapping together a website to catch the unaware folks like most of us. It isn’t easy to tell from the pitch pages that these characters put up whether this is for real or is it Guru Garbage. The best advice I can offer is research the product and work your business. The gurus tell you what you need to know but seldom tell you HOW to do it. As for me, unless it is Step-By-Step I simply won’t get it.
A trick I learned after being fleeced a time or two was to “Google” the name of the product and/or the author. Wow! Talk about getting good information. Forums, websites, blogs and discussion groups will give you a picture of what this individual and his latest creation is all about. For example: Google the title “Gurus Nightmare,” or author “Alex Jeffreys,” and see what you get.
An old trick many gurus use is to put up a website like, “Harvey Wallbanger’s Marketing Handbook Is a Scam.” Of course the text you read will tell you the exact opposite, but the word “Scam” gets attention. Well if the Guru has to resort to that tactic, be very leery of the product.
If you are sincere about making money on the Internet then stop reading and start writing. Pump out good content and put it on the “Top Article Sites” (Goggle that expression and you’ll find out which sites are on top for traffic).
One of the “White Hat Gurus” sent me a video a short time ago that talks about a woman who makes over $100K per year as an article marketer. The Gurus say she is doing it all wrong! She only publishes on one article site and for this she is richly rewarded.
OK, now the ball is in your court. You can remain a prospect or you can become my valued customer. My goal has changed, based on Alex Jeffreys’ teaching. My goal is to GIVE you information. If you choose to be a customer, I will value your trust. I have devoted one website to presenting Internet product reviews. I only include those products that have real worth. So don’t just dribble the ball, take the shot!
Visit my website and learn more about this fantastic game called Internet Marketing.
HERE’S MY WEBSITE!
Enjoy!
About the Author
Expert author Don Penven is a freelenace writer and professional photographer with locations in Raleigh and Morehead City, NC. His latest assignment is to write complex technical manuals for the manufacturer of criminal investigation equipment.