Unless you’ve been living under a rock lately, you know the world of “internet marketing” is going down and it’s going down FAST!
Why is this happening?
INSIDE PERSPECTIVE
First, I have a unique perspective inside this strange world.
I’ve been online since 1998 (before youtube and before facebook!) and I personally know just about every big “player” in the industry. Some are good peeps who really care about helping their clients. And others…. well – let’s just say if you have nothing nice to say about someone, don’t say anything.
I’ve spoken at dozens of big marketing events and have been behind the scenes of multi-million dollar launches.
So everything I’m about to tell you is from first hand experience, not from someone just sitting on the sideline and making bitter accusations like a jilted lover.
Also, just a quick disclaimer. I am not perfect. Never claimed to be. I’ve screwed up so many times I’ve lost count and will continue to screw up. So this is not a way to say I’m better than anyone else – it’s just an inside view from a guy who’s seen it all and just tries to do the right thing.
SHORT TERM THINKING
Many “gurus” built their business with a short term perspective. It made sense – the more offers you mail your list, the more money you make. So, you keep hitting your list over and over again until they either buy or unsubscribe.
And it worked – for years.
After all, it was easy to refill your bucket with new leads.
Google didn’t mind squeeze pages. Clicks and leads were pretty cheap.
But things started to change…
Suddenly Google didn’t like squeeze pages anymore and just about every niche market started getting more competitive.
Leads was quickly becoming more expensive. And the lists were getting burned out quickly.
And in order to make the math work for the more expensive leads work, you had to create more expensive products.
THE $2K PRODUCT
During the heyday, the $2K product became the norm in the online marketing world.
Just have a bunch of your buddies mail your $2k offer, you get $1k and he get’s a $1k commission. Life was great.
UNTIL.. people stopped buying the $2k products. The economy changed and people caught onto the game.
What used to be a $2 million dollar launch is now $100K (still good money, but not when you hire 20 staff and spend the rest like MC Hammer in the 90s!).
Oops!
NO TRUST
Now, your list is shrinking and you can no longer rely on the big launch paydays.
But you’re in really big trouble because even your subscribers no longer trust you.
They KNOW you only mail offers because you either owe someone a reciprocal mailing OR it pays a good commission.
It doesn’t matter if the product is good or crap.
But, your customers care. And if you don’t look out for them.. your in BIG trouble. So now, even your “internal launches” bomb.
And since these guys are “teaching” so many other people how to copy their “success”… it’s no wonder why so many people are struggling to make money online.
THE FIX IS SIMPLE
It’s amazing how simple the fix is.
And it has nothing to do with bullshit push-button software, automatic blogging, or automated comment posting.
It’s getting back to basics and it takes a little bit of work (I know, that’s a dirty word!).
Here’s a simplified blueprint…
- Find a targeted niche and be the best in that market
- Create a blog with really good content (never be boring)
- Be open, honest and transparent. ALWAYS.
- Create irresistible offers (digital products, continuity programs, etc.)
- Build relationships and continue to market every single day
- Never choose short term profits if it will ruin your credibility (in other words, STOP promoting crappy products just for a commission!)
- Protect your subscribers like you would protect your own children.
Don’t just email your list when you have something to sell them.
Don’t stay away for a month then suddenly start mailing them with a “pre-launch” they can see coming from a mile away.
Trust me.. when you start to actually CARE about your subscribers.. marketing becomes very, very easy.
It’s the reason a “new breed” of marketers (like my friends Marie Forleo, Chris Farrell, Lewis Howes, Jason Fladlien, David Risley, etc.) are thriving while so many old-school marketers are dropping like flies.
STOP thinking like a marketer.. and start communicating like a trusted friend (yes, you can quote me on that one!)
P.S. Want my 21-day blueprint. Grab my book here. (you didn’t think I’d forget a little plug for myself, did you?)
P.P.S. I have, what might be, my final program coming in a few weeks. It’s a game changer and one that will make all the other marketers who are on shaky ground even more nervous. There’s nothing more dangerous than someone who has nothing to lose :)
As always, add your UNCENSORED and UNEDITED comments below.
Great article Ryan and as usual very true and too the point, like you I am so fed up with all of the BS 1 click profit systems that seem to be launced every day on CB, these guys are only interested in the quick sale to naive newbees who don’t know any better, having said that there are great ways to market and make money online as you and I both know, anyway I’m waffling here, thanks again and take care.
PS I’m a big hugger too – hope to meet soon.
John Robbins
Good stuff, Ryan. I like the “getting back to basics” message. It really boils down to “being real.”
AWESOME post Ryan! Very inspiring and so simple. And best of all, if you are willing to put in the work success is imminent…the work part eliminates at least 90% of the population :) Love it! You’re the man Ryan!
As always, Ryan…Great advice, NO BS, and Keepin’ it REAL!
Ryan,
The meat of your message is clear and it’s the Platinum Rule (hey… I still like the Golden Rule, but I prefer the PLATINUM Rule): Do Unto Others As THEY What Things Done (not how YOU want things done).
Find out what people want and then help them get it. Heck, Zig Ziglar said it another way (something like YOU can have everything you want as long as you help OTHERS get what THEY want). Ask what people want and help them.
And talk to people the way we used to when I was a kid living in suburbia with backyards that touched other people’s back yards. Talk over the fence wasn’t “buy my crap,” it was about how the kids were doing, what did the Phillies do last night, how is your 1968 VW Beadle treating you?
And finally remember this: only YOU can prevent forest fires and only YOU can preserve your own reputation. When we brand ourselves, it’s not the color of our website, the logo on our products or stationery, nor the font we choose. Nope… it’s who we are and how we act and react to everything in life. When we give good service, people talk about it. When we give BAD service, people talk about it MORE.
Life is a series of singles, not just a few home runs… and tomorrow the game continues.
Best,
Charlie Seymour Jr
http://CreateYourOwnLegendNow.com
Hi Ryan,
Very good post as usual, I am always impressed with your real and caring messages. I have thought so long that the flashy game would end sometime. The only reason I stay on a list these days is because I can sense a real caring from the list owner and they treat me like I am a friend and not just another number.
Thank you again for your sage advice!
Lee Erickson
Evermore Ventures
Hey John,
People still sell the 1-click crap because people still buy it.
It’s frustrating as hell, but we’ll just stay on the right track and keep pushing ahead.
You CAN make money ethically.
I know.. big shocker :)
Ryan
Thanks Bill.
Always “keepin’ in real”
-Ryan
As always… real, true, honest and insightful commentary from a guy who really knows and cares about his subscribers. This isn’t just stuff that Ryan says because it sounds good… he lives it and is successful because of it – but for most of you on his list for any amount of time – you probably already know that. As always… thanks for the great advice. ;-)
I agree with everything you say trust and credibility is everything, people that sold you one product and then endorse a similar one a few months later leaves you, thinking did you actually ever use either one, and then what kind of guru are you.
The only thing I might disagree with you on, is just emailing your list when you have little or nothing to say. I don’t really care that you had dinner in NYC last night, and the more frequently i receive emails that have little content of value,the closer my finger gets to the unsubscribe button. I think a lot of gurus are just exhibitionist at heart.
Finding the right balance of frequency and content is the real question. Stay relevant and always add value to maintain your credibility.
I have unsubscribed from everyone elses list but continue with you Ryan because you keep it real. Thanks for being honest and transparent.
I’ve been getting a rash of emails from you for the digital marketer, Ryan, and have been asking to be removed from that list but still stay on your purchasers list because I own Mobile Local Fusion and I want to be able to get updates from you but I’m flooded with your partners digital marketer offers and now your ongoing email series but I don’t even get a response and I’m still getting emails.
And this was the latest one: Ever wish you could just MAKE a JV partner mail for you and pay them whatever you thought was fair?
How does that square with this article?
Thanks Billy.
And YOU da man!
I appreciate your support Cathy.
Ryan
Charlie,
I love the baseball “singles” metaphor.
You can still get into the hall of fame hitting lots of singles and doubles (Wade Boggs, Rod Carew, Tony Gwynn, etc.)
Ryan
Thanks Ryan,
I love to get messages from you, it keeps me grounded. I started my internet business just as things started to slow on the internet. I agree it is difficult. I believe in what I have to offer people. I think can really make a difference in their lives and end a world of hurting. I try to give good content in my posts but anyone buying is few and far between. I haven’t decided if it is something I am not doing or if people really just aren’t buying. How can I determine that? Thanks again for all you informative posts.
Lee,
If you don’t feel like they actually care about you – get off their list immediately and don’t look back.
Ryan
Thanks Al.
I’ll never forget our meeting in the halls of my Summit a few years ago. Both of us grown men tearing up.
That’s why I do what I do :)
Ryan
Eecolli,
I appreciate your feedback.
And you are right – it’s better not to email if you have nothing to say.
But remember, all of my emails start off with something personal (just like a friend) and there’s always content.
I’d NEVER just send an email “Hey guys, my 2 year old took a big dump in his diapers today. Rock ‘on, Ryan”
Personal stories work – just make sure there’s something in it for the subscriber.
:)
Ryan
I would love to be able to buy your material in kindle version. Do you have that available?
Hey Cindy,
I think you’re a little confused and you’re talking about Ryan Deiss. Here you are on Ryan Lee’s blog. ;-)
Solopreneur – thanks for your support. You made the right choice :)
Ryan
Ryan!
I almost get you confused with “Ryan Dies”!!
Great post and to the point.
I think it’s much harder to be a marketer only to make money.
I have always created my PPC products for ME FIRST! because I NEED them
and cannot find the kind of software I need. When I find it useful I
often offer it to the public. I have zero copy skills – but guess what? You don’t copy when you’re honest and to the point. In fact all my so called ‘promo’ videos on my site is pure content in the form of how to use the product. ZERO selling persuasion needed!
In a way I am very happy that Google and the Net are trimming the ‘IM’ FAT! It will leave better IMer out there that are honest and that provide REAL value to the world.
Nitin
CINDY,
You are talking about RYAN DEISS (not me). I’m RYAN LEE.
People do confuse us all the time. I’m the better looking Ryan :)
Ryan
Debbie,
There could be a combination of reasons why people are buying.
Here are some ideas…
-Niche isn’t narrow enough
-Your message isn’t strong enough (too vanilla)
-Your trying to sell needs, not wants
-Offer isn’t irresistible
-Site navigation/layout might be confusing
-No real reason to ‘act now’
-Pricing
It’s hard to say.. but you should also ASK what they REALLY want.
Let THEM decide.
Ryan
Totally agree! And one side benefit about your recommended bullets is with this approach you’ll be loved by Google…with great, original content that adds value, with customers who come of their own volition – ultimately your traffic should go through the roof. Seriously folks – stop wasting time trying to game the system with today’s tool or technique – just create great original content that people want and – voila – you’ll have all the traffic and customers you can handle.
Thanks for putting it into perspective Ryan.
MM
Although I agree with you, I also would like the IM industry to have a committee in it, so to speak, which calls out dishonest programs and marketers by name. Also, I’d like to see programs put out that are a simple to follow suite of automation softwares so that the user has everything they need to work the program in 1 easy to follow place, with as much automation as possible. The last thing I want is to try internet marketing only to find out it’s complicated, difficult, and merely another “job” which replaces your real job.
Ryan -
I love and buy your material.
Regarding this post:
Your blog has plenty of plugs in the sidebar. You don’t always need more.
If only you would write a post like this one without a plug in the post.
And without announcing what might be your: “final program coming in a few weeks”, a launch we can see coming from a mile away.
Just to be consistent with your good thoughts.
What a breath of fresh air that would be in the IM world.
Andy
HI Ryan,
Thank you for putting it on the table and keeping it real. Long time subscriber…since Quatro that is and slowly building a blog and list in my passion while providing quality content. Helping folks anyway I can, to the best of my ability.
Keep up the GREATNESS and Thanks Ryan, You Rock
Darrell
Great post Ryan!
awesome! and right on the money:)
Ryan,
A simple thank you for a wake up call! Isn’t there a saying ” if help enough other people get what they want eventually you get what you want or need…?
Cheers!
Mike
Great stuff Ryan. I love your approach and honest thoughts here on the way marketing is headed online in the future…
I’ve never been a fan of the big 2k launches, but if done right, to the right audience they still work… you just have to love the members of your list and provide real value.
Thanks for the mention and I love reading your daily emails from Starbucks or which ever book store your at on that specific day ;)
- Lewis
Hi Nitin,
When you do anything that’s “only” about the money.. it usually doesn’t work. I truly believe you can still find your right balance between your life’s mission AND lots of money too!
Ryan
Andrew,
ABSOLUTELY. Great point about google. Google LOVES high-content, high-value sites.
Ryan
Timothy,
I cannot “name” names. It’s just not in my DNA. But the people who don’t deliver value are usually exposed pretty quickly.
Making money online IS a job. BUT, it’s a job where YOU set the hours, have no ceiling on your income and have more freedom than any other “job” I’ve ever had.
What software can never replace is good old-fashioned genuine communication. Find your mission and go after the gold with every ounce of energy you can muster. That, my friend, is how you make a fortune online.
Ryan
Ryan- Any dates for the next event and what do you think of the Click Bank exo? By the way almost done with your book but made the mistake of letting a friend read it for a day. Ya, That was two weeks ago. Great content in the book by the way. Thanks
Dude, that was SPOT ON. I’m over here doing a stint in Singapore and I’ve my accountant shoving me into every guru MLM under the sun. I don’t feel it. There’s just no soul there at all. He’s an accountant dealing with the arithmetic, not flesh and blood souls. That’s why I feel empty…until you came along. Well, actually, I’ve been following you for years but, have been too much of an idiot NOT to get with your stuff sooner. I’m guilty of what I just heard you say in your latest Summit. Something to the effect of you see folks coming back each year and when asking them what they’ve done from last summit they say “nothing” yet. I’m also the idiot that keeps buying every tom-dick and Harry’s stuff and never keeping it simple. Shit, I feel like a foreign-f***up. Thanks for nailing-it-home Ryan. It really is time to get up off my bum and make this happen…the simple no-nonsense and uncomplicated way.
Ryan You Rock!
The passion to become a leader has become less important it appears to a large amount of marketers. Building relationships and turning posts, status updates & tweets into conversations should be a main priority. I have seen many in the “Social” world make claims of being “gurus and ninjas” when in fact they had no intentions in becoming an expert or source of content, they just wanted a quick buck. Thanks for this informative and tasteful piece. Ryan
I have just about sworn off Clickbank entirely. Not just because of the inflated prices. In the last few months I’ve bought two or three products that were ***blatantly*** misrepresented. The video demo showed one product, and what was delivered was another. That is infuriating, probably illegal.
It takes much less time to break trust than to build it. I hope more “gurus” take note.
Your post really resonates with me. IM is slowly choking itself with all those countless launches and promotions and high priced programs. Whatever happened to good old organic growth based on loving what you do, doing what you love and following your passion.
I really appreciate that you have never bombarded me with unending streams of affiliate promotions.
Shocking. Absolutely.
Care about people?
Share content?
Build relationships?
Promote something under $2k?
Of course you’re right. And not all of us have to be a new breed of marketer…some of us started that way, even amidst the hype and flash and stayed that way – because it was real and because we care about people. Not because the ‘other’ way quit working.
I’ve never relied on affiliates, because frankly – even though I’m friends with the ‘big lists’ they’ve never ‘gotten’ me nor felt like I’d convert high enough for them. Fair enough. Create my own traffic, guard my own list and take care of my own list like family.
Even recently, I’ve created a new mailing calendar so they know what kind of content comes on what day. Every week day. Every week.
Some good points here Ryan.
Sad that it had to be written at all.
When you boil folks down to $ per click or $ per lead or $ per address…it dehumanizes the reality that our clients are important.
Nice, you really are a breath of fresh air – thanks!
Ryan:
Right on point as usual!
Hey Ryan, I love the post and I can speak with first hand experience on just how accurate you are. I’ve been behind more than 20 plus launches as my main business since late 2008 and I can certainly prove with empirical data that what you are saying is spot on.
It’s time to get real with people and provide REAL value. If your model includes that, you have a good chance of succeeding. If you cut corners to aid your speed to market, it will show up in your merchant account in the form of refunds and charge-backs. Neither of those words bode well for the online marketing world.
So thanks for keeping it real and saying what most are already thinking but too afraid to speak their minds. Great job!
Frank
Great post Ryan as usual. They are all making it a lot harder for the rest of us and I am nervous for newer marketers who will eventually fall in their footsteps.
Thanks for the great post. Talk soon!
I couldn’t agree more with you, and Carrie. Too many see it as a list is a group of people to be shorn, on a regular basis. I’m not ready to “get going,” but hope to real soon now. My plan is: never rent the list; only mail offers that *I* would actually use; offer things at about 80-90% of value. IOW, over deliver, and under promise.
The Google changes had to happen eventually. It was just a question of time. So will the “Guru/Ninja/whatever” fallout. The truly old ways work, and always will. Just not in big flashy ways, like gold rush fever. I’d rather work all year, be proud of what I do, and make the same as if I worked 1 week on a flashy launch. I’m in my business because I love what I do, and am proud of what I do.
Hey Ryan,
I’m a brand new Internet/Affiliate Marketing Newbie and I’m in the “Information Overload” stage. I have invested countless hours learning about this industry, but I have to keep reminding myself to FOCUS on the basics and keep things simple.
I have visited many so called Info/Internet Marketing “guru” websites, but for some reason I keep coming back to your site. I flag YOUR e-mails, read them, click the links, and devour the info you present because I like you and trust you!
Thank you so much for practicing what you teach others to do and thank you for teaching the K.I.S.S (KEEP IT SUPER SIMPLE) principle! I really look forward to meeting you when I reach my goals…thanks to you!
Keep rockin’ on,
Jamila
You so right!
I for one am glad the WEB marketing is maturing to the real world.
You will always succeed delivering real value and respecting people like they are neighbors!
Thanks for sharing all the insights.
Unre
Hey Ryan,
I am hearing you and there has also been some great info in the responses. I have tried all sorts of ways to build my list and am slowly getting there. I too find that people are not buying and I tend to wander off and not focus. I love what I am doing and will continue to do it and getting advice like what you mention in your post goes a long way. My biggest problem is getting too many emails from wsos. You get stuck because you want the updates for the products you purchased but the sellers are always promoting more and more. Some very good value there too,
But hey thanks you always offer good advice.
Jeneelle
Ryan,
This is exactly why I never entered the IM Guru business.
I’m sure I’ve lost millions not participating in the IM biz opp industry.
But at the end of the day, I have to feel good about myself and my actions.
I’ve NEVER relied on multi-JV product launches (however, I DO believe in one-on-one rolling launches).
You CAN have a very good business, that produces a wonderful lifestyle by following the basics you’ve laid out.
Good content = raving fans = profits
Thanks for the great post…as usual.
David
You’ve got great insights about Make More Money, Chris Farrell, Learn online Internet marketing skills, keep up the good work!