Will Your Marketing Model Be Dead In The Morning?
When you wake up tomorrow morning, will your
marketing model be dead or alive?
In my Ateam call this week I went through 6
marketing models in depth spelling out the
pros and cons of each.
What about YOUR marketing model?
Do you have one?
Will it be dead in the morning?
Overnight, Google can slap seo models and crush
your income. I’m NOT against doing seo and ppc.
But if your whole model is built around Google,
you’re certainly vulnerable.
If you’re using a product launch model, your
merchant account be frozen in a heartbeat if
too much money comes into your account too
fast.
And even if you’ve received promises your account
won’t be frozen, it can still happen.
The other vulnerability of product launch models
is what if the sales letter doesn’t convert?
Think it doesn’t happen? It does.
What about CPA-based models? Same thing. Just
one adverse ruling by the FTC can really put a
kink in the works.
NOTHING at all wrong with the cpa model. But if
your whole livlihood depends on it, whew!
So what are MY criteria for a marketing model
that lasts?
1. Not likely to be zapped by Google
This means that if you DO use ppc and seo methods,
you use ones that are relatively evergreen.
Plain and simple. Google wants quality content.
You need to provide that. You CAN outsource it.
But the content needs to be there.
If you’re using tricks to Game ezinearticles.com,
the same thing applies. Sooner or later, the
directory will catch up to the tricks and that
income source will be gone.
You only have so much time in a year. So doesn’t
it make sense to invest that time into things
that will last?
If nothing else, at least build SOME evergreen
seo properties that will stand the test of time
if Google zaps some of the others.
Again, we want to do the work ONCE and get paid over
and over for it. That’s what I’m all about. If you
invest in strategies that don’t stand the test of time,
you’re getting paid for weeks or months, not years.
That is STILL better than a job. But it’s not where you
want to be. Freedom is when you do the work once and get
paid over and over.
2. Last for the long haul
Short term hits are fine for what they are. But
you don’t build a business around them.
You build for the long term.
Is the work you’re doing today going to pay you
dividends tomorrow?
Building a list and a relationship with your list
will do that.
Building relationships with joint venture partners
and affiliates will do that.
I’ve been doing this Game since before the WWW existed
via AOL and Compuserve. I’ve built my strategies for the
long haul, and I recommend you do the same.
Anyone can go in for the quick kill. But will they be around
in the morning?
3. Steady monthly income
If you launch a new product every one to three
months, you should have steady income.
It’s true that one of those products can flop.
So you need OTHER sources of income also.
But consistently creating and promoting products
IS part of the model.
4. Recurring income
Having a source of recurring income covers your
bills.
5. Outsourceable
As much of the system as possible should be
outsourceable. Otherwise, you’ll be doing the work
yourself.
Just this past week, I bought directory submissions,
article writing and press release submissions. Those
are things I don’t want to do myself.
The one GOOD thing about ppc and seo methods are that
they ARE outsourceable. By nature, they’re repetitive.
To me, if you’re going to do this kind of thing, you
need to spend most of your time on the most evergreen
strategies you can find so your work today won’t go
down the drain tomorrow.
6. NOT a black box method
A black box method is one where only the guru on the
mountaintop knows the method.
And unless you’re in his or her inner circle, you’re
screwed on all new events.
I believe very strongly in the value of paying for
know how and intellectual property.
I just bought 3 or 4 info products last night. I do
it all the time. At the same time, if the guru has
the corner on the method, you might think twice or
three times before investing in it.
7. Not subject to incessant changes
There are certain strategies that change all the time.
My friends do very well with PPC.
But man, looking back on my hard drive at the stuff I
boought even one year ago on ppc and how it’s outdated
is crazy.
There ARE evergreen ppc strategies. But it seems like
it’s a constantly moving target.
Nothing wrong with that if you want to keep up with it.
Or if you can find an evergreen angle.
But all things being equal, I prefer a method or methods
that don’t constantly change. That way, you don’t always
have to create new documentation and re-train your
outsourcers.
In contrast, I can take info products I bought about
recruiting affiliates or doing joint ventures. Much or
most of that stuff will WILL still apply today as much
as it did a year ago.
Not that the affiliate landscape hasn’t changed. It has.
Change is a constant in any endeavor. But I’d say the
velocity of that change is less.
8. Doable without being a genius
I KNOW the “gurus” who do some off the different strategies
at an elite level.
Even they can’t train anyone else to do them! That’s how
complex the strategies are or difficult to perform.
If you happen to be in that elite class of mindpower
and skill, go for it.
I prefer methods that don’t require genius.
My Writer’s Secret system involves creating info products.
This is NOT rocket science. You can even hire writers to
create ebooks for $200 – $500 if you don’t want to write
them yourself.
Alternatively, you can do videos and get a product out faster
than you can spit.
I’m NOT saying anyone can do it. I AM saying I don’t see any
reason you need to be unusually talented and skilled to do it.
9. Doable without a coaching program
Coaching programs are great. They have a lot of value.
But I don’t feel you should HAVE to join one in order to
follow a marketing model.
If you do, it’s a black box model where the secrets reside
in one person.
Unlock the black box and follow a marketing model that is
doable, practical and makes good sense.
If you make sure your marketing model meets these 9 steps,
you’ll save yourself a ton of wasted time and money.
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How to Outsource Your
Marketing Model Using Systems
==============================
Now, let’s talk about how you make your marketing activities
happen without having to do them all yourself.
It’s no secret.
I like playing more than I like working. Mostly
I play.
You can have playtime every day also IF you know
how.
No doubt. There IS work. It has to be done. Just not
by you.
This means that your job is to create the system.
If you’ve read Sam Carpenter’s brilliant book
“Work The System” you know what I’m talking about.
You can’t have a smooth running business without
systems that are documented and followed.
The FIRST thing you need are processes that CAN
be documented and outsourced to begin with. You
can’t do that with all marketing models.
Here are my steps to making it happen.
1. Write out the action steps
Whatever it is that needs to be done, you’ve got to
boil it down to action steps someone else can do.
So go through the ebook and write out the action
steps. Or Listen to the videos or read the transcripts
and write out your action steps.
For a complex process, this will take time. For
example, right now, I’m having an outsourcer do seo
work for designdashboard.com/blog.
I hired my primary outsourcer using the method at:
http://www.outsourceplan.com
I just got an email from John a minute ago and he’s
overseas with his outsourcers even as I type this.
Well, actually, he’s on the beach in boracay. Someone
has to do it.
Anyway, we have a lot left to do on my seo project.
So I’ve been going through a course I have and writing
down the steps.
I’ll be at Starbucks today making notes. This is something
I find to be pleasant and easy to do whilst drinking a cup
of coffee or tea.
I’m going to call this your action document. It has
WHAT needs to be done and HOW to do it. If you can
copy and paste a lot of this from the source files,
it’ll save you time.
You WILL give the ebook, videos or source materials to
your outsourcer. But usually, they’re going ot need
you to boil it down for them.
2. Put your steps into a checklist
Create a checklist that references the appropriate
info on your action document.
Your outsourcer will follow this checklist.
Make sure steps are NOT omitted. This is your LONG
checklist and has all the steps to be done.
3. Create the short sheet checklist
This is the checklist that has only the 7-10 most
critical steps, so the absolutely essential things
aren’t overlooked.
4. Give clear assignments
Assign the checklist and make sure that consistent
progress is made on doing it. Left to inertia, the
thing probably won’t be fully followed or will only
be half way followed.
This is why it’s best to set the expectations upfront
and give the checklist.
5. Give the system a spin
Have your outsourcer run through the process or you
do it yourself.
The motto is plan, do, check, act.
Plan the work. Do it or have someone else do it.
Check to see that it was done right. Act or adjust
anything that wasn’t done correctly AND fix or clarify
your checklist and action document.
The first time around you’ll almost certainly leave
things out of your action document.
By getting things down to a checklist, you make sure
all the steps are covered. You make sure the outsourcer
knows what they’re supposed to do and what’s expected
of them.
You have a mutual agreement on what needs to be done.
Here’s something else to think about.
The more complex a process, the less the competition.
In other words, if a process has a number of steps,
you’ll have less competitors than if it has only a
few steps.
So THINK about your marketing model and what you plan
on outsourcing.
On the one hand, you need to find activities that don’t
require you to personally do them.
On the other hand, the process can’t be too complex or
you will have problems outsourcing.
And then you have to balance that with competition.
Because the greater the number of steps involved, the
less the competition.
Take all those factors into account.
When you have the right outsourcers in place with the
right process — you have a well-oiled machine.
There are MANY marketing models that are too difficult
to be outsourced at all.
In the ideal world, you figure out a process, document
it yourself, checklist it and train your outsourcers.
Now, you have a unique, differentiated process thast
creates value.
Now that you have created value, you need to create
a separate system or process for SELLING that value.
Part, or all, of that process can also be outsourced.
Or maybe you want to handle that part yourself.
You don’t have to DO everything yourself. But you DO
have to create great systems that make everything
happen.
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Marlon Sanders helps people with hopes and dreams figure
out how to turn those into reality by selling stuff on
the Internet. Click Here
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