It is a choking feeling… we have so much information around, that we actually cannot access the information we need. Like when you have your closet disorganized and that pair of shoes you want is buried under a pile of things you didn't remember you had... and then you just can't find anything and run to your favorite store to buy another pair...
I have always been able to cut through information overload and get to the gems. Never gave too much thought to it, until I got into Internet marketing where the main business IS information brokerage. Then, I found that once you are looking for info, pretty much all the questions have answers. You just need to catch them without getting blinded by the mess around.
I found the reason behind the “miracle” talking with The Lady. You know how girls do things… we act from the gut and not from the head. So, even when I know something is in a certain way, most of the times I just can’t explain it until the information finds its way to the other side of the brain. Sometimes it takes a looong time... ;)
Anyway...
She is working hard on a set of products that will be support material for a membership site. Part of the material is information about free resources. The idea is to offer free solutions to the technical issues an Internet marketer deals with.
The guides were spectacular, as usual; she is an amazing writer and researcher. But, for some reason, I didn’t love them. Then, it hit me! It was me and my crazy way to see things...
They were based more on features than procedures.
Not a problem at all. Pretty much all the documentation out there is feature's oriented. So what? Well, let's think about it this way:
If you get into Fireworks to add a site name to a header image, you want to know how to add the text and format it… You don’t want to know what all the other lil buttons do at that moment. Who cares!
And then, if you think about it, the same can be applied to everything else… it helps you decide what product buy, how to use your time, when to check out products you bought, when to go out there and socialize, what opportunities take, what opportunities you'll let go, what to seek and what to run away from…
Yesterday, we were talking about Leboutin shoes with Ros in Twitter (she is so much fun!). Those are just the cutest shoes ever designed... I have a skin pair of short boots that are out of this world. Now, if you are getting ready to run a marathon, would you use them instead of a pair of sneakers? I don’t think so.
The same applies when it comes to making business decisions… keep the bottom line, seek what you need and only what you need. It doesn’t matter if there is something that looks cooler or better if it doesn’t fit in YOUR plan. Let it go…
Think procedures and not features.
If you are out there looking for opportunities… it is ok to look at all the shiny objects. BUT, if you already made up your mind on a plan of action, cut through everything and only stop when you get to the piece of information you need now or two steps ahead. That’s it, that's what you need. Let go of everything else…
Keep the bottom line: once you make up your mind about a path, don’t give up until you have results. Good or bad… it doesn't matter (well, it does!) as long as you can learn from them. |
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Last Updated on Thursday, 18 June 2009 01:20 |
Hormones influence a good deal of our activities. It is funny to see them at work, especially when people are not aware of it.
About one month ago, Maria Andros, released her latest coaching system. From what I’ve seen, it is mainly about spinned attraction marketing using video and general image make over. It is an eminently girly approach as she is a very cute girl with a past as makeup artist.
 Her approach to marketing is the same approach we girls have been using since the beginning of time… We fix ourselves up the best we can, show off, and let the guys come… more of a spider strategy some would say. ;)
In marketing, you replace the “guys” with customers. The bright side of this approach is: you don’t need to pitch. When the customer contacts you, they are already convinced. You force the customer to take action and seek the product, and once they are already moving and gaining momentum, they just don’t stop. Unless, of course, there is something really bad about you… like when the guy sees the cutest girl --until she talks, and she has that falsetto type of voice that scares dogs away… ouch!
This is a strategy that works great for girls in general, as we are naturally wired for it. It also works for the guys who are not afraid of the stage. But, it doesn’t work very well for many guys and for some girls with serious image issues.
The other approach is the targeting prospects approach. The marketer is the hunter here. They spot a prey and go after it. This approach is pushier; you might get people in the wrong mindset and need to pitch. It takes more effort, but it is what boys do to pick up girls in general. They are used to it or, at least, to the idea of having to do it. It is the natural order of things for most of them. The bright side of this way to do things is the control, you are the one who moves, so you have the power... and you don't attract bugs, what is the downsize of being exposed under the light.
The other day I went to check out the blog of one of my new friends in Twitter that looked like fun and found some post about the end of Twitter and stuff… not sure why it ended up in a conversation about marketing strategies. He seems to be convinced the guy’s way is “the” way. And of course, for him, it is. He is HOT! The Macho man type; you can smell the hormones from miles. Mmmm Come to mama, you cute thing!
Moral of the tale… Marketing is not a science; it is a set of strategies. As such, there are usually different approaches to everything. None of them is better than the other, they are just better for a certain personality. The great news is that we can try, taste, and mix. We make mistakes as we learn until we get to the formula that works for us.
So, what strategy works for you? Would you leave me a comment about it? |
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Last Updated on Monday, 04 May 2009 13:25 |
| Not sure if it is because we are developing and launching products like popcorn... but I don't have much patience lately...
Will need to take a couple of beach therapy days or go hiking... any takers?  lol
Anyway, I have been receiving messages with offers I don't care about and, instead of taking it with a crooked smile, it really pissed me off...
I don't mind about "list" emails, I mean people contacting me through the email I gave them for personal conversations and things like direct messages in Twitter.
The problem was not the offer itself, it was the fact that personal channels opened for other purposes were used. AND, it didn't seem to be a "hand picked" service as they didn't know my circumstances in that moment. I'm talking about people I never interacted with or some others I hadn't talked with for a long time. I felt treated as a number... not that wise to kick egos in the forehead like that, hum? lol
Here is part of my conversation with one of those that didn't know me at all, very nice guy actually, it was a DM in Twitter.
- Sorry handsome, how do you know I'm interested in that report? Can I put you in my "free to dm with offers" list as well?
- Sorry if it was out of line for you. Will remember to keep these offers to only interested parties. Have a great day.
- I don't mind receiving offers, I do mind being treated as a number. Here: Cracking the social media code, that is what I think :)
- Thanks. Downloaded and will read. I don’t send on every offer, only ones I believe in. Thanks for tweet.
See the problem here? He was honestly trying to help sending that offer. Only he had no way to know, without asking, if I would need that or not...and when you message people with something they don't need, you are wasting your time and theirs.
All this led me to think about the purpose we have as information brokers...
In these blessed times for information, to find answers to questions is not the problem. The problem is to find the right answer without spending your life reading and sorting through garbage.
While I was rambling, the concept of the "energy of money" came to mind. Please, don't ask how... I don't expect to understand what happens between the ears, and certainly can't explain it...
Money has a dynamic and a way of flowing that reminds me of energy (more about this some other day)... You can't expect money to come to you just for sending a message or an email... you need to add value, and the money you will receive will be related with the value you add. Funny enough... the money you will receive doesn't have to do with the value YOU give to the value you add, but to the value it has for the recipient (the one who will be giving the money). So to find the right person to receive the message is part of the value you are adding. Makes sense? LOL
The act of sorting through garbage for others IS a way to add value. But for the other to SEE it that way, you need to provide them with the information they are looking for. And in these fast times, to refrain from adding to their information overload IS part of the service.
We need to use some method of sorting to make sure we are serving the purpose when sending information to someone, because if we don't... we are just adding more garbage to their lives and that is how they will remember us. Do you think someone would pay you for leaving what they consider garbage in their front yard? Even if you think it is a piece or art? Didn’t think so... |
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Last Updated on Monday, 04 May 2009 12:21 |
First things first... my news. I crossed the line of 2000 following!!!
And broke a myth...
They said you had to cross the line of 2000 with followers before following... not true. I'm in 2018 following and 1882 followers right now.
Ok, there is a filter, but it is not exactly that one...
This is what happened: I was looking for interesting people to follow and arrived to 2000. I did receive a warning and stopped there.
But then, some people added me and my autofollow followed them back... when I looked again, it was in 2006... that was last night. Now it just keeps growing.
It doesn't mean too much for people outside of twitter... but for those who tweet, it is some type of landmark. I'm happy!!!!
You can find my page in twitter pretty easy...
Now the second news: Tweet Later changed the setup and now it is so easy to use!
I really like tweetlater. It is the only service I actually use from all those that appeared around the Twitter explossion. I find it a must have in relation of Twitter, that's why we include a step by step of how to use some of the features in "Cracking the social media code: twitter first results".
Now, they changed the way they deal with responses and autofollow and let me tell you: it is HOT! Much much easier... You actually don't need to do anything!! They pick up the information via API and do the whole process by themselfves. Of course, as users, it sounds just like the natural thing to happen... but there is usually some poeple spending sleepless night to make it happen... In the past (like 2 days ago), you used to add a rule to your email account to forward the tweeter email to their email account. Those times are OVER!
I will have to take out like 10 pages of the step by step because of that... lol but I'm happy anyway! :)
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 17 February 2009 13:40 |
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