|
Home / Business / Marketing
How to Avoid Being Ripped Off By Fake Marketing Gurus
By:Adam Urbanski
A marketing rip-off that makes me sick! If you are interested in learning how to better promote your business, there are hundreds of "gurus" out there ready and eager to RIP YOU OFF! These "con artists" are savvy, slick, and highly skilled in the area of emptying your wallet! Fortunately, with a bit of education, you can avoid being their next victim.
For example, recently I received a phone call offering to help me make my site #1 on google. Intrigued I continued to listen. The caller told me that his company has "cracked the google code" and can easily make me #1 - leaving all my competitors in the dust.
Well, "cracking the google" code was the first tip-off - if these guys were so good at being found on google why the hell are they still cold-calling me? I kept on talking, but now I started asking questions.
"That sounds interesting. What's your website?"
Knowing a little bit about what a marketing savvy website might look like, I new that a peek at their site would help me get a better feel if this company is for real. But instead of getting a domain name, the caller told me to go to google and type in specific keywords. He said his company would be in the top three spots.
I followed his instructions... Well, with some minor modifications...
Instead of heading straight to google's search page, I stopped by Overture's Keyword Suggestion page to find out how popular that keyword is.
Do you know what I discovered?
In the entire previous month only 17 people used that phrase to search the Internet! Now, being in the top three spots for these words suddenly didn't seem like a very big deal.
The caller seemed a bit unhappy about my discovery. But sill, he offered that I search a different phrase. Following the same routine I found 42 searches in the past month. Whoopi! What a deal, right? At this point the caller simply hung up on me!
But several of my friends were not so "lucky". They are now two or three thousand dollars in the whole. And unfortunately for them - they will never see this money again, and their site will keep getting the same lousy traffic it was getting before! What saved me was a bit of know how to properly evaluate the offer.
Because there are so many professionals and business owners who want to achieve "cheap and instant marketing miracles" the most popular scams seem to offer driving traffic to your website, helping you achieve good positioning in popular search engines, showing you how to build a massive email list, and revealing secrets to quickly making a lot of money with your own information products.
These are all needed services and good information on these subjects is invaluable to your success. Problem is how to evaluate if what you are getting is the real stuff or a bunch of bologna?
Here are a few clues to look for.
1. Use your common sense. If the offer is too good to be true - it probably is! It never hurts to ask a few of your trusted businesses advisors to take a look at it before you commit to pay any money for it.
2. Do your own homework. Don't take what the company or person tells you for granted. Heck - we all put our best foot forward in our marketing materials. Research both online and offline.
Take a good look at the website. Does it follow the basic rules of good marketing design? Does it have good Alexa (http://www.alexa.com) ratings? Has it been online for a good length of time?
Can you find out any case studies, customer comments, or endorsements from reliable sources. And for testimonials - anything that shows me just the first and last name initials and name of the state the person is from - I completely ignore as not credible. Look for full first and last name, city and state in the testimonial. If you can find audio and video testimonials that's even better.
Ask around to see if you can "dig out any dirt". Ask business associates in the same industry if they have heard of the company or the person. Check out industry related discussion boards for any negative feedback from past customers.
You can also contact consumer protection organizations like Better Business Bureau, but I found that they are often more interested in protecting businesses who pay them an annual fee, than really looking after consumers' best interest.
3. Ask a lot of questions. Don't let them intimidate you with pre-canned answers. You are about to part with your money - make sure you know exactly what you are getting.
If the company is offering you search engine positioning - check their own results for popular and competitive keywords. (You can easily find this out with free tools like the Overture keyword popularity at
http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion or this simple free software at http://www.goodkeywords.com )
If they want to help you with your pay-per-click - ask to see their own pay-per-click ads. Find out how many different ads are they testing at a time, and - again - are they using keywords that someone is actually searching for.
If they offer to drive traffic to your site - ask how it will be done. They should give you at a least a very good idea even though they may not want to reveal all the details. Ask how targeted the traffic will be. Find out how the results are measured; in "unique visitors" (good) or in "hits" (bad) And these are just the basics...
If they offer to make you a lot of money with teaching you how to start your information selling business - find out if they themselves sell any products outside of the "how to sell your products" ebook or course... You get my drift here, right?
If you are hiring a consultant or a coach to help you out - do they have business experience and successful track record with projects like yours or did they just read an ebook about it last week. (Now, some people are just great teachers - and that doesn't make them wrong - just know that the information will not be as hands on and real-world-tested as you might want it to be.)
4. Can you easily find the contact information? That's a big red flag for me. When I find great deals online but I can't seem to find the company's mailing address or a phone number and all I get is an email - I typically walk away. I want to know that if anything goes wrong I can find the person, and pick-up the phone and try to resolve it. But it's hard to do if they hide behind just an email.
5. Trust your instincts. OK, I know this one is highly un-scientific. But if things just don't feel right - it doesn't matter how good the offer is - give yourself some time to cool off and take a second look at it when you can actually think logically about it.
Fact is, because there is a huge need for marketing information and marketing help, this market attracts a lot of people who couldn't spell "marketing" yesterday but today are eager to share their advise with you - for a lot of money.
If there is one simple answer to help you stay safe and avoid being ripped off, I believe it can be summed up in two words: COMMON SENSE and EDUCATION.
If it looks and feels unreal - it likely is. And the more educated you are about good marketing and how it works, the less likely you'll be to waste your money on shady offers.
Digg
del.icio.us
Blink
Stumble
Spurl
Reddit
Netscape
Furl
Article keywords: Marketing Strategy, Marketing Strategies, Small Business Marketing, Marketing Consulting, Marketing Services, Markeitng Ideas, Marketing Plan, marketing know-how, teleclasses, marketing books, independent service professionals, service providers, marketing services, books on marketing, more clients, marketing professional services, selling myself, selling my services, writing a business plan, writing a marketing plan, free content, professionals business coaching, Adam Urbanski, Marketing Mentors
Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com
The author, Adam Urbanski, teaches service professionals and business owners how to develop marketing strategies that increase sales and profits. His website offers more how-to articles and free tips to create a winning marketing action plan (www.themarketingmentors.com).
|
|
| Top Marketing Articles |
- 1). The Benefits Of Branding By : Marcia Yudkin
Branding is the process of creating distinctive and durable perceptions in the minds of consumers. A brand is a persistent, unique business identity intertwined with associations of personality, quality, origin, liking and more. Here’s why the effort to brand your company or yourself pays off.
1. Memorability. A brand serves as a convenient container for a reputation and good will.
|
- 2). New Marketing Program Draws Thousands To Its Free Teleseminar By : Patrick Riley
Less than three short months ago, a new 1Step System was born with a very real potential for generating a great deal of income in a short time. Co -founders Rod Stinson and Chris Koehl have brought this opportunity to people all over the world. Many are joining now because the company is still in its infancy, which from a marketing standpoint is surely the best time to get on board.
|
- 3). Direct TV and the HD DVR By : dave4
With the inclusion of free or price-reduced TiVo-powered DVRs (digital video recorders), the benefits of DIRECTV have become so much greater. Particularly compelling is the high definition DVR combo that new DIRECTV subscribers can currently receive at a fair price. Of course the question to be asked is: If I can receive a free DVR with my DIRECTV subscription, why dish out the extra cash for the upgrade? There are quite a few reasons.
|
- 4). Seven Offline Viral Marketing Ideas By : Matt DeAngelis
Recently I participated in a forum discussion about offline marketing – that is using more traditional marketing offline to drive traffic to your website or blog. I can still remember the first time I saw a URL in a TV commercial and how cool I thought that was.
The offline world has the constraint of geography, so the least expensive forms of viral marketing are going to be geographically bound, which can be challenging for some sites.
|
- 5). Social Bookmarking - The Ultimate Viral Marketing By : Matt DeAngelis
Social Bookmarking could be one of the best things that ever happened to websites and blogs.
Basically Social Bookmarketing sites allow users to create a set of content bookmarks. These bookmarks are organized by tags, which are (usually) arbitrary words or phrases the user can assign to content. This gives the user a way to classify, rank and organize content using tags.
|
- 6). John Warwicker - Co-Founder of Tomato Design Company By : Robert Palmer
Design company Tomato
( http://www.tomato.co.uk ) was founded in 1991 in London by John Warwicker, Steve Baker, Dirk Van Dooren, Karl Hyde, Richard Smith, Simon Taylor and Graham Wood. In 1994, Michael Horsham and Jason Kedgely joined.
tomato specializes in: Architectural Design, Consultancy, Drawing, Education, Electronic Interactive Media, Film & Commercial Direction, Graphic Design, Fashion, Motion Graphics, Music & Sound, Strategy, Branding & Identity, Photography, Publishing, Title Sequences, Typography, Writing.
|
- 7). The Onset of Digital Vinyl Banner Printing By : Charmaine Joy Caro
Is your business customer-oriented? Does it speak of your company identity? Does it offer the customers the right services and products they really need? If you think your business still needs a little push to effectively make it to the peak of success, then you should opt for vinyl banners for your promotional campaign.
Vinyl banners are proven promotional tools that give boost to your ad campaign.
|
- 8). Teasing Colors in Printing Services By : Maricon Williams
People are basically visual creatures. They are easily turned on by what they see. The outrageousness of the design, graphics and colors teases their sense of sight. It sends excitement and thrill that generates more appetite to stare longer and be charmed.
Among design, graphics and color, the latter is the most difficult to show accurately. This is because color perception can be affected by lots of factors.
|
- 9). Full Color for Stunning Brochures By : viojieley
Have you ever feel so engrossed in something so beautiful and breathe taking? Perhaps a picture or image of a person or a scenic spot that you just find it so difficult to take your eyes off it. If you have, have you ever wondered what made you stare? Well, most of these pictures become attractive because of its color. Yes you read it right, color is the culprit.
|
- 10). Before You Do Anything: Try It Out By : James Calvin
So you know, roughly, what you want your home business to be. Before you go any further and start investing, though, you need to try it out. Here’s how.
Build a Prototype.
If you plan to sell physical things, or you’re going to do something like starting a website or making software, then you should build a prototype to see how your idea will work out.
|
| New Marketing Articles |
- 1). Birkenstocks & The Customizable Art Of Footwear By : JM Anderson
Birkenstocks are a German brand of quality footwear, which is best known for it’s contoured footbed. When most people purchase a new pair of shoes, they expect to have a ‘break-in’ time. This usually lasts for a few days and, at that time, the shoe is pretty comfortable and broken in for everyday wear. The main difference with Birkenstocks is that they approach the ‘break-in’ time much differently.
|
- 2). Millionaire Marketing in 3 Small Steps By : Allyn_Cutts
What is money? A child might say that it’s something rich people have and poor people don’t. An engineer might go into a detailed and lengthy explanation, but we all know that money is what really “makes the world go around.”
In the business world, money is the definition of success or failure. That’s why it’s vitally important that every entrepreneur has a good understanding of money – even if their business is still struggling to get off the ground.
|
- 3). Free T Shirt Offer – Are they really free? By : Isabel Rodrigues
The modern day craze has created a huge demand for designer clothing all over the world. Many young guns are going for a casual wear than what it used to be 20 years ago. A simple T-shirt and low waist jeans makes both the genders comfortable. It’s become almost a compulsory act to hang out in t-shirts and jeans even in colleges. Youths like to have wide collection of t-shirt of current fashion.
|
- 4). How To Promote Your Home Based Business On A Shoestring Budget! By : Kris Bickell
Getting customers is the key to success in any business. There are many ways to promote your home based business - the only way to know which ones are best for your business is to test. Here are some tips for getting customers without spending a fortune!
1. Tell everyone you know that you are starting a business AND ask them to tell everyone they know.
|
- 5). Cash in on Neighbors By : Allyn_Cutts
What could be more welcoming than the spicy smell of hot apple pie to receive you into a brand new neighborhood full of people you’ve never met? Hopefully you life has been full of warm, hospitable neighbors wherever you’ve lived. Perhaps not…
If you’ve ever had a bad experience with a neighbor, you know just how much those invisible people really know about you.
|
- 6). Technology Controlled Marketing By : Allyn_Cutts
RSS feeds and blogs took Internet marketing by a storm in 2005. Every time we turn around there’s a brand new marketing vehicle speeding down the Internet highway. In the fast paced race of the virtual world, it’s easy to get swept away in the current of technology.
If we’re honest with ourselves, we’ll admit that computers have taken control of both our personal world and the business world.
|
- 7). Finding Your Niche In The Business World By : Cheryl Johnson
Who am I and what do I love to do? Well, isn't this the twenty million dollar question! A more appropriate question might be "Who was I and what did I love to do?"
As you search to find yourself, and what it is you love to do, you may find the task harder than you thought it would be. Try to think about your childhood. Can you remember what thrilled you as a child? Like many people you've probably forgotten what brought try joy and excitement to your essence.
|
- 8). 7 Marketing Ideas to Expand Your Customer Base and Profits By : Joel Sussman
Copyright 2006 Joel Sussman
How do you grab people's attention, arouse their interest, trigger their desire, and motivate them to take action? Answer that four-part question correctly and you've identified the secret to achieving tremendous sales and marketing success in your chosen business or field. To complicate matters, however, the potential answers are as numerous and multi-faceted as the growing number of niche markets, products and services, and marketing trends in our culture.
|
- 9). The Housing Market Pitfalls and How I got Trapped. By : Mars
The housing game in Gainesville Virginia, let alone all other areas in Virginia, has become something to smirk at. I mean it’s obvious that during the real estate boom everyone made money except those that were watching from the sideline and jumped on the train as it was inching away only to slip and get crushed on the tracks. Well welcome to my world.
|
- 10). One Little Secret that Makes People Listen to You By : Kathryn Beach
As a marketer, you should be focused on one and only one thing. Not your company, not your product, but on filling your customer's needs. You have to start out with a clear perception of who your target customer is (the more details you know, the better); what his or her needs are, and how your product or service fills that need better than any other.
|
|
|
