EP28: [Marketing 101] The Chicken or the Egg!?

Welcome back, friends.

Everyone is aware of the controversy over which came first “The Chicken or the Egg?”

However, if you think about it, isn’t there a similar question constantly asked about starting any version of an online business. What do you do first?

Starting an online business, something that should be simple, constantly causes people to question everything.

I blame it on the Gurus' misleading advertising, training, programs, courses, and other similar interactions they have with the general public.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep saying it until people start to understand it.

Online Marketing is a “Business”.

If treated as a business, and organized as a business, then most of the problems associated with marketing online would disappear.

And along with that, I suppose most of the marketers that are struggling presently, would probably not be online. Mainly because most people don’t really want to work at building a business.

Building a real business takes time, hard work, and perseverance.
Most people nowadays don’t want to do any of that.

Once it starts to get hard they bail.

Partly because of the Gurus' lies, and partly because of laziness.

I was born in the ’50s, lived in the ’60s, loved the 70s & 80s, and started thinking less and less of every decade since.

No one wants to work anymore, and even fewer people want to “Own” their work. They won’t bear the responsibility for the “good” or “bad” work they do.

Hey guys, marketing is “Hard Work”.

So, back to the chicken and the egg topic.

I think the very first thing that needs to be done, is there needs to be the recognition that this is a business.

What do you think would happen if someone in your town, opened up a storefront but did not give it a name, or identify what it was there to do, or how it intends to serve the community?

Along with that, what if every time you drove or walked by it, it had different merchandise inside along with different advertising on the windows, marketing something completely different?

That would confuse people right?

Of course, it would.

You definitely couldn’t expect that business to flourish, let alone succeed.

Also, the customers wouldn’t know if the business was even going to be there next week, honoring their promises and warranty.

The same is true of an online business.

There is a second thing that I believe is a “Must Do”.

Just as an offline business needs to know what their customers in their neighborhood need and want, an online business needs to identify what their customers need and are willing to pay for.

Many online marketers will create a product, or service and then try to figure out how to sell it.

This is completely backward.

Marketers need to research to find out if a particular “Skill” they have is something that potential customers will want because the research tells them there is a demonstrated real need, and then to find out if they are willing to pay for that need or problem to be corrected or removed.

This is the “HARD” part.

It is why most marketers fail.

A failure to prepare.

There is a process that people need to go through, to learn what their customers want.

Sadly too many people ignore this or don’t know how to do it in the first place.

It’s too bad because there are “good” marketers that do understand how to identify their market and they have learned how to serve them well. They continue to grow because they are constantly communicating with their people.

They find out what a customer wants, and they proceed to give it to them.

It sounds pretty simple, right?

Yes and no!

I’ve told you what I think, now it’s your turn to share. This podcast isn’t about me. It’s about helping you.

Two questions:

• #1 - What do you think is the main reason so many marketers fail in an online business?
• #2 - What is the Number 1 thing you think would save them?

Let me know in your comments, either by leaving a voice message, the link is in the show notes, or by filling out the form online. Its link is in the show notes as well.

Thanks for hanging out with me.

Until next week.

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Keep coming back for more great content next week.

Take care and be well.

James Brown

P.S. - In the event, you DO find that once an episode has been produced and posted, that YOU really would like more information, just let me know. Use the Podcast Questions link, click on the link here. Or you can just leave a voice message here.