Smart Internet Marketing at Guruphobia

Every Marketer Wants to Be a Guru.

What a sweeping statement, by one of the most well-known Gurus around.

And one that I disagree with vehemently.

You see, Mr. Guru, not everyone WANTS to be you, or WANTS to be like you. 

Sorry.

There are marketers who are just happily motoring along, making very good money, staying in the shadows, unbeknownst to the general marketing population at large.

How do I know?  Because I know several personally.

These marketers don’t need throngs of adoring fans hanging on their every word.  They don’t need to be the center of attention.

And what about you, Mr. P?  Isn’t that like the pot calling the kettle black?

Not at all.

I don’t need to be “known”.  My main purpose is to vent a bit, or a lot………..and in the process, perhaps give back a little to the community.

After all, how many of my products have you seen me sell on this site?  How many affiliate links have you seen me post thus far?

So consider that for a minute, before someone tells you, “Every Marketer Wants to be a Guru”.

Mr. P

Have you ever come across a situation, where a guru promises a fantastic bonus for buying through his/her affiliate link?

And you take the bait, buying the product?

I have, and I’m sure so have you.  Now I think many of us can understand when gurus are foisting “worthless” e-book bonuses our way - you know, the ones that you’ve seen percolating through the net since 1972?

What really burns my hide, though, are the other bonuses, many from big name gurus who should really know better.

• The One on One Consultation Bonus - I’ll admit, I’ve been burned by this one twice before.  Guru A promises a “one-on-one personal consultation” with me - in one case, said Guru promised to record the call on Skype and send me a copy, so that I could reference it for posterity.  My posterior.  In one case, Guru A simply failed to respond once my payment for the product went through.  In the other case, Guru B was clearly overwhelmed by the response, and “amended” the bonus after everyone had purchased to a “group teleconference”.  Shame on you.  Mind you, these were “top shelf” gurus, too.
• The “Free Advertising Bonus” - Guru C offers free advertising on his niche publications, that go out to lists in the “several hundred thousands”.  Problem is, when said Guru C is contacted for the ad, he conveniently disappears.

The lesson here?  Never buy on the basis of a bonus.  If you must buy a product, buy it because it is fundamentally sound and well-reviewed by people you TRUST.  You’ll save yourself much disappointment.

Mr. P

Well, well…….

I guess it’s been a while since my last discourse, hasn’t it?

Well, I’ve been busy……busy reading, busy working, and busy playing.

I’ve spent some nice recharge time on Sunset Beach and Mokuleia on Oahu (vacations aren’t over-rated).  They inspire some of my most creative endeavors.

The entrepreneurial world can be at times maddening, but when the celestial planets line up, the payoff can be extreme.

No, I’m not getting existential on you.

Just trying to prod you.  Get busy living.

Stop to smell the roses, but don’t get stuck in the mud.

Make time to love the significants in your life.

And ask yourself this question:

What have I done to make the planets align for me today?

- Mr. P

Many of you reading this blog won’t even know who Milton Friedman was.

Mr. Friedman was an influential economist, a leader of the “Chicago School” of economics. He championed Free Market Economics and deregulation, and his theories and teachings helped shape American Economics and Economic policy in the late 20th Century. He even won a Nobel Prize in 1976.

However, as with any Economist, he was adored in some corners and chastised in others. He had his successes and his utter failures whilst advising many Presidents.

Many saw Friedman as a political right-leaner. However, while he served as an advisor to numerous Republican Presidents, his views were much more Libertarian. He served on a panel that helped abolish the draft in the 1970s. He questioned the U.S.’s involvement in the first Gulf War, and vehemently opposed our current Iraq war.

I first met Milton Friedman in a seminar almost 20 years ago when I was still in my University years. I found him articulate, compelling, gracious, and very funny. After the seminar, I approached him, shook his hand, and asked him to sign a dollar bill for me.

“Isn’t this defacement of currency?” he asked me, his dry wit emerging.

“Don’t worry…..this dollar will never return into circulation again”, I answered.

Milton Friedman shaped my views on Economics, Fiscal Policy, and Politics for years to come.

Years later, my home was burglarized, and much of my cash and valuables were stolen. After surveying my missing belongings, I noticed that my “Friedman Dollar”, which had been encased in a protective plastic sleeve, was missing. Out of everything that was stolen, the loss of that Dollar hurt me the most.

I just read that Milton Friedman passed away today in San Francisco at the age of 94.

He might have been a small man in stature, but he was a giant in his field, and I will greatly miss him.

Duplicate content seems to be a major issue confronting site builders these days.

Duplicate content.  Is Google penalizing duplicate content or not?  Based on my experience, and some experienced SEO experts I’ve talked to, the answer is a qualified yes.  Admittedly, there is still tons of top ranking duplicate content in the Google index, but there are also growing examples that Google is cracking down on this as best they can.

There is a “shingle theory” that is much discussed, in that Google looks at 12 to 15-word segments or “shingles” to determine duplicate content status.  The theory goes that Google has determined that it is almost mathematically impossible for two articles to have the same 12 to 15-word “shingle” without being the same article.  So which article wins?  The article on the page with the highest PR wins, according to some SEO experts I’ve talked to.

How does this impact you now?  It may not impact you at all right now, depending on the niche your site is in.  However, if you are republishing public domain articles or content, republishing PLR (Private Label Rights) content without alterations, republishing snippets of unaltered content, or republishing unaltered datafeeds on your site, you should reassess your site publishing strategy, because the Search Engines will eventually catch up to you someday.

The “anti-Duplicate Content” contingent argues that Google doesn’t have NEARLY the computing power necessary to sift through BILLIONS of websites to go searching for 15-word “shingles”.  And they would be partially right too.  Google doesn’t have the computing power necessary to compare ALL sites.  However, my argument is that they don’t have to.  Google is getting increasingly better at theming sites - why not just compare sites that exist within a similar theme?  This drastically reduces the number of sites for comparison and then allows for significantly easier “shingle” comparison.

How does Google know which themes to focus on?  Well, it stands to reason that the most competitive niches likely have the most duplicate content.  See that Google Toolbar at the top of your web brower?  That’s one way.  The other way is for them to simply scan Google Adwords activity on their own site, looking for the most paid ads and bid levels.

Some site builders aren’t even concerned about Google, but are focused on Yahoo and MSN.  However, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to determine that Yahoo and MSN are probably developing duplicate content filters of their own as well.

So, young site builders, go forth and create, but do so carefully, and with an eye firmly fixed toward the future.

Mr. P