"Oh, the humanity..."
by Jack Hayford

Are you a marketer? Are you a real marketer, or a virtual marketer?

When I got serious a few months ago and jumped into the e-world of Internet marketing, I started with all the typical online marketing methods.

==> I joined "safe" lists. (Click here for the only really good one I've found yet!)

==> I "surfed" for hits. (My favorite is WebBiz.com and I have generated quite a lot of traffic and prospects with it.)

==> I "blasted" out ads to thousands of classified ad sites and search engines. (Click here for my favorite blaster but here is another good one too. This one is new to me but is highly touted by the pros.)

==> I started my own "FFA" (FreeForAll Links) Page. It has turned out to be a pretty good way to make contacts too. Click here if you'd like to read the short article I wrote on how best to use FFA pages.

==> I use the Pay-Per-Click search engines and actually THEY've provided the most TARGETED traffic yet. (I've had good success with Google Adwords but there are loads of Pay-Per-Click opportunities. Click here for a list of the Top 50 Search Engines. Many of them have Pay-Per-Click programs.)

==> I've also used some more "techie" and intricate online devices to gain exposure for my websites.

But through all that I've done, I've also WATCHED what other people are doing. What other marketers are saying. What others are selling.

By my rough calculation, less than 10% of the people marketing online with the "typical" methods I've outlined above are actually selling REAL PRODUCTS.

Here's a sampling of the first 12 ads that I saw today when I turned on WebBiz:

1. Discover How To Promote 1 URL And Build Deep Downlines in Major Traffic Exchange Programs

2. Revealed! - A Shockingly Simple Way "Anyone" Can Make Money On The Internet!

3. All Solutions Network - A World of Opportunity and Solutions!

4. For those who feel like they are wasting their time. Having trouble earning much needed cash? Rock Solid Earning Potential

5. Generate HUGE monthly commission checks of up to $375-$4,500+-- just by sending visitors to my web site!

6. *NEW* Mind-Blowing Technology Delivers An Endless Flood Of Traffic To Your Website Automatically At The Push Of A Button! Enjoy Unlimited Hits For Life!

7. "Are You Sick And Tired Of The Scams That Pervade Online? Then Join Us And FINALLY Make A Living Online! Get a fully stocked online store. YOU own the shops, YOU get ALL the profits!"

8. The Power of Financial Planning - Prepare for your future now

9. How to Get Your Own Free Viral Marketing Website in 5 Minutes or Less!

10. "It's time to finally put your NetMarketing business on Auto-Pilot with the ONLY TRULY Automated System that's affordable to the masses!"

11. TrafficBuck.com - the Internet's Premier Executive Traffic Exchange!

12. This breakthrough new patent-pending advertising technology will send targeted visitors to your site today.

Only one of the ten is directly selling what could be called a bona fide general consumer product. That's #6 and their "product" is a service (Financial Planning).

I assure you, if you don't already know this for yourself, that this is not an aberration. At least 90% of "webpreneurs" are primarily selling ADVERTISING.

Now, isn't advertising a product? Well yes, in the REAL WORLD, but here's the thing. If these "mind-blowing" viral advertising juggernauts were actually capable of selling products, don't you think these people would be too busy selling those products to spend so much time promoting the selling of advertising?

Here's my point. The general public isn't looking for web traffic! Go out tomorrow and ask the first 100 people (or ten or five) you see, "hey, wanna buy some web traffic?" They'll ask you what you've been drinking for breakfast!

The Internet, for the most part (and I say "for the most part" because the REAL MARKETERS - there's even a couple of them represented by the ads above - ARE SELLING PRODUCTS LIKE CRAZY!) is made up of naive, frustrated and sometimes desperate people ALL CHASING EACH OTHER. They ARE NOT THE GENERAL PUBLIC. They are NOT where money is to be made. Selling REAL PRODUCTS to PEOPLE WHO ARE LOOKING FOR THOSE PRODUCTS is where the money is made, online and off!

I remember years ago I was called by an agressive "MLM'er" touting his latest, greatest money making "opportunity." At one point I asked, "what's the product... what do you sell?"

He paused for a moment and replied, "oh they're good products but it doesn't matter, we're selling the compensation plan!"

"Excuse me," I said, "I gotta go... I'm sorry but I honestly don't know one single person who is looking to buy a compensation plan!"

FIND SOMETHING THAT YOU LOVE... and sell it... to PEOPLE who REALLY want to buy it! Is it cars? Boats? Knitting? Candles? Balloons? Sporting goods? Music? Self-Healing? 'Cause you ain't gonna last long selling WEB TRAFFIC.

If you look at all those ads one after another, the good ones (as in compelling to read - attention grabbers) are well done. Heck, guys like Michael Fortin make a fortune coming up with just the right headline. Michael sells a valuable product (his skill) to people who REALLY want and need it. He's not selling "hits" and he makes a killing... and he is obviously passionate about what he does. (See how that works?)

I started studying those "well-pulling" ads. Red headlines pull better. Verdana works better than Times Roman. All that stuff is legitimate and helpful and undoubtedly makes some deep psychological connection. I don't know what that connection is but clearly analyzing response and conversion rates can tell you what works and what doesn't, in degrees.

I started studying copywriting books to learn more about what words work better than others. Some say words that work well in print don't work as well on the web. So I grabbed a copy of a great little book called "Net Words" by Nick Usborne. I recommend it if you're inclined to study ad writing.

I have to say that I find most websites, and ads for that matter, are woefully written and edited. And I don't mean "woeful" in a marketing sense, like they could have chosen better language and style to achieve a higher "pull rate." I mean they're just downright full of bad grammar, poor syntax, and obvious typographical errors (and I'm not hung up on typos because you'll find them EVERYWHERE, even in well-written and professionally edited content). But I mean big glaring typo after big glaring typo, that just smells of someone who either isn't paying attention, doesn't care, or is just plain dumb... none of which makes me anxious to buy what they're selling.

I work in the music business and we have a saying. "Just because someone CAN make a record, that doesn't mean they SHOULD." I think the same is true for websites and "e-books." Come on, if you are going to self-publish and put your work out there for a gazillion people to see, at least get a friend or associate to proof read it! Take pride in your work! It'll only HELP achieve the success you are looking for... it can NEVER hurt!

But going back to the "Net Words" book, I missed this quote in Chapter Two but fortunately it was re-printed in Chapter 13. It's a quote from acclaimed copywriter Ed McCabe: "To me, all advertising that is truly great reeks of honest humanity. Between every word you can smell the hot breath of the writer. Whether a result of wit, intelligence, insight or artfulness, great advertising invariably transmits itself to the receiver on a fragile human frequency."

THAT'S IT! That's why "surfing for credits" and reading e-zines (always with a few notable exceptions) leaves me feeling like a vegan in a butcher shop. Nothing for me! What a waste of time. Oh yeah, let me spend another three hours on people telling me that I can make a million and a half dollars in the next 30 days, without buying anything, selling anything, or doing anything.

Well, first of all, that's a bunch of crap. And secondly, IT'S ROBOTIC. I've got problems here guy. I wanna solve them. I want you to put your arm around my shoulder with empathy and understanding of my HUMAN CONDITION and I want your GUIDANCE.

I think the biggest sin of the Internet is that it is generally NOT being used to help people grow and get better at everything they do... and yet I honestly believe that's exactly what most people want to do (right after they rake in that 1.5 mil in six months).

Oh, the humanity... that's what I find missing from the virtual world.

PS. I sell products. I put up a quick little website (and wrote none of the copy) that I think "reeks of humanity." The words are those of the Founder of the company that makes the products I sell. If you'd like to see it, click here.

Jack Hayford has been a professional network marketer and MLM consultant for over twelve years.