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Well, in a nutshell, here’s why I will NOT be going to the Ed Dale Coming Homee conference, and why I will be attending the List Control conference, and a quick marketing lesson …

First, some background, I’m not the normal conference attendee in that I have complete freedom to choose when and where I go to conference, and money can safely take a back seat to location, fun, and yes, even content (and yes, that sadly tends to rank last in my list). As I’ve said before, I mainly go to seminars to recharge my batteries, and to give me a strong push in productivity. Typically, while I may not learn a ton, I tend to meet a few good people, and always tend to have skyrocketing productivity, whenever I attend a seminar or conference. It’s always worth it…

Ed Dale has a conference in San Diego this weekend, and Frank Kern is two weekends later - both in San Diego. The first, called Coming Home, I’ll pass on, and the second, List Control, is “free”, with the purchase of Frank’s product.

I attended, strangely enough, Ed Dale’s and Frank Kern’s last conference, which they did together in San Diego a few years back. I remember it well, because … well, I didn’t like it very much. I didn’t get very much out of it, and thought it was poorly run. That being said, I actually didn’t hold that against them (everyone can have a mis-step every now and then), and I follow Ed Dale and Frank, obviously, and have purchased a lot of their stuff. As for Ed Dale, I’m an immediate edge member, purchase every course Ed does, and think he’s quick funny, bright and straightforward as an internet marketer.

However, after having been to a prior Ed Dale conference, bought every course he’s done, and been a current immediate edge member, I simply don’t think I should pay the same as a brand new student of his. No, it’s not about the money - as he is asking a relatively small amount for the conference - but it is about how you treat your customers. Internet marketer’s by and large, have a horrible way of forgetting about their customers moments after they’ve made a purchase. I’ve felt this way again, and again, and likely, if you are reading this blog, and a compulsive course buyer, you’ll know of what I speak.

So, when I asked if there was an alumni rate, a special, a discount, or anything, it kind of sucked when I was just treated like everyone else. I was simply told to go to the main page if I wanted to attend. I mean, isn’t ANY seminar an easy way to give a thank you to your customers or even a small discount of appreciation? Would it have cost anything to have a special discount page, or even a thank you page for registration, aimed towards past customers? Should every conference do this?

In short, the answer is yes. You’ll see this done again, and again, in many conferences - and I’m a supporter of it, because it DOES work. Even a small discount, or treatment that makes you feel like you’re treated slightly better for being a customer, or an active follower, really hits that psychological trigger of appreciation. I’m a strong believer in this, and you’ll see this spread throughout my marketing.

For example, I have a seminar coming this summer. Over 1000 people attend (and no, it’s not in the marketing niche). However, this seminar gives me the ability to appreciate my customers. I give them special rates, and bonuses, if they attend. I let them know I have not forgotten them, and quite the opposite, I remember their purchases from years ago, and continue to pile on thanks, and bonuses. It gives me the opportunity to thank those whom have purchased from me, and I take the opportunity firmly. I want my customers to feel special, and know that they are treated special as well.

So, no “Coming Home” for me it seems. No problem. If I start off by not feeling appreciated, I can’t see how I’ll feel any more appreciate when I get there. That being said, I understand, Ed probably would have acted differently than, perhaps, the customer service rep whom I talked to. Regardless, just using this to make a point.

Let’s contrast this, briefly, with List Control, where the seminar comes as a bonus to a course. It’s a little bit of an unfair comparison, but as you can tell, since the conference is a bonus, I already FEEL appreciated for buying the course. For many, the reason they bought list control, WAS the conference! We all know it’ not free - hotels, flights, taxis, food, etc … it still costs thousands of dollars to attend. However, because we, as customers were “given” this as a bonus, it was very easy to say yes, and very easy to appreciate the “gift” of being able to attend. Frank has made me feel appreciated for being a customer - plain and simple, and it worked.

How can you appreciate your customers? It’s easier than you may think!

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Wow! In short … yes it does. Holy smokes, dominated keywords instantly - i’m certain the results won’t stick from the feeder sites, but for my money sites, back to top 5 (on some very dead sites).  Holy smokes! This works very well, for a minimum of work you’re probably doing anyway.

Be aware, this is a linking strategy, and NOT a traffic strategy. This is for the purpose of incoming links, and not generally for the purpose of generating traffic per se.

Do you post on a blog? Do your sites have RSS feeds? If you answered yes to either of these, you better get on the bandwagon with RSS feed marketing. To be honest, I sure didn’t until now. I barely cared at all, and when people mentioned it, my mind would glaze over, as I suckled the PPC teet. Now, as PPC has become an undeniable time sucking monster, it’s time to investigate some new (and old) strategies.

This one works. A combination of tools has really made a difference, and before you ask, yes these are all affiliate links, however, I am using the tools real names (i’d definitely appreciate you getting them through these links though…). Here’s what I do:

I get these Plugins for Wordpress blog. I installed RSS Bomber. This simple program give each post in your site a unique RSS feed (as usually sites only have one main feed). I got this program here: Click here to view more details. After installing that plugin (you customize it only with your email), I installed the Web Traffic Genius, which does the same as the above, but also automates the process of submitting EACH posts’s RSS feed to many directories. I got that software here: RSS POWER.

Once these two programs are installed on your blog, every time you post, you get TWO RSS feeds to submit to RSS aggregators. The second one haas been submitted automatically to the sites RSS powers submits too, but I go TWO extra steps that make it a killer. I submit both feeds to two more RSS submission automation programs. Both are PC Based software programs, and both are worth it.

1) I purchase RSS Submit, Download RSS Submit - submit your RSS feeds to over 65 sites with one click! <- Get it here.

2) I purchase RSSGoldmine (this one has Captcha tools too, so you can submit to some unique RSS directories). Simply visit, http://www.RSSGoldmine.com

3) I then, initially, use these tools to propogate my blogs initial RSS Feed, but as I post more, on EACH POST, I take the RSS Feeds provided by my software, and run both these programs to make sure my RSS feed for each post is thoroughly distributed. You only need to do it once. Don’t spam!

The entire process is fairly automated, and easy, and from the RSS perspective. I write all my posts, and do not automate, or create bogus posts, just to have them spread. Use these tools responsibly, as they are powerful …

You now know more than 99 percent of the internet world. Use the knowledge wisely.

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I hesitate to post this here, and thought about posting it on my computer games related blog, but it has such value to the business minded among us, I thought I’d share it with the marketing folks too (of course, altering it greatly to avoid duplicate content).

Online Gaming is Dead! And perhaps your answer is, so what?

Maybe you never play online games, simply don’t get them, or simply don’t care. But there are many reasons you should. When I ran a computer game company, the people next door were making Meridian 59, arguably one of the first serious online multiplayer games. It was a great game. A multiplayer “Ultima Online”. Since then, there’s been a slew, EverQuest being the best known. Even at the time of Meridian 59, there were people whom were trying to figure out how to tie real world money into game items. How to allow people to spend real cash, to further their game lives. That was over a decade ago.

Now, that concept, of spending real money to further game objectives is commonplace, and getting worse. It’s mind boggling to think about, but just today, I actually spent money (additional money) to further my game objective (in Lords of Ultima) of building a computerized empire. That’s right, rather than work on my own real-world “gazillions” making business Empire, I spent money to “play” a game.  If it continually costs money to progress in a “game”, can you really even call it a game?

That’s a real problem. Because, regardless of what all the millions of game players out their think, they are not “playing anything”. These games aren’t games. Mafia Wars, Farmville, and it’s slew of ilk are not games! They are scientifically calculated money-sucking algorithms to get people, on a psychological and emotional level, to fork out cash.

And yes, I just did it too. Wow!  It’s like gambling … but bigger. Creepier … and even more insidious, hiding behind the thin veneer of a “game” on your console, computer or TV Screen. How did they get me? Back when there were actual “games”, I played one, and grew up on one, called “Ultima”. This series of role playing games were some of the first of their kind, and I spent many fun filled days lost in their stories.  I did not have to pay money to continue playing, or to find out how the story progressed, or to aid my character in staying alive, or to further any in-game objectives. I simply play-ed …

It seems like those days are all but gone, as online social gaming becomes more and more popular, and PC gaming becomes less and less. How long until social gaming truly devours our next generation consoles machines? Would you spend an extra $1 to beat the hell out of your friend in a racing game, a shooter, and the grandaddy “Sims” style games? I’m betting a lot of us might, and so are a lot of major gaming companies.

But hold on, this all might be interesting, but isn’t this a marketing blog? I mean, “hey, I’m sorry you just spent $50 to buy yourself a better fantasy castle, in your fantasy city empire building computer game, but what does that have to do with me”?  Well, perhaps more than you think!

As this has become so mainstream, big and small (yes, small) brands are using social gaming as a way to reach out, and addict, prospective customers and clients. In fact, walking around Adtech, I even bumped into one of these game companies - with hundreds of games.  The psychological triggers these games employ, and their widespread acceptance, provides an enormous amount of actionable data to would-be marketers on how to sell.

I wouldn’t have believed it. If you haven’t booted one of these games up, perhaps now is the time? I downloaded several to my IPad unknowingly, thinking they were just regular strategy games, and was amazed at how they weaved in the concept of using real money to purchase items in the game. You owe it to yourself to see what’s happening out there to the younger generation!  This is a total disaster for gaming …

And I say younger generation with great sorrow - as they will likely never know the simplicity and fun of the way games used to be - prior to them becoming disguised ATM machines with the purpose of getting money out of you in the guise of accomplishing more in the game. I feel like my dad, when I say, “back in my day, we didn’t pay to win a video game … we simply played them well”.

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Why am I here? No, really, why am I here.

Right before attending the 12,000 person Adtech conference in San Francisco, and shortly after being shut down for an invite to the Moss Networks vip party (that’s right, Moss Networks told me “No Thanks”, as my search continues for a good small business PR firm), I was about to ask myself that question, as I was beaten to the punch by my uber-breakfast companion. Note: the companion was not uber, the breakfast was.

We sat eating a massive breakfast in the Ferry building at 11am (as we so often do), and he asked me, why the hell are you going to ADtech. I had to stop and ponder for a few moments as my late-night-salsa-dance addled brain took it’s time to get into business mode.

Why was I going to another advertising conference? I had just returned from the Underground online seminar, where I was surrounded by 500 similarly motivated, and equally successful go-getting “Basement Empire” multi millionaires, and now I’m going to a 12,000 person pitch-fest of yearly salaries, corporate cubes and 9-5′ers. What was I thinking …

I smoothly explained, after yet another cup of black-oil like coffee, that these conferences are at two ends of my business spectrum. These two styles of events are important for very different reasons.

The first type of conference is for internet marketers. This is where I’m at home. Surrounded by other people building internet empires from their basement. No commutes, few employees, but a real understanding of the small business world on the internet. We “get it”. We make enormous sums of money, doing what we love, and working how we want. I go to these conferences to feel at home, and be surrounded by people that are like myself.  That’s why I’m going to the San Diego event in May (and yes, there are TWO San Diego internet marketing events in May)

Adtech is the other end of the spectrum. I doubt that many, if any, baseline bedroom internet marketers really attend. This is the corporate world, and I come here to make sure I don’t lose all touch with the common and prevailing mindsets. This is where the kool-aid gets digested and disseminated. This is where the breadth of the advertising world gets, and makes, its money.  It’s intregral for me to be here - not to stay on the cutting edge, but to make sure I’m not so far out on the edge that I lose grounding, and thus lose touch with the masses.

Wow, now that I write it down, it doesn’t come off all that well, but you have to remember, it was 11am in the morning, after 3 hours of sleep, and I was about to enter a sell-sell-sell expo floor crammed with pushy people, suits, booth babes, and endless corporate hucksters. Honestly, a scarier proposition there never was …

Three Reasons to be here:

1) Small: To Stay on the Cutting Edge,  Big: To Stay Connected to the Masses

2) Both: To Learn about prevailing marketing mindsets and moods

3) Big: To test my patience (mettle) being hounded on the expo floor … and see what people spent display money on.

Yes, I have to be here. Yes, I have to stay connected to all internet marketing, in all its facets. This is a huge event, and I was surprised by the companies that were here, and more surprised by the companies that were absent.

Does anything here really have an immediate effect on my business? Probably not …

Am I learning? Yes, yes, I am.

Do I wish I had blown off ADtech and gone to see “Kick-Ass” with my friend? What do you think?

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The day after Underground Seminar, List Control video four closes me.  It wasn’t the first three videos, nor the software (which I’d been using for years), but it was video 4. That did it. Damn, it was good. I’m ready to purchase …

Now, let me first state. I’m not promoting the course. I may buy it for myself, but I am not posting my affiliate link, nor am I trying to pitch you on it. It’s 2k - and for many, that’s simply a crazy amount of money (see below though). However, I thought I’d share with people the fact that, yes, I’m going to do it.

My greatest fear is that I already know everything there is to know about list building. However, the desire to continue learning, and perhaps, find things that have eluded me in my ten plus years, or simply to keep myself involved, is enough for me to pull the trigger and get the course.

It will be the first internet course this year, and likely the only course I get. However, to be honest, the other main selling point was the event in San Diego. I love San Diego, and having an excuse to go down there and party - well, that’s was a major selling point for me. I tend to learn a lot at conferences, as my last three posts have probably affirmed, so the chance to go to one more this year, and learn three more essential skills of internet marketing, was too good to pass up.

In truth, 2k is nothing. I don’t mean to belittle the cost, however, compared to a single year in school, or any other training program which teaches you how to make money, or actively “do” just about anything, it’s really fairly typical. In the internet marketing world, it’s considered a lot. In the Stanford, or even UC Berkeley world of real life education, its’ a drop in the bucket. It’s hard to say which one is more valuable in life, however, it’s easy to say which one will likely net your more immediate income.

Frank’s product is at http://www.listcontrolsite.com, and that’s a straight link (no affiliate stuff). If you get the course, please let me know, as I’d like to have people to compare notes with. My single fear is that there will be nothing new for me here, and in essence, it will take my TIME away from me (which is by far my greatest asset).

If you are purchasing, do a search of the warrior forum to see if any bonus offers appeal to you. I think most are horrible, as they are even more time draining (offering more courses, or added bits and pieces that take more of your time). That being said, Jeff Johnson’s might be ok, and I may purchase through his link (for the ability to have his team build me a site “their way”). Not sure I believe that, but I’ll give it a fair shake.

This boils down to me feeling that I’m moving forward, becoming more involved, investing in my education, after my years of travel, I want my playtime to be over. I want to be invested in something. Houses, cars, hotels, spas, they’re all great - but I’m over it (almost … I think …). I won’t do it at the expense of wasting my time however, so if the course doesn’t deliver, you can expect to hear about it.

Hope You Join me! List Control …