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Ok, following up on my last post, this should be titled, MarketingCrazy’s crystal ball, but it’s not. This, frankly, is coming so quickly - a lot of it is here already, regardless of whether anyone knows it.

And the fact is, very few people do know it. Prepare for Internet Marketing knowledge that will be commonplace in 2011, but for now, is cutting edge. Only three fortune tellings for now, as I’m off to the movies (all play, and NO work, not good - so here’s my work).

1) The Year of Universal Search screwing everybody up!

What is universal search? it’s when a search engine brings in items from other properties, and puts your organic search results (that you’ve spent years creating) toward the bottom of the page (yikes). It’s when, instead of 10 organic search listsing, there are only 5, below youtube videos, google news clippings, comparison shop and search engines, etc…). It’s the process by which a search query, on all major search engines, returns results not only from it’s organic listings, but from myriad (”universal”) locations.

Oh, and it hurts!  And it’s going to hurt you … unless, you can ->

2) Be Everywhere in 2010

I hate Web 2.0, as you know. Hated more in 2008 than now, but still - what a waste of time. Argh, so much time spent in front of the computer versus at the movies, or on a beach. However, if you were #4 in google for removing “soap scum” and are now not even on the first page below all the youtube videos, news clippings, facebook pages, yelp reviews, and other “universal search” items that are appearing above your hard fought for organic search listing, you’ll immediately see the need to be everywhere.

It just got a whole lot harder (or a whole lot easier, depending on your perspective) to snipe someone’s top listing, or lose yours. A well done Youtube video can take #1 search rankings away from you in a week or less. A well crafted yelp (or insert web 2 property, flavor of the day) review can easily knock you off your pedestal.

That being said, it also allows brand new people to get into the game, if they understand what a game changer this is, and know how to capitalize on it. Let’s pray they don’t (or at least don’t read this blog, since I’m going to pretty much give all that away).

3) Local Search is king, and all the Search Engines know it …

The direction of the world is local. Local this, that, and the other thing. I’m just getting my hands around this power, and work, that will be involved in the rapidly growing local search market. It’s huge and the tools coming online, including google’s own local search business center, are massive. Every search engine, and every SEO firm, are creating tools like mad to harness it - even me.

So, apart from me ranting about these changes, and how it’s going to actually require me to work to keep my dominating web presence in every niche I play in, what exactly am I recommending?

You mean, apart from the enormous amount of work it would require to “be everywhere”. Time to learn Youtube - it’s now the second biggest search engine behind google (yes, it’s #2, Google is #1). Time to learn Facebook and Twitter (and by learn, I mean have a presence there). Time to focus on your local search listings, and time to make sure your Yelp listing are truly up to snuff.

And yes, this is on top of (and in addition to, as well as relation to), Hubpages, Squidoo Lenses, etc … Why do I get the feeling I may have to work really hard this year? Darn it! I’m going to do that right after I get back from Hawaii …

Until then, what are your game changers? Write em’ below!

Also, take a look at our new MarketingCrazy Podcast and Online Business daily video show, http://www.MarketingCrazyMinute.com

Whoa, color me surprised - this has been a great two months! Really …

Just a few month ago, and throughout the summer, we were noticing that things were getting quite rough. Sales were down across the board, advertising costs were way up, and we were questioning … well, just about everything. The news was filled with negativity, yes, everyone spoke of the rebound coming …

I’ll be honest. I didn’t believe it! I still don’t believe it. We are simply NOT turned around. We are NOT over the hump, and I predict things are going to get a whole lot worse. I see the entire rebound we are currently experiencing as entirely irrational, and I urge great saving, and even greater caution, in the coming year.

That being said - I have to admit when I’m wrong. And, based on our own results, I have to say … We sold a lot of stuff this last two months. It’s like all of America seemed to buy into the “hype” of the ending recession, and started spending like mad. It’s out of control, and we did very, very well. I’m shocked (but very happy) …

And believe you me, this has a great impact on our upcoming January, where I predict things will continue to go gangbusters on the web … We are currently refining our strategies, and predict a stellar January! Beyond that though - we think the irrational exuberance is going to wane, and we see some tough times in 2010. While I can’t argue with our exceptional November and December results, I also, can’t really say we saw it coming. How long can this kind of spending continue?

No, I am not complaining. Just making note of the fact that the country has not dealt (at ALL) with the housing issue, foreclosures, or bank financing (like my small business maybe being able to get a LOAN to expand even faster). These are troubling problems, and stand in the way (I believe) of any true recovery.

That being said - to the victor go the spoils, and in this instance, as we’ve “figured out” internet business, we’ve been strong victors. So ends a crazy 2009, and what will almost assuredly be a crazier 2010 …

Lessons Learned: Spend Less!
-> We went crazy with adwords and landing page testing, and paid the price. I am an avid tester, and PPC buyer, but we overdid it, and we paid a heavy (six figure) price. 2010? We’re going to do LESS, but more targeted, PPC. Think … hand done SpeedPPC campaigns.

-> Focus, Focus, Focus … We’re going to greatly trim our niches, and where we focus our energies. We cut down 100 sites this year, and we plan to trim 200 more in 2010. That’s right. 200 sites, bye-bye. In fact, we’re going to give MarketingCrazy members first crack at buying these sites and domain names (for very cheap).

-> No More Buying Internet Marketing Courses! Ha - I’ve promised this before, but this year - no way. We’re going to create one, that’s going to blow everything else out of the water. To do that, we’re going to need to stop reading everyone else’s for a moment. Yep, that means I’m going to drop out of the 100+ email marketing lists for the following year. Yay!

In my next post, I’m going to detail the top 3 game changers of 2010, with regards to internet marketing, and I’m going to tell you our plans of how we’re preparing to deal with them. What are you three things you’re planning for 2010?

Think you can’t do it? Think you can’t make 2k a day with no hands?

YOU ARE RIGHT!

But a good percentage of you might try anyway, right? Why is that? Never-ending hope? That’s rigth! Every day I am hounded by products that promise this (or that), with no work. Not just less work, but NO work.

For the newbies, let me cut to the chase - buy NOTHING, EVER that’s main selling point is that there’s NO work involved. Never, Ever, buy a single thing that starts that way. In fact, buy precious little that ANYONE is ever trying to sell to you on the internet …

Do those words confirm your worst fears?  That everyone on the internet is a scam?  Here it is, said by an internet millionaire, whom is sure as hell out to sell you something, confirming your worst fears. Pretyy scary eh? Yet, not scary enough, because…

That being said, many of you will purchase anyway, lord knows, I do.  I’m a spendaholic. I buy no less than a course or tool a week. I’m a true-bred US Consumer though. I get panic attacks if I’m away from Amazon.com 1 click orders for a day. I fear I may have become addicted to the purchase process of internet marketing junk…

So, now that I have come clean, and protected those internet beginner’s whom might listen to me in their quest for internet freedom and lifestyle, let me share a single golden rule!  This, learned from tens of thousands of wasted dollars …

If a product’s main selling point is its lack of work - it’s NOT for you.  It’s likely a scam.  Simple as that! Why? Well, simply put, if you really want to make money, you DO want to work.  We’re smart people - we realize that success does require work. In truth, we simply want to work smart - we’d like to save time, but we know there’s going to be a significant time commitment regardless of what we invest in.

So, where do you start? Where do you start if you really want an internet business? I wish I could give you a solid answer. When I look at the sheer amount of misguided information, to say nothing of the scams, fraud, and outright lies out there, I tremble for those getting started. Honestly - it’s not a path I’d like to tread. I’m happy I got my training in relatively early …

So what brought this rant of a post about? Well, the 10 offers in my box, each terribly similar to the last, each landing page well crafted (very well crafted), and an honest fear that … how can I break through that amount of noise? Honestly, how can anyone not willing to sell out, or honestly trying to stick by their principles EVER break through the sheer amount of hype-noise? It’s a scary marketplace not just for consumers, but also for the real internet marketing teachers, and business builders and consultants …

It’s a scary prospect, and one I will ruminate on as I buy my next course on how to make money without a website or a list …

After nearly five years of traveling the globe, living the high lifestyle of those that make a massive automated living on the internet, I am settling down. Yes, settling down. Mind you, living in such a beautiful city as San Francisco, it’s not THAT hard, but it is a big step.

Yes, I work every day on my business, but no, I am not constrained by offices, commutes, location, or any sort of time principles. I work because, I WANT to work. I enjoy it.  And for many years, I have taken full advantage of that freedom which this internet lifestyle provides.

I am an internet marketing guru only in so much as I love to teach.  While I probably make more than most, travel more than most, and live the “true” internet lifestyle more than most, it’s the fact that I love to teach that will really set me apart. That, and the fact that I can really “break things down” into systems that people can follow. The challenge charges me.

I have no plans to travel for the next four months. I’m going to concentrate on BUSINESS. Yes, business. But NOT my current automated businesses. It will be hard to turn away from them, but I will. I’m going to focus, and try to come through with what I’ve promised for ages, yet been too busy to deliver on.  I’m going to try to launch my internet marketing business.

Yes, the actual MarketingCrazy launch. The whole game plan, realized, and executed. It’s a pretty heady goal for the end of 2009, and that’s why I’m writing it down.  Now, for better or for worse, I’m accountable. Of course, as the words flow from hands to paper, I already want to hedge my bets, and say 1st quarter 2010, but no … MarketingCrazy will launch in 2009.

What does that mean exactly? What will the launch entail? Well, no doubt we’ll launch our internet business video podcast, and we’ll likely launch our first coaching program shortly thereafter. Stay tuned - it will be a wild ride.

What’s the goal? The goal is to teach internet marketing fundamentals. Those things that don’t change! Not the glossy, glitzy “make a million dollars in a day” type stuff. But the real secrets to internet success. The fundamentals that others simply don’t teach.

In four months, I have a ten day trip through the Panama Canal and Caribbean, but I may cancel it in order to feel that “settled” feeling. It depends how far I get! After that, I have a trip to Hawaii … yeh, I’ll probably go on that one (because if I actually do end up working for the next four months, I’ll need a vacation).

Drum roll please … I promised you some results (in my previous post), good or bad.  Here it is, results from the Mass Control 2.0 4 day cash machine experiment.

So, here they are: Internet Marketing Results 101.  I like Frank Kern. Really - this guy is a riot. Funny, smart, and deserving of attention. The full course I can review a bit later, but the 4 day cash machine was presented simply, straightforwardly, and so a baby could do it IF (and only if), he had his basic internet marketing skills down (autoresponders, list, landing pages, sellable product, etc …). Let’s get to the stats, right after some basics about my execution:

1) I completely turned off my brain, and tried to follow instructions to the letter (not one of my strongest skills mind you).  So, you’re getting Internet Marketing Results 101, from someone whom has graduated 701 (i.e. 7 figures).

2) I did the exact plan, mirroring the landing page, AND 4 follow up emails, exactly, with no changes. In fact, I even left the word “Dog” in there instead of my chosen market. Whoops! So, my market has nothing to do with dogs, or dog traing, and this of course brough up some pretty funny questions.

3) I did this work myslef. No employees, no outsourcing. It tooks about 7 hours. I did the web stuff, AR’s, buy links, thank you pages, upsells, all by hand (and all by lonesome). I loved it - but felt constrained to follow instructions to the letter. There were many ways I felt I might improve results, but I did not want to do anything to throw off the expriment.

4) I chose a 12k cold list, filled with what was, at one time, targeted optins. The list had not been mailed in over 1 year. Of the 12k list, 10.5 were sent each email, and around 8k active received them.

5) My open rates were around 8-10% or less, using all the chosen headlines.  1ShoppingCart was my mailer - and yes, Aweber might have done better.

6) My product was $137, with two upgrades at $47 each.

and … care to guess? How many sales?

Sales were 20.

Upsells were 7.

Thank you sales were 2 (not talked about here, but results in ongoing income).

So, what do you think? For the newbie, I think it’s extasy, and opens up a new world of possibility. For the expert, it’s a disaster that I am REALLY GLAD I DID!

Ok, so the results stunk (from my perpsective), but the process was something I hadn’t done in years, and I did enjoy it. The feeling that a) I might be missing something, and b) there might be huge sales from this, and c) I didn’t know exactly what would happen was … really quite fun. Will I do it again - No.  Will the learning process improve my existing marketing? Yes. I think it will.

Honestly, this covered such basic stuff, and the real money, as I’ve said before, is all in the basics. The fundamentals! It’s not the next big thing, the new software program, the silver bullet, but rather, returning to the fundamentals of Internet Marketing, again and again, that creates real money on the internet.  It is through trial and error that almost all internet marketer’s succeed!  It’s that, and obsessive testing, tweaking, and tracking.

But you all know that already, right? If not, perhaps it’s time for you to visit the upcoming Basement Empires? Regardless, this brought me back to earth.

Other stats? Can you believe, only 61 people unsubscribed? Crazy eh? Makes me think FEWER people than reported ever saw the email. That’s just too low an unsubscribe rate!

Even more funny, are some of the emails I am recieving from friends whom are also great marketers, whom are testing out the exact same thing. I can’t name names, but I’ve gotten the exact emails from various people in various niches. It’s hysterical. I have sent them emails to confirm their results as well, so I may be able to post a follow up message.

And, now … the review of the Mass Control 2.0 course? The first course like this I have purchased in a long time (and now I went and purchase Russel Brunson Micro Continuity too, argh…).  Perhaps we’ll hit that in a later issue.