It’s time someone came out and said what everyone is already thinking.
Something is really wrong with the way business education and marketing works online.
You know the drill…
- Viewing people as ATMs, not living beings with dreams, hopes, desires and problems.
- Lots of hype (not so much service).
- Heavy marketing, disappointing delivery.
The list goes on. And unfortunately, this is the norm.
If you’ve spent any amount of time perusing the business info product world, these qualities are unfortunately all too familiar.
Yes. Something is clearly wrong.
But don’t despair, there is good news.
I, and many others believe this trend is starting to shift. A new guard of leaders and teachers with authenticity and transparency at their core are showing up and making the old operators uncomfortable.
Things are beginning to move in the direction of authenticity, truth and a genuine desire to serve the best interests of all.
Together, we can make it harder and harder for the old way to survive. A smarmy way that’s all about…
- Fear-driven campaigns that capitalize on the pain of others.
- Selling as the first priority, and respecting the art of teaching as a bothersome afterthought.
- Profits over the results of customers they’re serving.
- False scarcity.
- Big on the surface, yet shallow on the outside (bait and switch).
But alas, don’t worry, there is hope! If we support the new wave that’s emerging, the old inauthentic business practices of the past will be forced to retire and disappear for good.
Leaders like Danielle, Jadah, Chris, Corbett, Mike and others are refreshing examples of a new way of doing business with love and integrity.
So in stark contrast to the old world of douchebaggery, the new way is about…
- Honesty-driven marketing that acknowledges the pain and fear, but moves beyond it into love.
- Communities demonstrating results that speak for themselves.
- Case studies and real-world examples, not philosophical what-ifs from those that have never actually done what they’re teaching.
- Us, us, us vs. me, me, me.
- Under-promising and over-delivering.
- Serving everyone’s best interest. The Good of All is the highest priority.
- Giving courageously and trusting that you’ll receive abundantly in return. Tweet.
At its core, what it comes down to is a fundamental shift in the perspective of marketing.
The old way views marketing as: manipulating people to buy your stuff by any means necessary.
The new ways views marketing as: the simple effective communication of value to those that are in most need of it. Or as my friend Dustin says it best: Giving bravely.
Fear vs. Integrity.
So… why am I saying all of this now? (the BIG news)
Why go on this rant about business info products and marketing online?
Allow me to practice what I’m preaching here. :)
Within the next week, I’m going to be sharing with you a project I’ve been working on with my friend and business partner Dustin Lee for the last six months.
Our aim is to incite a revolution in the way business education and teaching happens online. To our knowledge, no one has done what we’re about to do in this space.
It’s scary as hell, and freaking exciting.
We’ll be sharing case studies from honest business owners and breaking down exactly what they’ve done. We’ve got some rad folks like Corbett Barr, Tyler Tervooren and Steve Kamb lined up. (Don’t worry, we’re working on recruiting the ladies too.)
We’re building this to help more of the good guys win. We want to help the everyday entrepreneurs get their gifts out into the world to make an impact, without being marketing experts.
I’ll be sharing more about what this actually is with you this Thursday after we put together some final touches and force ourselves to stop being OCD. :)
With that said, we believe that the times are a’changin’. Love always wins in the end, isn’t that what they say?
But, what do you think?
Do you think a shift in online marketing is happening right now?
Share your thoughts below and let’s start a new conversation about business with integrity, openness and love.
Leave a Reply
65 Comments on "What’s Wrong With Online Marketing (And Why We Must Take a Stand)"
I agree. Some really awesome things happen when something simple as our language changes.
Viewing people as real human beings, it Just-Feels-Good.
Thank you Nadine. I agree that it starts with people demanding and wanting a change. We all vote and shift the collective consciousness with our daily choices.
No worries man. And I do think that it can turn into just another shill, another strategy. So we have to be careful that our intentions stay sourced with depth and having the best interests of the world at heart. If we come from that place, we can have real authenticity, not authenticity just motivated as a desire to succeed.
Hell yes. And you’re right, we don’t have to choose one or the other. We can be smart, clever and authentic and heart-centered.
Yeah, the false scarcity thing does my head in. It’s just low and manipulative. I love what Danielle Laporte is about and it is obvious she works to give not to get. Her sales page is titled “See what I made for you”. ‘Nuff said.
Ahhhh, I love Danielle. Yep, she’s a great example.
Thank. You. I am so tired of people analyzing my site, and telling me that I didn’t rub people’s noses in their pain. No, I don’t ignore it…but I don’t feel the need to drown people in it. I just changed my home page to my blog, because I want the focus to be relationship & community, instead of slapping them with sales pitch.
Good for you Amanda. I think it’s also good to remember that selling or offering your gifts is always something that we’ll do. It’s a part of being human. And I think there’s a way to do it with integrity and honesty, and a way to do it without it.
Just my thoughts!
Yes, you are damn right about it. Integrity will always strive compared to those hype marketing players that promise the sky for you. Love the new marketing ways!
Integrity wins. It’s that simple.
Oh, and it’s also a way easier way to live. :)
Hmm, it sounds like she was kind of connected to her heart, but not fully, not quite all the way. I think getting someone to own their pain and offering a solution is one of the kindest things you can do sometimes. However, you have to be fully honest and in integrity while you do it. It’s not always easy, but it can be done.
Absolutely. I feel when you come from a place of manipulation – I’m going to make you hurt so you feel scared and react to the solution I offer it’s not acceptable. It feels and is way different than standing in a place of true, unconditional caring and service and saying to the person I can hold the space for you to do this healing work.
Sooooo glad you brought this up J. It’s a dilemma I’ve often found myself in.
I think the key is to give everything you can, but without needing someone to succeed, or being attached to their success. That’s been a big help for me, but it’s still really emotional when you know someone is on the brink of a breakthrough and they’re giving up.
Great examples Oscar. I’ll add the book to my reading list.
Also, love what Danny Iny is doing.
I think that commerce is inevitable, but there’s definitely a way to approach it with love rather than fear.
If we choose integrity and love I think our choices in business will naturally shift to a more healthy reality for the whole planet.
I think that selling is natural and human. We all make offerings and requests of others naturally, every single day. Sometimes they’re for the exchange of money, sometimes for exchange of energy, emotion, affection or time. The first step is to realize that we’re all always “selling.”
However, we can do this in business with more grace, integrity and effectiveness when we approach it from a place of truth and love.
I highly recommend picking up Dan Pink’s “To Sell is Human” to help you get over the blocks you have toward selling.
Beautifully said Craig. Thank you.
This is so refreshing to see! I read this just after reading someone else’s post about not caring about anyone who doesn’t buy from them. We need more reciprocity in all aspects of life! If we’re not all helping each other out, we’re doing something wrong. Thanks for being one of the good guys!
Thank you sir William. Reciprocity wins.
Thanks for being one of the Good Girls, Cassie.
Mike Klinger is a leader in the area of delivering honest business experiences on the Web via his School o Online Business Mastery.
Sorry- it’s Mike Klingler- not to be confused with the mlm guy.
Good example. :)
Ahhhhhhhh. Love this Wanda. Thank you for sharing your experience honestly and openly so we all can benefit.
Thank you Paula. Yep. You gotta give to get.
Great idea Jonathan. I agree that online marketing CAN be done differently – in fact, it needs to be done differently. I can testify that people like Corbett Barr are really doing something different – I’m a member of Fizzle.co and it’s so refreshing to be part of a smart, honest and genuinely supportive community of online business builders. Up the revolution brother!
Up, up, up! Thank you Jo!
hi!
i’m very new to this world of wanting to become an entrepreneur, however, i totally see where you are coming from. from personal, and not business, experiences i can see how marketers manipulate you by using the fear/scarcity tactic as consumers but also as employees. Simon Sinek even discussed that manipulative tactic from businesses in his book “Start With Why. i look forward to the shift of businesses “sharing” their products/ideas based on true consumer care rather than it being all about the money.
great post!!!
Simon is pretty awesome. Why, why, why. It makes perfect sense. I honestly can’t live any other way.
Thanks for writing this, Jonathan!
I think times are definitely a-changin’. We’ve been stuck in a fear and lack mindset for so long and more people are raising their awareness, consciousness, and vibration to a state of love. More people are attracted to the message of love and hope than a campaign based on scarcity and fear.
Helllll yes!
Man I love this article! This is what’s inspiring me to get into the online marketing game – to help people with what I know and hopefully they can help people I ca’t reach and w can change the world like that.
However there are so many unscrupulous products out there that give people false promises that they remain permanently skeptical. I think it’s awesome what your trying to do to change that Jonathan and I look forward to seeing what you guys are cooking up!
Thanks Dubem.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Tai. Much appreciated and much needed.
Yep, video is a powerful tool for showing your truth. You’ve done a great job with that Paul.
The shift is steadily progressing. It’s taken a long time but we are getting there.
Like you said, the old days of marketing were profit-driven marketing tactics, attacking people’s insecurities. When the internet became a new world of business, a lot of those same tactics carried over.
But times are changing and people are realizing that they can live off their passion. This creates a new community of individuals who genuinely love what they do and couldn’t give a shit about profit margins.
The world is changing. I look forward to seeing what your new project is!
Thanks Kevin, glad to see you pop up here. I think you’re a great example of integrity and courage.
[…] Modern online marketing is all about relationships and teaching, not selling. For your audience to like, know and trust […]
I hate the fear/insecurity tactics especially when the end products from such entrepreneurs stinks! I truly believe in HUMANITY. We’re all connected! Lets respect that fact in all we do, including marketing. I really want more love and meaningful connections, it serves both ends well.
Rock on, this post articulates a lot of the struggle I’ve had with many of the various marketing techniques I’ve read about. Your comments go a long way towards articulating that the profession of marketing doesn’t have to have the greasy underpinnings of a car salesman mentality.
[…] There’s an abundance of human-debasing business out there, and the media, government, and organized religions are heavily contaminated with it. It may be the norm, but it’s not the entirety – marketing and business can both be about uplifting. Paid to Exist put out an excellent article on this alternative, saying it’s a trend, that is worthwhile to read: What’s wrong with online marketing (and why we must take a stand). […]