Two years ago I accomplished one of my bigger life goals; I wrote and published a book. It’s called Recessions End – Stimulus for the Rest of Us and although it didn’t make me rich or famous, it was a wonderful experience and I’m very proud of it. In fact, that’s how I became a Radio Television Broadcast major at UCF; I had so much fun doing the press-related activities for it, namely the radio, TV, Internet promotions and public speaking engagements that I decided to pursue being a multimedia personality as a career.
Many authors will tell you that writing and publishing a book are relatively easy compared to the business of promoting it once it’s completed, and I concur – that part is way more difficult and time-consuming. As I researched methodologies for promotion, one of the most regrettable mistakes I made was becoming involved in the idea that I could become an Information Entrepreneur online using one of the many programs available for sale from so-called web “gurus”, who seem to be raking in millions by packaging and selling their knowledge of Internet behavior and creating niches within them. Some of the more notable names in the industry are Brendon Burchard, Frank Kern and Tim Ferriss, author of the 4-Hour Workweek.
In summary, I spent way too much time and effort researching how to package and sell my message, using the behavioral analytics of the Internet and went off on a tangent that ended up being confusing, frustrating and fruitless. The conclusion I came to was the same as always: it is far more profitable to be the “coach” that shows everyone else how to do it, than it is to be the student.
That’s why Kirill Levchenko’s article, Click Trajectories: End-to-End Analysis of the Spam Value Chain, hit a painful nerve with me this week. I know that there are a lot of people who not only have a working knowledge of these concepts of marketing analytics, but also are making rock star amounts of cash by using them to their advantage. It all seems so easy on the surface, learn how analytics work, create a product or service based on what the data shows people are searching for, and make networks that direct them to that product. Then sit back and shop for Lamborghini’s while your online bank account swells.
The problem is this: Internet analytics are unbelievably complex and the competition has a ten-year head start on you and incredibly deep pockets. My eyes glazed over every time I tried to even scan Levchenko’s article. The probability that you are going to make the “gurus” richer, buying and following their programs is considerably higher than the probability that you are going to figure it out and tap the Internet millions that are supposedly out there waiting for you. Still, if you think you have what it takes, then by all means, go for it! Just don’t share the secret of your success with me. I’m getting sleepy just thinking about it.