The Current State of Internet Marketing

I called it Mad Guru Disease.

Scott Boulch called it the Digital Ebola Virus.

Joel Comm is "now focusing his efforts on the Top 1%" in the market.

Big change is happening below the surface in Internet Marketing. Buckle up for a little truth talk - and be prepared to take stock on where you stand...

At the beginning of the year, John Reese released a shocking video that stirred up quite a bit of controversy. Both the video and the high-dollar training that followed taught people that Internet Marketing is the best niche to get involved with - even if you have had zero personal success (or even luck) at it yourself. The controversy around that 'revelation' was successful. The IMA course sold out in 14 minutes flat.

Scott Boulch called him out for that in a recent report titled The Internet Marketing Cure. You can download it free at that link, by the way. I highly recommend you grab a copy and give it a quick read.

I first heard about this report in a blog post by Rick Butts, where he suggested that anyone reading along unsubscribe from every mailing list where they received an email promotion about the recent Stompernet launch.

I thought that was a bit harsh, until I read the report for myself. And then I analyzed the Internet Marketing folder in my own inbox for the entire month of May. I offered a brief overview of all of those email messages in this post: Internet Marketing Recap May 2008.

As I scanned through those filed messages I saw Armand Morin promoting Russell Brunson, Michel Fortin promoting Armand Morin, Jason Potash promoting Jeff Johnson, etc, etc, etc. There were some great tips in there by Willie Crawford and Yaro Starak and a few others mixed in there as well - but to be honest, the majority of the messages were strictly promotional.

Of course, I have good reason to remain subscribed to a certain number of "Guru" mailing lists. Its my business to stay in the know, and to pass on what's cool - and what's not. That's what I do. But even I filter it out, pare it down, and keep the IM noise at a semi-tolerable level. There's no way I could focus on my own projects otherwise...

I dont mean to give you the wrong idea here. I'm not one of those Guru Bashers. In fact, there are several Internet Marketing experts that I admire and respect - and I purchase quite a number of guides, reports, tools & memberships year after year.

At the same time, I dont mind to point out the obvious pitfalls in this industry either. In fact, I feel obligated to point them out - and to give my readers the facts (and warnings) they need to make better decisions.

Just in the last year, I've published:

• The 7 Symptoms of Guru-Envy
• Help! Trapped In A Guru Database!
• Spam-Risk in a Volatile Market
• The Gentlemen’s Club of Internet Marketing
• Evidence Of Mad Guru Disease
• 7 Most Annoying Things Internet Marketers Do
• Has Internet Marketing become a dirty word?

All of these posts refer to a changing trend in the market, and a BIG one at that. Over the last two years I have quietly watched these changes rise to the surface, bringing us to a near boiling point.

Where does the "fault" truly lie?

Is it the Guru - or is it the fan club that follows that Guru? Let's be objective for a moment and look at this from a fresh point of view. Anyone can claim guru status. But its the following that actually creates that guru.

It puts me in mind of that saying: If girls will be ladies, will boys be men? In other words, if we continue to subscribe and buy and comment and blog about and so on and so forth... are we just perpetuating the very problem we are complaining about?

Going back to the example of John Reese's IMA course in January, consider the fact that John has a mailing list of thousands of rabid readers that basically want to be just like him. Therefore he was delivering exactly what his readers wanted. Does that make him a bad marketer?...

I propose that we each take personal responsibility.

There is entirely too much dissention in the Internet Marketing circles. It has practically turned into a breeding ground for heated opinionated discussions - instead of productive sharing and brainstorming.

I've heard a number of terms in private conversations lately, from "spidey senses" to "bullshit meter" - it seems everyone has theirs turned to full tilt, waiting for the first opportunity to pounce and attack.

Take the recent hot topic of Forced Continuity for example. In that post I discussed both sides of the 'accountability fence'. That topic was a direct result of the uproar following Joel Comm's use of that model in a re-launch campaign... and I was the first to admit that I didnt even read the sales copy before I clicked the order button.

I'm actually happy with my purchase, recurring charge and all - but the point is that it wasnt Joel's fault that I jumped the gun and didnt read the terms of the sale. I dont care how well 'copywritten' the page was... it's still is (always has been, always will be) a Buyer Beware market.

It's time to take stock...

How many blogs do you read?

How many forums do you frequent?

How many mailing lists are you subscribed to?

How many social networking sites are you actively involved on?

I know you're doing this all in your head at the moment, but take two seconds to guess what percentage of the information you consume on a regular basis is actually contributing to your success.

Would you say it's as high as 50%? As low as 10%? The answer is going to be different for everyone, but I am guessing that that the number is on the low end. Lower than the typical 80/20 Rule even.

It's time to take stock of the information you consume. Is it helping you or hurting you. Is it taking you closer to your goal, or distracting you from it? The typical response is to lash out at the source of distraction. I encourage you to take the high road... and take personal responsibility over what you consume, and also what you do with that information.

The bottom line is this: Yes, there are problems in the Internet Marketing industry. Yes, you have a voice and you should use it when necessary. Yes, there is a major shift in the market at the moment. Yes, there are annoying Guru's out there.

But ultimately your choice is much more powerful than your voice. The collective voice has been heard, and there is much proof of that across the board. But when the collective choice starts talking... positive change will be inevitable.

Best,

P.S. Earlier in this post I mentioned The Internet Marketing Cure, a new (free) report by Scott Boulch. If this topic resonated with you at all then you'll want to download a copy for yourself and give it a quick read.

There are 2 reasons I'm recommending "the cure". One, because Scott offers very sound advice that everyone needs to consider. And two because he also offers some free help in getting back on the right track. Read the report to find out how you can get your hands on all the free training Scott is offering.

I'll give you a full review of this report in my next post here at ClickNewz, so keep your eye out for that as well.