From the monthly archives:

September 2011

Social Media and Snake Oil… Part II

by Steve Buelow

Marketing

One of the great things about New Media is that anyone, anywhere, can suddenly go into business and brand themselves however they want.

Of course, one of the watch-outs with New Media is that anyone, anywhere, can suddenly go into business and brand themselves however they want!

Now, you already know that I’m all for people working for themselves… I’ve been beating that drum for a very long time. And you also know that when it comes to New Media, I’m certainly all for the price!

To be sure, with a cost-basis fast approaching zero, New Media should be high on everyone’s list.

And without doubt, new technology always spawns new opportunity.

For example, if you spend much time at all with Social Networks, and assuming you have a few thousand friends or followers between them… you already know that this technology has given rise to an entirely new entrepreneurial class.

I am speaking, of course… of the Guru.

A month or so ago, a businesswoman who lives between Puerto Rico and Miami sent me a message on Twitter, commenting on all the self-proclaimed “Gurus” on the Web.

How do you know who to believe?

Indeed.

I told her that it may be just me, but I don’t trust anyone who has the word “Guru” printed anywhere on their business card… or tattooed anywhere on their body! Though in retrospect, some of the new ink does look pretty cool… but alas, I digress!

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In any event, I just swung through my Facebook Group requests and Twitter DM’s and am happy to report that there are scores of these Gurus ready to drop everything to help me get it all together.

With just a few clicks, I could take advantage of offers to help me create income streams of hundreds of dollars in just minutes, thousands of dollars per day… even hundreds of thousands of dollars in the next month!

All from Wealth Gurus who are ready to help me unlock ancient secrets.

I also have Health Gurus who will teach me the path to live darn-near forever, Love Gurus who will teach me how to… well, let’s just leave that alone for the moment, and Workout Gurus who are ready to unveil the six-pack abs that have been hidden away for years, and are now just ready to burst forth!

Yeah… I suppose we can always get better abs :) I gotta go!

 

PS: Caveat Emptor

 

Photo Credit:

Vintage Collective

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Social Media and Snake Oil… Part I

by Steve Buelow

Marketing

Ahh… Marketing Claims.

I was driving up from Chicago the other day and, as I often do, spent a few minutes in between phone calls scanning the AM Talk Radio Stations listening for anything political.

Suddenly, this catches my attention… as does anything to do with New Media…

“Coming up next on ‘Expert In The House’ we have Robert W. Glockenspiel of Good Stuff Marketing to talk with us about the importance of New Media and Social Networking.”

Now, of course… I must make the following disclaimer.

“The story you are about to hear is true… the names, including that of Robert and his company, have been changed to protect them from embarrassment.”

Now, this was one of those commercials that is really nothing more than a paid advertisement, but it is set up to try and fool everyone into thinking it’s an actual interview on a business radio program.

I’m not sure, but I don’t think they’re fooling very many… but alas, I digress.

So the radio announcer, playing the part of Mr. Interviewer says something along the lines of, “So Robert… this Facebook and Twitter stuff is really important to a business nowadays, eh…?” (A little Wisconsin lingo for you there).

To which Robert responds, “Oh, you better believe it is… Facebook and Twitter are HUGE parts of our business! In fact, I can safely say that we were really the first agency in the state to recognize their role in Marketing… and we’ve been preaching that message now since the late 90′s!”

Really.

Now… just in case you’re wondering, that would truly be the definition of an “early adopter”, given that Facebook was not available to the general public until September of 2006, and Twitter… while having spun off from it’s sister odeo.com in 2006… didn’t make a splash with the public until it dominated the SXSW Festival in March of 2007.

Anyway… I am always looking to learn, so I recorded Robert’s info on my mp3 and checked his accounts when I got home.

His company Facebook page had 4 Fans; his Twitter account 17 Followers… 3 of whom were bikini clad women offering content that was, well… Not Safe For Work.

C’est la vie…

 

I look forward to speaking with you soon.

 

Photo Credit:

SkeezyWizBang

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