- Part 1 – digital e-commerce models
- Part 2 – ecommerce is about connecting buyers and sellers – but how do you do that online?
- Part 3 – Can you build an online business based on marketing and which way did I choose to take my online business?
I thought online marketing was online marketing and that it was all done pretty much the same way.
However I found out there is generally two types of approaches to online marketing and they have a slight, but very important difference !
The difference is based on how the marketer seeks to “treat” their customers and how much they value them. Nothing new here I hear you say and I agree, but what I couldn’t see was how this played out in an online ecommerce environment.
What I’ve discovered is that there is one approach where the marketer is primarily motivated to build a lasting relationship based on authenticity and trust with their customers (followers) and the products or services they recommend through their affiliate link/s:
- are those that they’ve had first hand experience with,
- are passionate about,
- have used themselves, and
- genuinely believe that those products or services will add value to the lives of their followers,
Think word of mouth marketing (WOMM) here, just using a digital platform.
The other approach is where the marketer’s product or service selection is primarily based on the size of the commission that can achieved per sale.
The marketing is more likely to be about doing and saying what’s required to get the sale and the marketer runs the risk of being less authentic and more “salesly”….”But wait, if you buy right now we will throw in a set of steak knives to”….
The first option tends to occur more in the realm of influencer marketers due to their desire to be authentic and serve their followers.
That led me to wonder if there are any “telltale” signs that would quickly tell me, as a potential buyer, which type of marketer I was dealing with and it seems there is one key one called “clickbait” marketing tactics!
slight deviation here – OMG what the hell is clickbait?
GCFGlobal tell us that “Clickbait is a sensationalised headline that encourages you to click a link to an article, image, or video.” Instead of presenting objective facts, clickbait headlines often appeal to your emotions and curiosity. Once you click, the website hosting the link earns revenue from advertisers, but the actual content is usually of questionable quality and accuracy. Websites use clickbait to draw in as many clicks as possible, thus increasing their ad revenue.
While sensational headlines and content (bait and switch it is called) have been used since the 19th century, they’ve become widespread in the digital world also – just look at your social media feeds.
Although it’s based on an old idea, clickbait still serves the same purpose as its sensational headline ancestor: to get your attention by whatever means necessary. And it is not just limited too headlines, but has crept into all forms of media. How often have you been encouraged to click on a video thinking it was related to something you were engaged with only to find it had nothing whatsoever to do with that topic!
Ever productive has a really great article on clickbait and its impact here.
Therefore, while sensational headlines are often used by influencer marketers, you will find that the headline is specifically linked to the value add content they are offering.
An example would be something like “7 ways <insert product or service here> helped me manage my time better”.
The headline is still sensational but when the follower clicks on the link what they get is genuine content related exactly to the topic they have previously been engaged with. So yes it might be consider “baiting”, but there is no “switch”. The follower gets exactly what they expected to get. The purpose of the headline in this situation is to expose the “curiosity gap” and then over deliver with valuable content.
“Bait and switch” tactics are not common practice with influencer marketers because they know that too much of this malarky will erode that very important trust relationship that they have with their followers.
where did I land in the end?
First I came back to that Warren Buffet quote:
“if you don’t find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work till you die.”
and reached the conclusion that for any online business I wanted to pursue I would have to engage in marketing to ensure that “I was making money while I slept”. This wouldn’t matter if I wanted to act as an affiliate for someone else’s products or services or develop and sell my own products or services online.
As a starting point I decided to launch my online business career as an affiliate with the view to using that to “bootstrap” me into offering my own products and services over time. This is because the affiliate marketing model is really the most straight forward model for an everyday Jane like me to get started with.
However given how much the “bait and switch” type of marketing annoys me, the pathway decision for me was pretty easy – become a nano or micro influencer based.
I started my online business with the very clear intent that I want to be true to myself at all times and to always be honest and authentic with those folks who choose to engage and follow me. Therefore, any product or service I choose to affiliate for needs to pass all the following tests:
- align to my values,
- be products or services I love to use myself,
- be products or services that add value to my life, and
- sit within my niche – supports my purpose.
Only if a product or service meets this criteria will I promote it on my website and other online platforms.
When I “speak” about products or services to those people who follow me I ensure that I do so objectively, from a position of personal experience and personal expertise. This is because I take the trust that has been placed in me by others very seriously and intend to never abuse that trust, take it for granted or allow anyone else to abuse it.
Therefore I consider myself an influencer marketer (nano level) and I am very satisfied with that outcome.
that’s awesome Janette, but I have one question…how did you teach yourself the skills to actually setup and run an affiliate business?
That is a stella question. Remember that clickbait we were just talking about – well when I started looking for training and education packages that would actually help me get started because I knew absolutely zip about how to do this; boy oh boy did I run into a bucket load then, promising me that I could have a multi million dollar business by just clicking here “and the work is all done for you for the bargain basement price of $…etc etc
Just type in “how to get started in affiliate marketing” into any search engine and just see how many responses you get.
I knew I needed a comprehensive training program to make this work and a community of like minded people to support me. There was no way I was going to get this up and running without help.
I eventually found both the program I needed and the mentoring and support and it has been instrumental in my success.
In undertaking the training I realised that these programs achieve all 4 of my “must haves” and so I am excited to promote them as a potential pathway for any of my followers or readers who are considering building an affiliate marketing business. You can find out more here.
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Take care and talk soon
Thrive; don’t just Survive with Janette