Imagine the biggest, juiciest, most delicious meatball you can imagine. Now picture covering that meatball with caramel, hot fudge, whipped cream and colored sprinkles.

Pretty disgusting, huh?

That’s the picture that Seth Godin painted in his new that seller Meatball Sunday. He makes the case that new media marketing options like blogs, online video, social networks, and all of the Web 2.0 social media marketplace are like the toppings at an ice cream parlor.

If you start with ice cream, adding sprinkles, cherries, hot fudge and whip cream will make it tastes great. But if you start with a bowl of meatballs, it becomes messy, disgusting and ineffective.

Seth’s message is directed at corporations who sell basic staples like cereal, beer, cars and toys.

But this analogy is even more applicable to entrepreneurs and small-business owners.

Here’s why…

It’s OK to market like a meatball - IF…

Imagine again that same big, juicy, delicious meatball. Except now this time picture that meatball surrounded by fresh handmade spaghetti, covered with the tastiest tomato sauce you’ve ever had, dusted with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and accompanied by a great glass of Chianti.

Quite a different experience now isn’t it?

You see, for the solo-preneur, start-up entrepreneur or small-business owner; the fact of the matter is YOU are the business. You are what you’re selling.

Why?

Because the fact is —

people by WHO you are before they buy WHAT you’re selling.

If you’re marketing in today’s new media marketplace, it doesn’t matter if you’re marketing as a meatball, tofu, or ice cream.

What needs to come first is you answering the following three questions:

- What is my personal brand? (And how well is that packaged?)

- How effective are you at gathering a Tribe that passionately connects with your style?

- Have you chosen the right “toppings”?

Look - the bottom line is pretty simple. It’s human nature for you to want to hang out with people who are like you. The same is true in business. We want to do business with people who are like us… or at least people who we like.

How well you package and present yourself will have a major impact on your success in today’s New Media Marketplace.

What about you?

What are your answers to the questions above?

And what else do you think is crucial to persuade people to to buy WHO you are before they buy WHAT you’re selling?

Share it in some graffiti down below.

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 Is The Sick Sense Scarring Off Your Profits? [4:47m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

Today’s marketplace is a radically new world for sales professionals. Making sales requires a different vision and marketing mindset. New Media has created a whole new paradigm in the world of marketing and social media. If you can embrace it - there’s hope for you and your business.

But some, I fear, have been inflicted by the “Sick Sense” and are suffering as a result.

It doesn’t matter whether you do business online or off-line, the old-school style of interruption marketing (molestation) will not be tolerated. At least not by me. Will you tolerate it?

Have you ever noticed how some sales people (network marketers more often than not) suffer from the Sick Sense? Instead of seeing dead people (like Haley Joel Osment did in the movie Sixth Sense with Bruce Willis), they see something very similar. This illness immediately kills their chances of increasing their profits or gaining more clients.

I share what they see in this video. Let me know if you’ve ever come across people like this - so I know I’m not alone in my frustrations.

Watch to see if you’re been afflicted with the Sick Sense from past old-school marketing training, and learn the cure.

Then answer the question that will determine how much success you achieve in today’s New Media Marketplace — What do you see when you look across today’s marketplace?

The Sick Sense is a horror story you don’t want to live with.

@CoachDeb

Something has been bothering me for quite a while now. I’ve quietly watched entrepreneurs fall prey to the BS advice from off-line marketing “pros” and Internet Marketing “gurus.” But now, the same type of garbage is being pushed by New Media proselytizers too. I may not have all the answers. But I know that here and now, you and I can put a stop to it all.

Look, let’s face it. If you’re looking to use New Media to market it can feel like you’re Dorothy sucked up in a twister and dropped in Oz. And once you land in this majestic world of New Media Oz, how do you make heads or tails out of this fantasy land of reported fame and fortune? And what’s your yellow brick road?

Witches, flying monkeys, a yellow brick road… we’ve got it all

On the outskirts of Oz, the self-appointed elite of the mainstream media and Madison Avenue thumb their noses at New Media. Tucked away in their cold castles of incestuous iniquity they gaze into their crystal balls of packaged propaganda and pronounce New Media a fantasy land populated by “horny teenagers and political pundits.”

We know the New Media marketplace is much more than that. But it does have its share of pitfalls and traps.

For instance, when we were completing research for our book ‘Secrets of Online Persuasion’ we found many well-meaning fans of New Media misleading entrepreneurs who wanted to market with New Media.

Much of that misinformation comes from two camps within New Media itself. I like to think of them as the Wicked Witches of the East and West.

The Wicked Witches of the East

The Wicked Witches from the East should be easy for you to crush as an entrepreneur. These are the people who think “fame” equals profit. And just like in the movie Wizard of Oz Dorothy’s house crushes the Wicked Witch of the East; your house should crush these witches as you land in New Media Oz.

As a matter of fact, this group is so laughable that South Park did a full episode poking fun at the new breed of “Internet Stars” who think by getting hundreds of thousands of views they’ll get rich. Sadly this is a rabbit trail that many entrepreneurs get lured down.

This quick 3-minute mashup shows their skit that’s spot-on with the dollar value of what many people consider “New Media stars.” They spoof on many of the “stars” that have gone viral or gotten media accolades. (Warning: as usual for South Park, this is NOT kid friendly.)

Fact #1: fame does NOT equal profit (especially when marketing with New Media.

OK… we all know the movie storyline. “Ding dong, the witch is dead.” But just when you think things are fine, along comes another witch. And we’ve got the same thing here in New Media Oz.

Enter - the Wicked Witches of the West

This group is much more dangerous for business owners, especially start-ups. This group of witches is made up of Social Media evangelists who think they run a business just because they use a communication channel.

Like the winged monkeys from the Land of Oz these

Read the rest of this entry »

Until now, when you posted a video to YouTube, tracking info was limited to how many times your video was viewed or commented on. Now Google has decided to boost YouTube’s tracking power allowing New Media Marketers to analyze video performance more effectively.

The new tools help put the performance of a video into context over time. You can see where your Tribe is coming from and how well your message is connecting to your audience. And… a big plus — you’re now better able to get ideas on how to improve your videos and track how your improvements translate into attention.

What YouTube now tracks for you

To access your new stats, log into to your account then “My account > Videos, Favorites, Playlists > About This Video.” Here’s what you’ll see when you do.

Obviously the wimpish stats that you had before are still available. (above)

The left side of your screen when in the “Views” tab will give you: (above)

• How many countries your video was viewed in any given time period
• An adjustable slider bar to select any time range you want since the video was posted

Read the rest of this entry »

“Don’t go into blogging to make a living,” says HDNet chairman Mark Cuban. Philip Kaplan from the online advertising firm AdBrite cautions that “only 3 percent of active sites make more than $1,000 a month from advertising.”

These are two quotes from the NY Times article “So You Want to Be Blogging Star” by Paul Boutin. Quotes obviously meant to entice bloggers into sharing some buzz love. (No love for the NY Times here. Just buzzing for your benefit. )

Don’t expect to get rich blogging

That’s the message right up front in the article.

I say; “No Duh” to that.

If you’re counting on getting rich from ads on your blog, you’ve got an uphill battle on icy ground. AlGore’s got a better chance of getting hit by a rogue iceberg than a blogger making six-figures from ads.

The real profit pulling power of blogging is stardom

Boutin does get it partially right when he says “…amassing a large audience is the goal.” (Though I think that was part of a statement meant more as a backhanded critique than a word of advice.)

“Large” is not necessary to create a nice cash flow. But becoming a star in your niche to attract and gather a tribe of raving fans is a requirement.

A strong personal brand and passion for your niche teamed is what makes a blog a powerful New Media marketing tool. That’s what will build trust, rapport, and reputation equity. Once you have those things, it’s a relatively straight forward process to turn those assets into profit.

Some good points

The article does share some good points, especially for New Media marketers just starting out with a blog.

Some of the better points are:

• Write about what you want to write about, in your own voice
• Fit blogging into the holes in your schedule
• Just post it already!
• Keep a regular rhythm
• Give credit where credit is due
• Place, plug and promote yourself

Book-ended by back stabbing

Ahh… but alas, Boutin bookends the good with a snide implication that blogging is am “unhealthy obsession.”

Maybe for those without a plan that’s true. But if your goal is stardom in your niche — obsession is not only healthy, it’s profitable too.

A new application on Facebook, called Market Lodge will pay users a 10% commission on sales made on their recommendations. And vendors can submit products for approval, so long as they’re willing to cough up a 35% commission on each product sale.

Market Lodge is the brainchild of a startup called bSocial Networks. They’re betting that Facebook users will like the idea of helping merchants sell to their friends. I’m betting it’ll open the doors to a flood of fledgling Marketplace Molesters.

Here’s how you can make sure you don’t become one of them.

If you’re going to test Market Lodge, keep two things in mind

Facebook hasn’t been a friendly place for profit since opening it’s door to developers. I’ve never seen more useless widgets for fun and games in one place than what you’ll find after 12-months of “open door development” on Facebook.

And while Market Lodge is a step in the right direction, the way I see it, it’s got two challenges:

1. Facebook tried to capitalize on membership connections last year by introducing a marketing system that allowed friends to broadcast product endorsements to each other.

That’s been a dud. Mostly because Facebook’s users revolted when they realized there was a feature called “Beacon.” That little devil tracked and shared information about their purchases and other actions made on other Web sites. Users’ are now allowed to turn off Beacon, but it’s still a dud.

2. Online social networks as a whole have had trouble generating big profits from advertising. Even powerhouse Google Inc. has admitted that they haven’t found the right marketing mix partnering with News Corp.’s MySpace.com.

In both cases the problem is rooted in an old-school marketing mindset and interruption-style of communication. Understand this, apply the C.H.A.R.M. Formula of Tribal Seduction, and you’ll be ahead of the pack out of the gate.

Market Lodge is a good idea, but…

It actually makes it easier for regular Joe’s and Jane’s to make money making recommendations. But that’s where the danger lies.

“Average” people don’t know how to market or sell without Molesting friends and family. (Doubt me? Just think of a friend who’s all fired up about the new MLM they joined.)

Hell, most people who call themselves marketers or sales professionals don’t know how to do that. Even fewer know how to seduce.

Affiliates — keep it low key

So if you plan on becoming an affiliate with Market Lodge, keep it low key. Treat your recommendations relevant to topical conversations you engage in.

Unless you have a really strong personal brand that attracts a “clean” list of friends — stay away from network-wide promotional messages. And even if you’ve got that highly focused network of friends, take the time to create some good (connection-based) content as a mass message, and strategically inject a relevant recommendation.

Vendors — give it a shot

If you’re a vendor, you can request that bSocial add your product to their line up. The vendor registration process is ridiculously simple (which to me implies that you may not hear back from them if they don’t like your product.) You can learn more about becoming a Market Lodge vendor here.

If you’ve used Market Lodge, share what your experiences have been. And if you give it a try (either as an affiliate or vendor) come back and share your experience.

Fans can’t get enough of Fox’s hit show “American Idol.” And now Fox is turning to New Media to meet the demand and make millions more in profits. Good for them… and good for you!

Deb and I are still in San Antonio visiting with our friends Armando and Veronica Montelongo. Yesterday as Armando and I were developing his podcast strategy to leverage the popularity of their hit show on A&E “Flip This House” I came across this interesting tidbit of info.

This past Monday (02/18/08) Fox began their partnership with iTunes where American Idol fans can now purchase top 24 semifinalist performances exclusively on iTunes for 99¢ per song.

Why this is so cool is, just like Armando, YOU will be able to get a free boost to your New Media Marketing.

How?

Well… Fox is driving hundreds of thousands of people to iTunes who might never have heard of the service. That’s a lot of visitors. And even the people who are already familiar with iTunes will be returning there a lot more times than they would have without Fox’s push of American Idol.

It’s just like when a shopping mall has a great restaurant or high-end anchor store. That one larger store is usually marketing more aggressively. Many of the shoppers they attract explore the other stores in the mall while they’re there. They get the opportunity to get customers for free.

The same is true with American Idol promoting iTunes. You get the chance to attract more prospects and customers to your podcast as they “browse” around iTunes.

Just one more reason to get your New Media Marketing in full swing, and get your podcast going!

John Paul Micek is a co-founder of the international business coaching company RPM Success Group ® Inc. He and his partner Deborah are authors of the hit book Secrets Of Online Persuasion. They are creators of the ONLY Web site system to put New Media to work marketing FOR you — BLOG i360™. For media contacts or speaking requests & partnering inquires, contact J.P. at [krazycapitalist@gmail.com]. Or, share your thoughts & comments below.

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 Standard Podcast [44:46m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

Canadian radio show host, Wayne Kelly (of the Wayne and Jayne Radio Show,) recently interviewed us on New Media Marketing for members of his On Air Publicity course. I thought you’d enjoy “listening in” as Wayne grilled us and kept us focused on the basics.

In this audio podcast we cover the basics of New Media Marketing including:

• An intro to the New Media Marketplace
• Simplifying your mastery of New Media with 5 Core Channels
• Building the hub of your New Media Marketing Matrix

The audio runs about 45-minutes, and listening in for the discussion on the 5 Core New Media Channels on it’s own is well worth it. With hundreds of New Media and Web 2.0 choices out there, knowing that it all filters down to just 5 channels is a BIG pressure relief!

Enjoy!

How to Stop Copyright Violators

When you’re out there in the New Media marketplace, working hard to grow your Tribe, you’re sharing a lot of valuable information. In some cases it’s free content you want passed along. In other cases it’s digital products that people have to pay to access.

In either case, there are morons out there who will try to steal your content. Some of these mental midgets will pass along part (or all) of your work and take full credit for it. Then there are thieves who will try to steal your product by repackaging and selling YOUR digital products.

The first is copyright infringement, intellectual theft. The second is online burgularly. It’s no different than stealing money out of your wallet.

Today we’re going to look at some very simple, very effective actions you can take to protect yourself against copyright infringement and online theft.

In this video report you’ll learn:

• What you can do to protect yourself against copyright infringement?
• Who is responsible for tracking it?
• How you can find if your material is being stolen?
• What to do if you find somebody stealing your material?

So that’s how you protect yourself against online theft and copyright infringement. It’s something that we all deal with, in new media marketing with blogs, podcasts, and online video. And you have to be especially diligent if you have digital products.

Protect yourself, take the basic steps covered in the video and “How To Stop Online Content Thieves” PDF Transcript. Put them into action today. Or at least have your assistant doing the monitoring on a daily or weekly basis, and you’ll be protected at least at a base level.

If you have additional resources to recommend, or a story about online content theft, share it in a comment below.

Resources mentioned in the video

DOWNLOAD
“How To Stop Online Content Thieves” PDF Transcript

DOWNLOAD
Word Template for Copyright Infringement letter to ISP:
http://tribalseduction.com/copyrightletter.php

ISP look-up service:
http://centralops.net/

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998:
http://www.copyright.gov/legislation/dmca.pdf

Service to help you search for copies of your page on the Web:
http://copyscape.com

Info on Ebay’s VeRO program:
http://pages.ebay.com/help/tp/programs-vero-ov.html

Google Alerts:
http://www.google.com/alerts

Madison Avenue advertising firms do it. Mainstream marketers do it. Political campaigns do it. They all piggy-back on the emotional anchors established by famous singers, actors, and sports figures. It’s a marketing play that’s ru