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.â€
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.
Earth Hour. A 60-minute event that moves from time zone to time zone with people all around the world “volunteering” to participate and “make a difference” by powering down.
But is this event really what it appears to be on the surface?
Is it an innocent “celebration”… or a seductive ritual?
The first time I heard about the Earth Hour initiative I thought to myself; what’s the point? What’s the tangible and lasting benefit to mankind? There’s got to be a goal here. Besides, the name kinda sounds like the Darma initiative from the TV show Lost. And anyone who watches that show knows, they had a goal.
So I did some research. And you know what I found? Well, the Earth Hour organizers themselves have admitted that the event “would have little impact on carbon emissions.”
OK, so no tangible benefit. Onward we go…
There must be a hidden agenda or goal then. You an I are smart enough to know that an event of this scale comes about without some type of end result in mind. So I dug deeper.
At first I thought it was just basic indoctrination through a Tribal ritual to strengthen the faith of the followers. But then i saw the quote from James Leape of WWF International where he said, “We need to harness some of the cooperative spirit we’ve seen with Earth Hour to find a global solution.”
Ahhhh…. OK, the lights turned on for me. It was then I was able to see clearly that it’s an execution of a basic Tribal Seduction strategy.
Stir up emotions
Link them to an issue, event or person (in this case a natural phenomena positioned as a problem)
Then capitalize on that emotional connection.
And this might just be one of the greatest feats of MASS Tribal Seduction ever executed. Mass participation in a global event that has no outcome other than for people feel good about themselves. But that’s up to you to decide.
Remember — Tribal Seduction, like persuasion, the military or any other power, is morally neutral. It can be used to advance any agenda.
If you’re a business person who’s been exposed to the Tribal Seduction doctrine, you know we focus on harnessing the power of Tribal Seduction for good. To fight Marketplace Molesters. To remove barriers to action for your Tribe. And to help them improve their lives with the goods and services that you offer.
But Tribal Seduction can be used for evil too. Hitler and Jim Jones were masters at Tribal Seduction as well.
And it’s up to you to guard your mind. You need to be just as diligent in protecting yourself against Tribal Seduction, as you are dedicated to ethically using it as a marketing formula. And the way to guard your mind is to control your focus.
That begs the question…
Who’s controlling your focus?
Look, one of the guidelines for ethical behavior from the Society of Professional Journalists states that a journalist must “Distinguish between advocacy and news reporting. Analysis and commentary should be labeled and not misrepresent fact or context.”
It also states that a journalist must “Support the open exchange of views, even views they find repugnant.”
I see both of these guidelines violated by mainstream media on a daily basis. Yet no one cares. They don’t question what they’re being told. They just take it all in as if it were truth.
This is what creates a dangerous situation. Why? Because when a person bases their beliefs on what they’ve been led to believe is “the truth,” they’re handing over control.
Truth is relative because beliefs shape reality. People have different beliefs, and so they have different realities. And reality is truth. But facts are always facts… until someone puts them into perspective.
Follow along and see if you agree…
Most people would say that jury trials are about the law. But they’re not. They’re about what 12 people feel and think. The prosecutor and the defense attorney pull the facts together to paint a picture. And that’s where filtered facts get packaged together to create a perception. A truth that people will buy into. A pre-packaged perception designed to generate specific emotions in the jury.
Unfortunately the fact is today that most media is just biased perception pre-packaged for mass consumption by people who are too lazy to control their focus and think on their own.
Harsh? Yes.
But I’m sorry, I hate people being led astray by anyone. I don’t care if they’re Marketplace Molesters, smooth talking politicians, or the mass media.
The fact is — when you fail to question what the lemmings are doing and just take in what the media says — you’ve handed over control of your life. And on this issue of climate change, the pre-packaged perception that we’ve been fed for the last 5-10 years, is that the earth is warming. Even more, that WE human beings are responsible for it.
My response to those two claims — so what, and B.S.!
Big deal the earth is warming! It’s a natural cycle. And B.S. that it’s man made.
Ah, now you’ve gone over the deep end J.P., you say. You don’t know what you’re talking about. Don’t you know that there are stories all over the news today that there’s a crack in the ice in Antarctica?
OK. Perfect. Fact is it’s an ice shelf that cracked, right.
First question then… why did it crack? Seismic activity? Ice sheets moving on water? (The Antarctic ice shelf floats you know.) Or possibly warming temperatures?
But even more than that — where’s your focus?
The Southern Hemisphere.
Why?
Who put it there?
You?
Or the media?
This is what we’re talking about here.
Who is in control?
But J.P., but J.P…. most scientists say that the earth has warmed about one degree in the last 100 years.
Yeah, but does that automatically mean that mankind is to blame? And what does that mean historically anyway.
Listen; if I say “this is the hottest Summer ever,” and my 96-year old grandmother says the same thing.. who’s got a better shot at having the right perspective?
A 2003 study by Harvard and Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics “20th Century Climate, Not So Hot,” determined that “the 20th century is neither the warmest century nor the century with the most extreme weather of the past 1,000 years.” http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/press/archive/pr0310.html Two institutions that could hardly be tagged as being in the pockets of “big oil.”
And I bet your perception of today’s news would be very different when we look at the whole world too. In fact, are you game to do that right now?
Good! Here’s a quote pulled from DailyTech.com that culled some very interesting facts from major global temperature trackers.
“In the last year, we have seen the largest one-year temperature change ever recorded for global temperatures. However, it’s been a cooling trend, not warming. Record snows and cold are being reported from all over the northern hemisphere this winter.”
“Over the past year, anecdotal evidence for a cooling planet has exploded. China has its coldest winter in 100 years. Baghdad sees its first snow in all recorded history. North America has the most snow cover in 50 years, with places like Wisconsin the highest since record-keeping began. Record levels of Antarctic sea ice, record cold in Minnesota, Texas, Florida, Mexico, Australia, Iran, Greece, South Africa, Greenland, Argentina, Chile — the list goes on and on.”
“No more than anecdotal evidence, to be sure. But now, that evidence has been supplanted by hard scientific fact. All four major global temperature tracking outlets (Hadley, NASA’s GISS, UAH, RSS) have released updated data. All show that over the past year, global temperatures have dropped precipitously.”
All four major global temperature tracking outlets have data showing that global temperatures have dropped big time. So much so that the drop in global temperatures this past year has wiped out one century of warming.
Think about that. Best guesses by scientists are that we went up one degree Celsius, in 100 years. And now, in one year that increase has been wiped out.
Earth Day 2009 update:
Earth Day proponents continue to spout the same rhetoric and tell the same scary story in the face of record-breaking cold and cold-related deaths this past Winter. Just check out a few of the stories below to put things in perspective for Earth Day 2009:
I could go on with more examples, but you’re smart enough to get the point. And for to think a little deeper, we’re all heard of the record river levels and flooding in the Midwest (Google Search for “flooding midwest 2009″)… where do you think all that water is coming from? Hmmmm…?
If you said “record snows”… you’re one smart cookie!
Did I change the facts? Or did I just expand your focus?
And what does this mean when we talk about the mainstream media? Could it be that journalists who have a particular focus have looked for evidence to back their beliefs, then package up those perceptions for people to mindlessly devour like marbles in a game of Hungry-Hungry-Hippo?
If that’s true, it begs the questions:
How much more pre-packaged perceptions have been used to seduce the public at large?
How much effort has gone into creating fear and angst?
Since everyone knows that bad news sells better than good, I bet you’d say quite a bit. And you’d be right.
Perception pre-packaged for Tribal Seduction on a global scale
For a hundred years now we’ve had wacko scientists trying to advance radically swinging agendas. Cooling, warming, cooling, and now warming again. Perfect host material for a parasitic industry that profits from chaos and crisis.
The cycle of seduction perpetrated by mainstream media is detailed in a study from researchers at BusinessandMedia.org titled “Fire and Ice.”(PDF) Through their own words in print it reveals this constantly shifting focus of fear in major media.
In 1979, Newsweek had run a cover on global cooling, the coming ice age. There was a cover story in the magazine Science News with a picture of a glacier, totally surrounding Manhattan with only Empire State Building protruding.
The New York Times headline on May 21, 1975 “Scientists Ponder Why The World’s Climate Is Changing; A Major Cooling Widely Considered to Be Inevitable.”
Go back to March 27, 1933 and the Times had another bundle of pre-packaged perception to seduce the public with. “America’s Longest Warm Spell Since 1776; Temperature Line Records a 25-Year Rise.”
And less than 10-years before that on September 18, 1924, the headline read; “MacMillan Reports Signs of New Ice Age.”
It’s the same today with Algore’s movie depicting Greenland sinking and a flood wiping out Manhattan. But there’s nobody saying that’s going to happen. Algore doesn’t even say it. He just wants the picture to scare everybody that sees the movie and have the perception that it’s happening.
It doesn’t matter — global cooling, global warming;
…it’s “A crisis”
…it’s “we’re in trouble”
…it’s “we need big government to fix it”
…”we need to punish people”
…”we need to control their lives”
…oops — NO! They’d never actually admit that last one.
But that’s what we’re talking about here!
An entire worldwide Tribe of “do-gooder’s” being seduced into following story lines that are only meant to stir up angst, worry and panic. All done intentionally so that you “tune in tomorrow.”
And all the while the mass media outlets and politicians are laughing all the way to the bank.
What’s your perspective?
It’s been said that most people’s historical time line starts when they’re born. I’ve found that to be true myself. Sadly, that lack of historical perspective leaves people at the mercy of the media, politicians, and any charlatan who wants to hock some faith, formula or goods.
And that my friends leads us back to the original question:
Is Earth Hour the ultimate Tribal Seduction?
Is an hour without power going to do anything but give us a taste life in the 1800’s?
Or will turning off our mercury filled fluorescent bulbs just make us feel good?
ADD-ON Reference:
Check out this in-depth documentary that exposes many of the “facts” and “research” used by man-made global warming proselytizers, what the truth is. The Great Global Warming Swindle. The final 10-minutes lays out how the radical environmental movement is actually killing the poor of the world.
“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.
Seduction… It’s a word that is exciting for some. Perceived as uncontrollable or unattainable to others. And still, to other people — frightening. Yet, regardless of your current idea of seduction, you’re intelligent enough to recognize that when executed properly, it holds a magnetic power over nearly every person on earth.
Today we are saturated in the seductive. Just think about it. From film to politics, marketing to media. Seduction is always there at the root. It captures attention, it woos, and it’s enjoyable. Let’s face it; seducers wield incredible power.
Tribal Seduction™ is not about sex
Yet when it comes to the Tribes in the marketplace, it’s important to recognize that Tribal Seduction™ is NOT all about sex.
This is one of the big mistakes marketers and business people make, IF they even think of employing Seduction.
We’ll expose this fatal error in the early chapters of the book. But for now, just know that sex is way to obvious to work with the Tribes that exist in today’s New Media Marketplace.
And yes, you did hear that correctly. Some of what will be shared here each week will be incorporated into our next book. And you are invited to be part of that book!
A book that will answer:
What is the Tribal Economy?
How do you ID and track Tribes?
How do you become a courtier who gathers and seduces your own tribe of raving fans with ease?
… and many more questions that will be reserved only for members of the Court of Tribal Seduction™.
Marketing in this new Tribal Economy can be fun and profitable… because seduction always is!
As you read, listen to, and watch every installment of Tribal Seduction™, you will become stunned at how easy it is to ethically employ Tribal Seduction to grow your business and build your brand.
With each new article, podcast, and video you’ll agree that this Web site is one of the most innovative and ground breaking expositions of influence, persuasion, and seduction of the masses you will ever see.
It’s about how people act
How they make decisions
And how they buy
…Offline and online… and particularly in the New Media Marketplace.
What would your business be like if…
Can you imagine what you would learn about Online Persuasion and New Media Marketing working with thousands of business people from around the world?
Do you think your knowledge, strategies, and skills would be finely-honed if you spoke in front of audiences everywhere from Singapore to New York, Sydney to Los Angeles, and any place in between?
What if you could be personally mentored by some of the world’s leading authorities on persuasion and accomplished market movers?
It’s something we’ve done. And here we’ll pass on to you what works and what doesn’t, along with some strategies that be sure to push the envelope.
From start up entrepreneurs to Fortune-100 companies and politicians, we’ve worked with all types of people seeking to persuade others. And we’ve covered every aspect of Online Persuasion. We even wrote the book that became an underground hit, Secrets of Online Persuasion.
That book was just the beginning. It lays the groundwork for what will be revealed here, particularly about New Media Marketing. Those who have that foundation will have the mindset to immediately apply and profit from what is shared here at Tribal Seduction™. Others may need time to recover from the shocking reversal of traditional marketing practices.
Tribal Seduction™ takes the New Media exploration begun at AdvancedBusinessBlogging.com and steps it up to a whole new level. There, over the course of 3-years, we covered many aspects of New Media Marketing. But now we are going deeper.
Never unethical… but definitely more covert.
Now, here at Tribal Seduction, we’ve assembled a team who will pull back the curtain and reveal to you the secrets of influencing, persuading, and yes… ultimately — seducing entire Tribes of raving fans for your business.
It is NOT for the faint of heart, or the weak of will. But for those brave souls wanting to step above the masses of commoners who think and act like a school of lemmings, untold rewards and riches await.
Schoolyard beatings, mob bosses, and money for nothing
I know a little about influence myself. I was raised on the streets of West New York where the ability to influence kept you from getting the crap beat out of you. Thrust into a management position in Northern New Jersey at the age of 15, I had to quickly learn how to position and persuade customers who were world-renowned doctors, business owners, and even mob bosses.
After dropping out of college to start my second business — with no tangible track record, no business plan and no degree — I had nothing but persuasion to rely on to get the $100,000 loan I needed for expansion.
Now, I’m proud to say that I’ve gone from landscaping the homes of multi-millionaires, to living the millionaire lifestyle on the North Shore of Oahu in Hawaii.
All thanks to simple influence and persuasion strategies.Strategies that as a courtier in the court of Tribal Seduction you are going to learn…
Now it’s your turn!
Join the Tribe here at Tribal Seduction™. Here we’ll hold court with exclusive access where you’ll learn persuasion and mass seduction secrets that many of the largest advertising houses, most successful PR firms, and the biggest online marketers are missing.
The Tribal Economy is expanding at an unprecedented rate. You can almost watch it grow, like an ice crystal on a window on a cold Winter’s day.
That growth is thanks to New Media channels like:
blogs
podcasts
social networks
and online video
But contrary to what most New Media evangelists are proselytizing, you’re going to learn how, even in this seemingly “consumer-driven” social media marketplace — you are manipulated, pre-framed, and positioned to take a narrow range of actions.
Not by the normal mass persuasion masters (yet), but by group think.
Here at Tribal Seduction™ you’ll learn how you, (as well as your customers, prospects, and ideal audience), are making decisions that are untraceable by traditional forms of marketing research. Why marketing concepts such as consumer segments, market niches, and lifestyles have become unreliable. And how you can influence the actions people take when “the consumer is in control.”
And as you’re thinking about the solution to these challenges, we’re with you!
You’re also going to learn the new invisible methods that work for winning friends and influencing the masses.
Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could guard yourself against unconscious group think?
And how much better would your business be doing if you could harness that very same power, and ethically use it for your benefit?
What you’ll find even more amazing is that, even now as millions of people feel like they have total control and power — they are just as out of control and just as eager to be led as any other time in history.
“Consumer control” is just an illusion. The reality is surprising. And it’s much simpler to identify, dissect, and apply than you might think.
From simple, practical, hands-on coaching; to strategic analysis and guidance — you will find it here
Tribal Seduction™ is not just about you learning to market with New Media. It’s about:
Seducing Tribes
Winning their loyalty
And creating crowds of raving fans
Deborah, myself, and the other knights of the Tribal Seduction court invite you to join the Tribe, be part of the book, and to master the New Media Marketplace.
Register for your free subscription to the Tribal Seduction™ Journal (in the left hand corner right under the header) and you will be welcomed in as a courtier in the TS Tribe! A Tribe of business people who are “in the know.”
But be forewarned. Once you start applying what you learn, commoners outside the Tribe will try accusing you of having an “unfair advantage.” (You can just chalk that up to jealousy.)
With your free subscription, in addition to your Tribal Seduction™ Journal you’ll get:
Private Tribal invites to free teleseminars
Exclusive access to covert intelligence reports
Possible inclusion in our next book
And more!
You have nothing to lose, and your own Tribe to gain!
Scroll up to the top of the page and register now for your free subscription
to the Tribal Seduction™ Journal in the left hand corner right under the header.
