The mid-1960s, rolling into the 70′s that ushered in a new era of drugs, sex and rock and roll.  The world had never seen such a thing.  The “new morality” created a whole new world outlook.

That’s a an awful lot of “new” talk considering that the hippies and the “new freedom” (there’s that “new” thing again) thinkers of the 60′s and 70′s had not developed anything new at all.

In fact, they had only leveraged the teachings of Epicurus, the 4th Century B.C. Greek philosopher who taught his followers that life was not about enlightenment as so many of his peers thought.  It was, instead, about people living daily lives of enjoyment and pleasure, immersed in a world devoid of divine intervention and religious structure.

That part, the “New Age” movement happily adopted.

The most “pleasurable” thing an Epicurean would do, though, was to live modestly and usefully, content to work hard and tirelessly for a mere subsistence level existence.  Physical comfort and heightened sensuality were strictly shunned as being harmful to the soul and counter-productive to the good of civilization.

The “New Age” movement folks (some of them are still around), of course, would have nothing to do with that part.

Exactly what the “new society” throw-back evangelists did, was to leverage the ancient Epicurean ideas and adapt them to their own notion of the “pleasure principle”.  This “Epicurean principle” really had very little to do with the philosophy that Epicurus espoused.  But the leveraging principle was adhered to dogmatically.

Leverage and Internet Marketing

Leveraging is what social and internet marketing is really all about these days.

There’s no such thing as new ideas.

Actually, there never have been, and never will be.

Aristotle’s concept of divine intervention was not new, having developed well before pre-Socratic thought was even whispered.  The “New Age” clamour of the last half-century for a society devoid of religion, God and morality … purely hell-bent on some new ill-defined “pleasure principle”, was really just a throw-back to many ancient and modern movements.

So rather than building a product from the ground up, savvy network and social marketing engineers are more overtly building their businesses on the shoulders of bigger, more successful and ridiculously influential online platforms and market sites.

Enter: the Social Media Wars of 2012

Ryan Deiss talks about the “piggyback launch model” as it applies to marketing and as it is lately manifest in the wild, wild world of social medial.

In Driving Traffic, Deiss refers to the crafty “borrowing” that internet marketers engage in when leveraging working ideas from other marketers, for the express purpose of making them work better.

The piggyback model is clearly demonstrated by reviewing the many “leveraged” applications spun from social media giants like Facebook.

Two quick examples here, are Friendsheet and Pinview.

Friendsheet

I first heard of Friendsheet from a Techcrunch post. 

Friendsheet is an app that ties in directly to Facebook, thereby capitalizing on its immense sharing capabilities.  It “borrows” from Pinterest in offering pinboards for photos that can then be directly shared on Facebook.  Rather than develop its own community and build ground floor relationships with social-hungry consumers,

Friendsheet allows commenting and re-sharing, even uploading your photos and images directly to Facebook. It actually piggybacks on 2 working models, Pinterest for product design, and Facebook for marketing and visibility.

Not long after Friendsheet was launched in January (2012), even Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg “liked”, a tip of the hat to stealth ingenuity.

But Friendsheet wasn’t the only kid on the block.

Pinview

Only a few months later, Pinview arrived to further leverage the success of Pinterest via Facebook’s huge and established marketing network. 

Stealth marketing, or” leverage” technique.

Call it what you like, the “piggyback” is really a method used by clever entrepreneurs to leverage larger marketing platforms and networks to better distribute their own content, and popularize their own apps and software programs.

As Digital Marketer observes, “The better your execution, the more credit you can take. It’s like that old saying, ‘A good artist borrows, a great artist steals’.”

That there’s more valor and even bravado than shame in this tactic, is evident in Pinview’s very own promotion.  Mashable observes that “The spiffy app”, far from being a clandestine operative, “launched [in April, 2012] with the mantra, ‘Browse Facebook like you browse Pinterest.’

Speaking of Pinterest, well, it doesn’t seem to me like they’ve done as good a leveraging job as Friendsheet and Pinview, insofar as they have not built in the same intuitive connectivity to Facebook that their “imitators” have.

Leverage – Stealth Internet Marketing Tactics

Entrepreneurs know that it is far more profitable to leverage great ideas than to come up with your own.  

After all, my hometown of Ithaca, New York claims to be the “the home of the ice cream sundae.” The claim is arguable.  The fact that Ithaca, New York has virtually no vested interests in the industry today is a monument to the entrepreneurs who leveraged the idea to the point that even MacDonald’s now retails them around the globe.

And what about the “New Age” movement?

Well, it may not have invented “Epicureanism”, but it certainly got the cool marketing of it down tight.  I mean, behaviour that for centuries constituted “immoral behavior” in virtually every culture, suddenly got spun into the free expression of an entirely “new morality”.

Pretty good stealth marketing, if you ask me.

Please feel free to share your thoughts below, and I always appreciate you sharing this post in your social circles if you’ve found it interesting.  As always, I’d love to hear what you think of how internet marketing has become an exercise in leverage mechanics and stealth tactics.

Forum marketing is one of the most powerful ways to drive free traffic to your site and it is a cornerstone of solid “list building” campaigns.  A tried, tested and true traditional method of online marketing and list building, forum marketing is one of the best methods for connecting with people in your niche on a personal and professional level.

Forum Marketing List Building Basics

First thing you need to do to develop this list building strategy, is to find the forums in your niche and register for them.

Try googling your niche or keyword terms to see what popular forums might suit your business model.

Engage Others In Your List Building Niche

Once you register for a forum, the most important thing to do is to offer value, advice and assistance to other people you meet there.

This is how you can become a perceived leader and expert among peers and students in your field. The better the value you give, the faster you will become a “go-to” person for others to watch.  By adding consistent value to a forum, other visitors will begin to see you as a person that they want to follow.

Forums are developed, by and large, for people to share ideas and information shared in common within particular niches. So add value and offer advice to help people out… just as if you were sitting in a room with them, discussing problems that you share in common and sharing information that you might both benefit from.

If you follow these guidelines and engage people in forums on a regular basis, people will start knowing who you are.  They will start looking for your blog entries, Facebook page status updates, and other platform entries.  Eventually, they will become your base of support as customers, clients and subscribers.

Don’t forget that your followers also have circles of friends on their social media pages and elsewhere online.  They will drive their friends and associates to you as well.

In this way, forums constitute a viral strategy for you to develop a huge following online, and vastly enhance your list building campaigns.

Coordinate Your Personal Brand With Your List Building Strategy

List building requires that you have a distinctive, identifiable brand to promote.

It’s important that other forum visitors know who you are and how they can contact you.

Building your personal brand, and showcasing your expertise are some of the most important benefits of forum marketing. Your main purpose for being involved in a forum is to let others know who you are, what you do, and what you have to offer.

Most forums allow you to put a signature on your in your profile. A signature is a way that you can show other people how they can connect with you. Sometimes a signature can be promotional, such as building a link to a website or blog or Facebook page, sometimes even a squeeze page.

Forum marketing is a tremendous list building technique, if utilized properly to build your personal brand.

Common Forum Marketing Mistakes When List Building

Make sure that you do not use forums as a center for spam activities. You do not want to be dropping links to your products and business opportunities, as this is strictly forbidden in most forums.

Don’t make the common mistake of failing to take the time to build a good author profile and signature that others in the community will rely on to get to know you even better.

Be respectful of forum rules at all times.  Don’t be negative, argumentative or self- promotional.  These things not only violate forum rules, but also undermine your own effort to look professional.

Time To Get Started

The best way to start forum marketing is to determine what forums are relevant to your niche.  Sign up for them and develop a strong profile.  Then jump in and start getting involved in the conversation.

When you are developing an online business, or looking to enhance an offline one, forum marketing is one of the best list building techniques you can use.

More About List Building With Forum Marketing

You may want to read the 3-part series on List Building I’ve written a on this blog. 

To learn even more about Forum Marketing and other great List building Strategies, on an on-going basis, just follow these quick steps:

• Enter your first name and email address to the right of this article, where the Large Arrow indicates. 
• Then Click the “Give Me Access” button. 
• You will receive instant access to strategies I’ve used to “Build A Super-Sized Subscription List”, and can “look over my shoulder” as I develop new ones in “real time”.
  

Meanwhile…

I’d love to have you share this post in your social media outlets, and offer your comments below.

What list building strategies have you used, and what experiences have you had with forum marketing?

This is a very brief discussion of the evolution of the internet as a serious communications medium.

With the increasing sophistication of the internet, it has followed the path of most communication mediums. It has “matured” as an increasingly primal form of communication in the form of human dialogue, which has proven to have far greater stimulation and relativity to its end-users than purely digital information.

I’d like to hear what you think about the evolution of the internet from a bulletin board of information into a vibrant social community.

If you’re looking to create or build an existing online business, make a “Fan Page” on facebook. It’s easy to do, and you can create multiple pages to coordinate with different aspects of your business. People often think it’s a long and expensive undertaking to develop an online business or to actually start earning commissions on the internet. It doesn’t have to be complicated, difficult or time-consuming when you make a “fan page” to get the ball rolling,

Fan Page Basics

First you need a personal facebook account. Once you have that, simply go to your account and create a Fan Page.

Facebook Makes Creating A Fan Page Easy

Facebook now gives you various categories of fan pages to hook into. The video shows you where to find a category for any fan page you have in mind, and to set up your fan page within that category. It’s great to take advantage of the facebook tools, because they are well defined and targeted for your fan page.

Do You Need A Fan Page Before You Have Fans?

The term “fan page” is actually a misnomer for most fan page applications. The majority of these pages are actually business pages, social cause pages, company pages, artist pages, non-profit organization pages and the like.

The original concept of the fan page was that the page owner would be some sort of celebrity that everyone would want to follow. It was a great way for facebook to attract a lot of people to their site.

Today, though, many different people want a “fan page” for many different reasons. You will generally hear a business, artist or non-profit page (along with all the others) referred to as a “fan page”.

Can I Sell Stuff on My Fan Page?

Short Answer: Yes. Facebook allows you to engage in commercial activity on fan pages, but not on your personal page. That said, the best commercial use of your fan page is NOT to simply “sell stuff”.

It is to engage with others in your niche, and leverage the immense popularity and credibility of facebook to establish your own “brand” among those who would care the most (others engaging in conversation within your same niche).

I love to read your questions and comments, and encourage you to share this post within your social media streams. I’d also love to hear if you’ve been running a fan page on facebook, or what you think about creating your first fan page.

Maybe it’s time to get down to… or even return to… the basics of doing business online.

In this 4 minute video, I lay the foundation for getting you out of your comfort zone, and into the flow of success. I’ve even got a super Action Plan that you can embark on at the end of the video.

No more watching others fly by with their online success while you are grounded in frustration and overwhelm.

Network marketers, internet marketers, bloggers… here’s a great place to begin, to finally get your online business, your MLM or your business opportunity up and running.

I created this “Up & Running” tutorial a little while back, and it was specifically aimed at MLM entrepreneurs looking to get free leads. Despite it’s Network marketing slant, though, the techniques, strategies and resources are identical to the ones that would benefit internet marketers and bloggers, too.

“Up & Running” is a great launchpad for your online business, whatever your niche, whatever your business. If you need to build a list, develop customers, subscribers and prospects… watch the above video again. Then grab your own free copy of “Up & Running” at the end of the video.

Carpe Diem!

I love to read your questions and comments, and encourage you to share this post within your social media streams. I’d also love to hear what you think about “Up & Running” after you’ve reviewed it.

Stepping Up

Skype video conference is a tool you will want to consider using if you are looking to establish leadership in your niche or business. Standing out from the crowd by definition puts you a step ahead of everyone else. But you need to have tools and strategies to take this bold step.

Skype video conference is one such tool, and using the strategies discussed in my video on this topic will give you a clear idea of how to take full advantage of it in your business or professional practice.

Your “Skype Video Conference” Profit Center

The incredible power of the Skype Video Conference is in it’s personal branding capabilities.

If you are a business leader, you need to gather your followers. A Skype Video Conference puts you at the head of the conference table.

If you are an MLM business representative, you need to court and train your downlines, and prospective recruits. During your Skype Video Conference, you become the leader of the pack. Chances are, recruits will insist on being on your team after your presentation.

If you are an internet marketer, a Skype Video Conference is the perfect format for teaching your subscribers how to follow in your footsteps.

If you are a personal coach or mentor, there’s virtually no tool that give you the invaluable personal branding, as well as a platform for one-on-one consultations, as a Skype Video Conference.

Are you a blogger, a niche marketer, a company representative… it hardly matters what your exact position is. What is important, is that you stand up and be counted as a magnetic, compelling leader. That’s why you need to explore the depth of this simple, free yet virtually unrivaled personal branding tool.

Putting “Skype Video Conference” In Perspective

I’d love to hear your comments, experiences and perspectives on developing your personal brand. Please take time to re-tweet and Facebook share this post so your followers can benefit from your sharing.

This is the third and final part of the series I’ve done on the value of Skype. If you want to know more about using this resource and strategy to develop your business, please start with part 1, Create A Skype Community. Then proceed to part 2, Skype Set Up.

After you’ve seen the essentials of Skype, and the basics of setting it up, you will be prepared to fully implement this effective social media strategy, by setting up your first (or maybe your next) Skype Video Conference.

Skype set up is a powerful step to take toward making your online business interactive. It’s a great way to build your personal brand, and to garner leadership status in your field, specialization or niche.

This is the second of a 3-part series. If you’d like to start from the beginning, click on Create A Skype Community.

Here’s the basics of getting started.

Please share this in your social media and bookmarking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Digg and Stumbleupon.

I’m always happy to read your questions and comments below. Let me know if you need any help with your own Skype set up.

Continuing my discussion about “targeted listbuilding” techniques, let’s talk about the “Call To Action”.  

After all, building an email list of subscribers to your online “newsletter”, or “tips” or whatever else you might call it, requires that people complete the action steps you give them in order to “subscribe” to that list.

Anchor Text: the most effective “Call To Action” to capture laser-targeted subscribers.

The best place to use keywords to pull people into your offer, is embedded “anchor text”. Anchor text is a phrase comprised of select keywords that are hyperlinked within the body of your article, blog post, video description or other content.  

Using the keyword as the anchor text itself will attract exactly the people most interested in that keyword, hence your product offer, hence your subscription offer.

Anchor text is the clickable word or phrase that leads a reader to more information about that keyword.  

Preferably, the anchor text link will drive them directly to your squeeze page.  Because your keyword is targeted to the readers you want to attract, they won’t click on it unless they really WANT to know more about it.

Once they do, they will be driven straight to your “squeeze page,” which is designed strictly to capture subscribers.

Now, if you think this is problematic because you don’t know where to turn to get a squeeze page, you could click on my embedded anchor text to get my free video series that will teach you exactly how to create your own squeeze page.

And now you’ve received your “Call To Action” that will take you to my offer, and onto my subscription list.  Once you are on my list, many fabulous learning and joint venture opportunities will follow!  Get the idea?

Love your comments and social media shares, as usual.

Internet marketing strategies are numerous and often complicated.  I suggest you get things moving, or elevate your business to new heights by focusing on simple strategies that can be readily implemented.

If you have strategies that you’ve found fruitful, I’d love to have you share some of them in a comment below.

Don’t forget to share this blog on Faceboook, Twitter, Stumbleupon and other social media sites if you’ve found this helpful.

Well, I know from experience, that they’re not really asking a question, they are hedging themselves against failure IF they decide to get involved with internet marketing.

Well, of course, there are many ways to make a profit on the internet.  New students have no idea what the difference is between internet marketing, network marketing, MLM and organizational development, affiliate marketing and so forth.

Naturally, they are putting the horse before the cart.  Before you can even consider how much profit you can make on the internet, you must decide this:

• How much failure you are willing to endure in the process of succeeding?

• How much of yourself are you willing to invest way before even asking how much you can profit on the internet?

Love to hear your comments, and always appreciate you sharing this post with others on your Social Media sites.