RealityMastermind does Vegas – Rockstar Platinum Live
March 31, 2009
Living up to the expectation of the internet lifestyle : The RMM gang left to Vegas, thats right Vegas Baby! A weekend trip for marketing, networking, learning…but primarily some good ol’ fashion partying. Isn’t that what the internet lifestyle is? If you just said yes…you need to watch the latest video, and then go put the dunce cap back on your head.
So it may not have been the internet lifestyle, but we had a chance to hang with some cool people like Coach Deb, Ryan Magin, Ross (last name?), and lots of other really cool people.
DAY1
So we got there, starving after a quicker 3-4hr drive. We then proceeded to check-in, unpack, have a drink or two, and go to dinner. We went to the hard rock cafe where they messed up our order…and gave us drink tickets to a gentlemans club (whippdeedoo…)
Night started slow with dinner, though it proved to be an EPIC night filled with Club PURE, Matt slurring and stumbling everywhere, so many gorgeous women, and a 5am passout time
DAY2
F#%C$H^%%K we were hurting! Best hangover cure?…had a small drink for breakfast (and by breakfast I mean noonish/1pm) The % of us going to see the Rockstar Platinum Live speakers in the morning was quickly traded with breakfast burritos at noon and knockout blinds.
We ended up meeting with Coach Deb in the Lobby, and according to her tweet, Chivalry is not dead! We got a chance to hang for a bit then all went to dinner at the Hofbrauhaus , which of course let to toasting (PROST!), jagger shots, and german paddling (that had to suck mike).
Ryan Magin, Ross, and the Swedish Marketer came by the restaurant and participated in the signing and drinking. The night sent us to Studio 54 where we did our thang, danced, and had a great time.
DAY 3 – Drive Home
Went by quick, consisted of lots of sleep, Mike and myself driving, some donuts in the Mazda Mini-van.
Now check out the pics for your visual timeline of events (guess which one is a “morning aftermath pic”
We enjoyed the conference…for what we were able to attend, not hungover. Hey it’s Vegas, how did you expect us to get work done!
Check out more pics on our Photo page!
Check out more pics on our Photo page!
Check out more pics on our Photo page!
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How to WIN a FREE Car: Ford Fiesta Movement
March 25, 2009
If You’re Gonna do video…do it right!
Ford had the BRILLIANT idea of having a YOUTube Contest where they hand 100 lucky winners the keys to a brand-spanking NEW 2011 Ford Fiesta just for creating a quick “application video” and submitting it on YOUTube. So..here’s our submission:
What’s The Lesson Here:
I really have to congratulate Fiesta’s Marketing Department for this concept. They are using Social Media AND a Contest to create Raving FANS for their new car…AND even more powerful: they are leveraging the influence of Youtube Celebrities and others with a Strong Web Presence to push and promote the Fiesta. The conversation in Ford must have gone something like this:
“Why do we need to spend money on expensive car commercials? Let’s just let hundreds of influential YouTubers and Bloggers promote our car for 6 months and we won’t pay them a dime!”
(genius)
Lesson 1: Market Research
March 20, 2009
Lessons from a 30 yr Old Finger Painter
by Michael J. Alaniz
As our Mastermind Group ventures further into the world of online marketing, one of the most important discoveries we have made is the necessity for Market Research. The largest mistake an online marketer/entrepreneur can make is to create a product or service without first asking a few important questions.
First, is this niche a large enough market? and second, is there a problem in this niche where my product or service would be able to solve it? This is where Market Research can save you lots of money and more importantly, time!
The Two Must-Ask Market Research Questions:
1. Is This Niche Large Enough?
Just for fun, let’s say there is an entrepreneur who has expertise in the area of finger painting. They decide to create a product that will teach people how to do self-portraits using their thumbs and the color blue. This is something they really enjoy doing and since all their family and friends comment about how great the paintings look, they’re sure it will be a hit.
So this entrepreneur immediately goes to work, first securing a domain and then creating their product. Once they finish, they send out an e-mail to their friends and family to spread the word about your their new product. Two weeks go by and then two month…but still no sales!
This is where market research could have saved time, money and some lost confidence. If our online marketer had taken the time to survey the internet for blogs, forums and websites, they would have quickly seen how large (or how small!) the finger painting community is. From here they would have a better understanding of what this niche is up to and what they’re currently buying.
So how big should a niche be?
There is no right or wrong answer to this, but if the community/market you want to sell only has a couple of forums, blogs and websites then you can’t expect to make a large amount of money. The simple concept is the bigger the audience, the bigger the chance for making sales. Now keep in mind this also has to be a market that spends money, but we’ll touch more on that in another article.
2. Does my Product/Service Solve a Problem?
This is the biggest lesson I have personally learned so far. Instead of wasting valuable time trying to think of products, the best thing to remember is “the market has already spoken.” This means each niche has already expressed what it wants, it just takes time and research to find out what this is.
Thanks to blogs and forums, we now have the ability to survey the opinions of a market place. You can accomplish this by going into any forum, read the posts and ask yourself the following questions:
“what are the reoccurring themes?”
“are there any problems people keep mentioning?”
“what specific topics are continually talked about?’
The answer to these questions should be the foundation to your product/service. That’s it! This is what makes market research so powerful. It is basically mind-reading your audience.
So the next time you find yourself sitting around trying to think of the “Next Big Thing,” simply remember “the market has already spoken.” Your job is to simply listen and answer these problems with a solution.
Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings. Don’t feel bad if you feel overwhelmed with your personal online journey, because we feel the same way at times!! But this is allot of fun, so lets learn together.
Please feel free to comment on this article, let us know what you think and how you approach market research. We’d love to hear from you.
Drunk Karaoke, Killer Bunnies & Internet Marketing
March 11, 2009
Take-Aways From The Underground:
Two weeks ago I joined the Best-of-the-Best at Yanik Silver’s incredible event The Underground Online Seminar 5. It was a four day extravaganza that attracted all the heavy-hitters under one roof to share what’s working and what’s not! And of course, it wouldn’t have been a Yanik event with out a Casino Night, a Live 80’s band and gorgeous bond Girls flirting with the guests.
I could lie to you right now and say that I spent those four days in my chair taking pages and pages of notes and I am here to pass them on to you, but I won’t. I spent the majority of the conference outside in the halls meeting and building relationships with incredible individuals. (I felt like I was back in High School ditching class again!) I have three incredible Take-Aways that have brought me that much closer to The Internet Lifestyle, and I would be doing you a disservice if I did not share. So here we go…
From Left to Right: @MelCoach, @RyanAngelo, @UnMarketing, @James Wedmore
TAKE-AWAY # 1: Relationships First. When I first made the decision to “go online,” I tried to do it all by myself. I wore every hat from copywriting to programming, and I never bothered asking anyone else for help. I didn’t know anyone else in this “Internet Marketing World” and I quickly became frustrated. It wasn’t until I began attending more conferences and expanding my networking circles that I realized I was creating incredible relationships with people who were more than willing to share their advice and input.
This is the reason I spend my seminar-time in the hallways. I am getting to know fantastic people who I can help in some way. At the very worst,I can introduce them to someone who can help them. In just a short time, I have obtained a core group of individuals that I know will help me out when I am in need. This is no revolutionary topic, but it was an epiphany for me. I learned all of this from Carrie Wilkerson (@Barefoot_Exec) who masterfully knows how to work any room and connect everyone in some way. If you attend any Seminar, you will see just how many people’s lives she has already affected.
So, Take-Away #1 is build relationships first! Get out there and go to conferences, local Meet-Ups, and anything else where you can meet like-minded people. Be willing to give selflessly and watch as your investments return tenfold!
And when you can’t connect at seminars & conferences? Use Social Media! That’s what it’s there for! Get on Twitter and Facebook and work the room like you would a cocktail party!
TAKE-AWAY # 2: Be Creative in your Marketing. You’ve heard the old Marketing Sin: “Don’t Be Boring!” But it could never be more true! With the power of Social Media and Web 2.0, it seems like everyone is an expert! Today, it is very difficult to get your message out to the masses because there are simply so many other messages (many are just like yours!). Your solution: Get Creative!
Dean Hunt (The man behind The Killer Bunnies!) of Buzz Marketing (www.DeanHunt.com) is a Creative Genius, and he shared with Yanik’s guests a great tactic for finding the creative edge in your marketing. Start by taking all of the assumptions in your industry (ex: restaurants industry uses menus, cooks your food, and serves it to you with a wait staff). Why not flip those assumptions upside down (solution: a restaurant where you bring the food yourself and prepare, cook and eat it yourself).
Another legend in creative UN-marketing is Scott Stratton of www.Un-Marketing.com. His tactic is simple. Use video in unique and different ways and allow your viewers to do the leg work and promote your content for you (viral, baby!)
In other words, to be creative you must do the complete opposite of what everyone else in your market is doing! Your actions should all be news-worthy (Hey! Free Advertising!). I mean look what I am doing: I am a Newbie Internet Marketing teaching Internet Marketing through the power of video, humor & storytelling.
Final Thought: Don’t settle for Boring, because your prospects definitely won’t!
TAKE-AWAY # 3: Dream Bigger: I really resonate with this next take-away and want to pass it on to as many entrepreneurs as possible. It is the concept of having a Passion and a Vision that is Bigger than YOU! It’s quite simple really. If you have a reason for doing business that encompasses more than just “to make money” or “to be really rich,” than not only will you have an incredible feeling of fulfillment after each and every accomplishment, but you will notice that no obstacle will ever stand in your way. When you are determined to make something a reality, “impossible” does not exist.
The most successful speakers at Yanik’s event all seemed to incorporate this concept into their presentation one way or another, and it really became the unifying theme of the weekend.
I have seen many people pose the question differently: “What is your Passion?” “What is your WHY?” etc, but the QUESTION that really hit home for me came from Tony Robbins himself. At a recent event of his I attended, he asked everyone in the audience the question: “What were you made for?”
Bam! That hit me like a ton of bricks.
I ask everyone who is reading this to take a second and answer that question for yourself. “What were YOU made for?” For me it was extremely difficult to answer, but I believe that once you have the answer to that question, nothing can stop you!
In conclusion, I learned a lot more than I listed above, but those were these three biggies that will help anyone build a solid foundation in their business so they too can be successful online!! I also learned plenty of steathy-ninja tactics that I will be sharing over the next few weeks! So don’t worry & stay tuned!
P.S. I have two quick videos from Yanik’s Underground that I would love to share with you. The first one, I asked everyone I could for their Definition of “The Internet Lifestyle.” And the second, well, I was caught on tape singing..don’t ask!
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| The Internet Lifestyle | James Wedmore Sings |
What’s YOUR Definition of The INTERNET LIFESTYLE?
March 2, 2009
Straight from the Underground! Yanik Silver put together another AMAZING event at his Underground Online Seminar #5! I was overwhelmed and impressed by the high-caliber of individuals that Yanik attracted during this weekend.
The Big Question:
So the Big Question is: Does The Internet Lifestyle Exist, or are we just chasing the elusive Pot of Gold at the end of the Rainbow?
Is it all about sleeping in until noon and working three hours a day in your pajamas? Well…maybe, but to find out for sure, we asked some of the biggest Internet Marketing today one question:
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