Grey Matters, with Steve Dotto

IMHO Facebook ads are a black hole you an I may never recover from. 

Too Dramatic?

I am not saying Facebook Ads have no value, they do! It is just that they have become a massively sophisticated platform that we simply do not have the skill set to effectively manage. 

That is you and I, the average content creator. 

Too many of my online colleagues will encourage you to take a course to unlock the power of Facebook ads and manage your campaigns yourself. 

More of my humble opinion........BAD IDEA! Listen to learn why!

This week's podcast was inspired by a coaching webinar I held last week. It was called "Discover Online Business" and it was focused on those just starting out in online business, reinventing themselves or looking to grow their online business.

The questions I was asked spoke to some universal challenges I believe we all face when we contemplate online entrepreneurship.  

 Who is my ICA (Idea Customer Avitar)? The person I am trying to attract, to serve.

What is my focus? What product will I ultimately sell and how do I determine exactly what it is?

So many of us look at the opportunities online, know we want to be there, but where to start? What to do?

Your Passion is a great place to start. 

You can teach an old dog new tricks, and the dog probably loves it! At least this old dog!

Building an Online Business has been a rewarding experience, financially and personally, however, there have been detours along the road.

I hope to offer some context, how long it takes, and where breakthroughs come from.

Brian Fanzo is a force of nature, a Millennial who has built a business showing brands the how and why of communicating with Millennials. 

Push the Damn Button is one of Brian's signature calls to action! He embraces tech on all fronts, but like me, he has a passion for putting the user in charge of the technology.

Learn more about Brian at iSocialFanz

I Know!

Email lists!!!!

Seriously Steve!

2006 is calling!

You are going to spend this whole episode talking about email lists?

Darn tootin!

I have only one thing to say: if you build a good solid email list, you will have a good solid online business.

If you build a freaking awesome mail list, you will have have a freaking awesome online business.

If you don't build an email list, no guarantees....you are on your own.

Here is a link to the post by our friends at OptIn Monster (they know a thing or two about list-building......just notice the aggressive popups when you read this article. This post talks about open and click-through rates......fascinating!

I am certain that many of us are reluctant to enter the world of online marketing because if negative experiences we have had in the past when we felt we were being "hustled" by unethical online marketers. Essentially it has soured us to the whole concept.

That is a shame because the online space needs more marketers and content creators concerned with being ethical, and setting a good example.

In this episode of Grey Matters, we expolre some of  the less than ethical practces we find online, and what we can learn from those practices.

Links from this Episode

Archive of Verge Article on "The Syndicate"

I love Phyllis Kahre’s attitude, how she takes on every challenge head-on and dives in, no excuses!

You can find her at

https://phylliskhare.com/

Do you Grok This?

For those of you confused by our “blast from the past” riffing on Phyllis using the term, Grock.

It is a term coined in the Robert A Heinlein book, Stranger in a Strange Land (1961). A Science Fiction staple for all of us who grew up in the ‘70s.

What does it mean?

To Grok something is to understand it so fully that it becomes a part of you, and you of it. I probably butchered that description, but here is the Wikipedia Page 

 Building a Platform

Love this article from Yahoo

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/over-50-entrepreneurial-life-just-191044173.html

If you like this podcast do me a favour and write a review.

We are in our early stages, and iTunes reviews are so valuable to us!

Michael Hyatt wrote a great book on Platform, way back in 2012.

The most common building blocks of a platform include the following:

1. Your own website, including your Blog/Vlog

You Need to become Visible

Then you strive to be influential

Show Me The Money!

I would be lying if I told you that Content Marketing was a guaranteed path to riches.

It took me over 2 years of being a full time content creator before I was able to look at my income and feel some sense of security.

Is that representative of what you may experience, can you do it in a shorter time or will it take longer?

I have no idea, 2 years is how long it took me.

I do believe, however, that you can find success in the online world, and it is a matter of when, not if.

8 Ways I will Show You The Money

1. Advertizing, using Google Adsense and others

Creating a Podcast

https://youtu.be/OEASVDtkGYU

Patreon

https://youtu.be/8NZxgw3b6kE

In this episode:

The Big Leap

Gat Edwards

Having spent my entire career in traditional media, and I honestly believe that Webinars are the best way for many of us to build community. 

To essentially be able to create your very own private broadcast network, complete with comments and chat is nothing short of mindblowing!

One of the challenges in talking about Webinars, is they apply in so many vertical areas.

Key takeaways from this Podcast.

1. Webinars are flexible

1) Webinars are flexible

• Teaching

2) Webinars are relevant

People enter with intent

3) You can leverage Webinars

Record and create evergreen content

Outstanding lisbuilders

Gathering email addresses is a huge key.

4) Anyone can do a webinar

You can start out with just a few people

You get better as you go

Loads of great resources to teach you how

5) Fasttrack to Know, Like, trust (KLT)

6) Unlimited Reach

4 key goals of EVERY Webinar

I am constantly updating this free course which test the most popular Webinar platforms, helping you choose the right one for you.

Increase your skills, Increase your knowledge

Here are all of Steve's Recommended Tools on Amazon…..these are affiliate links

https://www.amazon.com/shop/dottotech?ref=ac_inf_hm_vp

Webinar Wednesday

Join us live each week for our weekly live tutorial webinar,

http://members.dottotech.com/?page_id=4728

Other Links

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