Internet Marketing Gurus: Experts or Evangelists?
By Karen Braschuk

Do Internet marketing gurus sometimes eerily remind you of Jim and Tammy Faye?

When I first started exploring ways in which to advertise my Virtual Assistant business over the Internet, I was baffled and overwhelmed. Buzzwords and terms like “SEO” and “Keywords” flew over my head faster than a speeding bullet. I really wasn’t getting it. My web site also wasn’t getting it, at least not in terms of the traffic I had expected and hoped for.

I decided to do some further research into marketing tips and was horrified when my Google search engine turned up 168,000,000 (yes, that’s 168 million), possible references. Even if I had managed to live to a hundred, die, and come back to live another hundred years, I would likely still only be on page 3. As a result of my online search, I concluded that while most Internet marketing gurus had plenty of zeal to pass around, it seemed the commodity they were actually delivering was nothing more than simple faith.

Like evangelists, many Internet marketing gurus offer a person the guarantee of total success, providing one follows their commandments. “Harry was an out-of-work, no-good alcoholic, but once he followed our ‘10 steps to marketing success’, he turned his life around and is now a millionaire and owns 10 sheep.” Faith healing? Inspiration?

I’d hazard a guess that Harry might now actually own those 10 sheep, but as to being a millionaire?
In my mind, the basis of an Internet marketing guru’s strategy is to get people pumped up. It’s to instill faith. Yes, there are a lot of practical tips and advice. Yes, they offer a wealth of information pertaining to the technicalities of running a web site.The bottom line still appears to be faith. One must keep in mind, however, that sometimes this faith comes with a price.

One might call into a prayer-line on an evangelist’s television show and pledge a contribution to purchase a video of inspiration (lest one’s prayers not be answered). Similarly, it is often encouraged by Internet marketing gurus to purchase a book or a tape in order to ensure the lasting success (salvation) of one’s business.

While there is no blatant threat of apocalypse, there is an implied sense that if one doesn’t buy their book, one’s soul will never find the way to lasting happiness (nor will one’s business ever survive).
Remember when Jimmy had that affair?

I recall one Internet marketing advice site that stressed the importance of not having pop-up advertisements on one’s website because it could possibly annoy one’s customers. Within a few seconds of entering their site, I felt as if I had just played a fast-paced video game for hours. “Another pop-up! Kill it! Oops, there it goes. It’s on the right, no, wait a minute, it’s on the left!”
I guess this could be considered as just another example of “do as I say, and not as I do.”
Anyone using the Internet to advertise their business should always be aware that there are folks out there who will try to help you in the same way that some evangelists will try to help the lame to walk and the blind to see.

Often this thinly veiled ‘help’ could just be a smokescreen for someone else’s hidden agenda.
If you ever hear the term ‘miracle’ in someone’s promise to turn your business around, please keep in mind how infrequently true miracles really happen.

Your business success will probably come from your own hard work. There is no substitute for that. You create your own miracles each and every day, just by having your own inner faith and working hard.

Karen Braschuk is the owner of Office Support 911,
a Virtual Assistance service based in Ontario, Canada.
http://www.officesupport911.ca