I think it’s safe to say that 2017 was a wild ride for so many entrepreneurs who use internet marketing to grow their business. 🙂

Whether you have an online business, a service business, a coaching business, or an offline business that uses the internet to get new customers, the rules of the game are changing… and they’re changing FAST.

While you could say that internet marketing is always changing and evolving, 2017 saw the most rapid change I’ve seen since I’ve been in business.

The Wild West Days of “anything goes” is over as savvy customers are demanding a greater level of market sophistication, accountability and support.

The 2017 annual Edelman Trust Barometer revealed that trust is in crisis around the world.  Trust in the 4 key institutions that drive our society has declined across the board -- business, government, NGOs, and media. According to Edelman, “without trust, belief in the system fails” and results in a sense of injustice that the system is rigged, a lack of hope that hard work will be rewarded, a lack of confidence in current leaders, and a deep desire change.

Without a doubt, it’s a tougher climate to do business. In the face of these challenges, there are 2 possible responses:

1. Get worried, give up hope, do nothing and get left behind

2. See the incredible opportunity to do things in new ways that better serve the market

As many established businesses are responding the first way, that leaves a wide open playing field for the next generation of online superheroes to step forward. The ones who are willing to be flexible and change with the times.

Business and online business are not going away, they’re just evolving and the question is: which side of the change do you want to be on?

Our Marketing Director Don Crowther and I wrote this post together to share what’s working and what’s not. While some of the changes seem discouraging on the surface, others are setting the stage for significant growth in 2018 for those who choose to adapt with the times.

First, let’s talk about what’s NOT working as well as it used to…

Large launches

Most of the big launch events in 2017 delivered only a fraction of what they used to. We saw product launches that sold $1 million or more in 2016 generate less than $400,000 in 2017. And sales weren’t the only thing that suffered. Opt-in rates during launches are also down, with fewer people getting emails and clicking on links.

I’m proud to say that we were one of the few companies that saw increased sales and opt-ins in our recent Experience Product Masterclass launch.

Email marketing

Blame Google for moving marketing emails into the Promotions tab, hackers who pounded opt-in forms with millions of real email addresses (meaning that people were unknowingly opted into lists that they didn’t want to be on), and millions of people moving away from email into chat as their primary means of communication. Whatever the cause, it’s harder than ever to get your email even seen, much less opened and clicked on.

Live event audience building

It’s getting harder and harder to get people to commit to traveling to attend a live event, even at low prices.  Again, we’re happy to see our live event sales stay consistent and what looks like our biggest turnout yet… and are committed to leading the way to doing business with more heart, authenticity and alignment.

Advertising costs and effectiveness

As network television continues its long, agonizing death, more and more money is being poured into online advertising by advertisers with deep pockets. At the same time, the ease of getting into online advertising with Facebook and Google attracts hundreds of thousands of new small advertisers into the fray each year. This combination of big brands and new advertisers forces more competition for limited supply of ads, driving ad costs higher.

At the same time, neither Google nor Facebook deliver the ability to properly target potential buyers. So marketers are hit with a double whammy of higher ad costs with poor sales results. Google gives us keyword-searches (purchase intent) but doesn’t give us the proper targeting capabilities to show ads only to those who are most able and likely to buy. Facebook gives great targeting, but doesn’t give us the ability to advertise to those who are likely to purchase. These factors must change for the advertising model to support ever increasing click costs.

Unfortunately, most of the leads and profits for companies and people marketing information-based products, coaching, and consulting come from these four sources. So, for many people it seems like we’re up the proverbial creek with no paddle.

Or are we?

Are there other sources of leads that can affordably convert into sales?

The simple answer is yes.

So what are those areas?

I’ll tell you what we think they are. But you should be aware that most of these negative trends became significantly more serious in the latter half of 2017. In other words, we’re currently in the process of testing our suggestions below to see what’s really going to move the needle. But what I can say is that we’ve continued to grow this year while many of our peers are seeing declines.

Here are our predictions for the strategies that show the most promise in 2018…

Relationship Building

In our internet marketing industry, more than almost any other, building and maintaining relationships is key. And fortunately, technology can assist in that process. Facebook Live broadcasts, chat, Facebook messenger, conversational email, even engaging with your audience in social media can all help.

It’s important to remember to interact with your audience as people, not numbers. And it’s important for you to communicate like a real person. The more authentic, aligned and vulnerable you are, the more your tribe will feel that you’re a real person who believes in what you do. Not just someone trying to make a buck online. So it’s time to turn up the dial on your expression and build a business that expresses who you are.

Breakthrough Content

In spite of the negative market forces we’re seeing, the one constant that remains is that people are constantly searching online for their needs to be fulfilled. Whether that need is for information, healing, entertainment, business building or experiences. Whether it’s delivered in the form of blog posts, articles, special reports, podcasts, videos, or emails, the content that breaks through, providing fresh, actionable solutions that truly fill those needs, will win in 2018 more than ever before.

Along with that comes another shift – the days of frequent (daily) publication of low-value content are rapidly dying. Experience shows that a single powerful piece of content presented once or twice a month will yield better results than weak content delivered daily.

Segmentation

Ideally, everyone wants to be given exactly what they want, and nothing they don’t. Mass emailing to “your list” usually means that a large percentage of recipients will get a message they don’t want.

But it’s not hard to use tools like surveys, data-driven marketing, and behavioral marketing to separate potential buyers from those with little-to-no interest. By using these strategies you can exclude everyone else from promotions on that subject, decreasing spam complaints, increasing the effectiveness of promotional spending, and positioning you in the minds of your customers as providing exactly what they need and want.

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