How to Identify a Shiny Object
Naturally, you want to know what it is. And you're willing to pay for it.
Usually, if you go ahead and pay for the information, you will get some information. Sometimes it's helpful and sometimes it's confusing -- and what it *usually is* is some part of another marketer's strategy that they at least know enough about to create a video and some pdfs about it.
Sometimes, though, you don't even get information. You get BS. You get page after page of a pdf that looks like this. In order to MURDER GOOGLE I USE THIS ESSENTIAL TOOL -- with an affiliate link to whatever keyword dominating tool they're selling. And then IN ORDER TO BUILD AN ONLINE ATM FOR MY OWN PERSONAL USE I USE THIS OTHER ESSENTIAL TOOL -- with another affiliate link to another product.
And then: If you want to REALLY FIND OUT HOW I MADE THREE BILLION DOLLARS ON THE INTERNET, buy my ADVANCED COURSE HERE!!!!
I'm really not kidding, that's what's inside of some of those things, and if you don't buy them through something like Clickbank you might not get your money back.
But that's really not the essential problem. The problem is that internet marketers use a really specific language and a lot of what they're talking about is either too abstract or totally irrelevant to what you'd be trying to accomplish as a beginner. So what will happen is you will buy the strategy and not really be ready to implement it. For example, say someone is trying to sell a listbuilidng strategy. Having an email list is a great way to stay in touch with customers but it's a whole other piece of the puzzle that you won't implement until you've actually decided on what you're going to be telling your customers about.
It's not your fault -- you just don' t have anything to sell yet. You're not ready for information on how to keep customers you don't already have.
So you'll file it on your hard drive and maybe never look at it again -- and feel like there's just one more thing about IM you don't understand. And there might be one or two concepts you get out of the information packet that make sense but not enough sense yet to implement -- so when you're ready for that strategy you're going to either have to learn it again or buy it again.
Also, at that point, you're distracted. You've gone so far afield of what your original project was that you might not ever get back to it again -- at least not with the enthusiasm you had at first.
So it's not that buying internet marketing products is bad. The fact is that marketers buy this stuff from each other all the time. However, this would be *after* they had already tried a couple things and want to expand, or they're looking for a specific answer to a marketing problem they have -- like best practices for listbuilding.
Mostly though, while all these products promise shortcuts to riches -- if you're just learning, jumping around from product to product is the SLOWEST WAY TO LEARN INTERNET MARKETING. It might also be the most expensive.
So: if it's taking you *farther away* from what you're trying to do, if it's *distracting you from what you need to know or do now*, and if it's slowing things down instead of speeding them up -- it's a shiny object. Stay away from them now and you might not even need them later on.
:). That is all.
Recent Comments
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Wow, did you ever nail it with this post. Thank you. I felt like I was reading my internet-biography. Well written and well said!
This is a well articulated warning. Many of us talk about the Shiny Object Syndrome and don't articulate exactly what it is we are warning against.
Most of us have fallen for this at one time or another. I know I have a couple of things around here gathering virtual dust.
Thanks for a great Post.
Honestly, the first step to succeeding online is understanding how to stay clear of "Shiny Objects" because there are far too many distractions out there. You have a very good grasp on this and that means a lot in terms of how you will succeed. Your (this) post will hopefully help some of our starter members stay clear of these kinds of things.
Well said. The absolute SLOWEST way to achieve success is to follow in the trail of all the shinny objects that hit the market. Honestly, most of them are exactly as you put it, they claim the world and they do not deliver. What most people don't know however is that most people that are selling these products could never implement their own techniques!!!
If you are reading this and you are a serial product buyer, you need to STOP. Everything you need is here and you are going to learn how to create a real business online. There is no such thing as a get rich scheme as success takes time. The minute you decide that you are going to face the reality of what it takes to achieve success, the closer you are going to be to achieving it.
Excellent post here!
Great way to look at it. I really do think that some of the psychology behind some IM sales pitches is to give you too much info to confuse you so you feel vulnerable and feed a need to buy what they are selling
Very well said! Many people fail at Internet marketing directly because of Shiny Objects. Folks get into the habit of buying the next best thing in hope of it making sense to them and it NEVER works out.
Shiny objects are meant to distract you from what you are doing and get you to whip out your wallet. If you are going to buy a shiny object, then stick with it, but 99.9999% of these things are bogus so there isn't actually any substance to stick with. It's a broken model from the beginning.
I encourage anyone who is getting started here at WA to use your starter membership as it is designed to be used. To help you GET STARTED. When you're through the first set of training, need your own domain, need more keyword searches, need more help, need the next course.. Then invest in Premium as it will be your only cost to build your biz. Rather than go looking for a crappy e-book at Clickbank - get more of what you already know is quality. Stay on track and stay focused - you're here at WA for no cost in the beginning, you know the community is great and once you outgrow your starter membership, get right into the next set of training. At this point you haven't invested a penny yet. First and foremost, don't get caught by a shiny object that pops into your inbox because the second you get distracted is the second you go down this never ending path.
Carson
Yup, the last paragraph should be framed and hanging on the wall! Exactly what I needed to hear!!!
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Great post and advice! It took me a long time of searching before I came across WA. I have found it to be the place where I can actually learn how to do each task that needs to be done to get started on internet marketing and continue to learn each day. Not to mention the great community here, always offering help and support!
There are so many of these "shiny objects" out there that it was getting very discouraging...spending hours looking at their videos and reading their ridiculous promises, then get to the point of where it states something like "pay only $39 to get our system" and still not really know anything about what it is really.