How to Build a Ravenous, Loyal Marketing Fan Base - Dirt Cheap!

Internet Marketing Gurus are EVERYWHERE!

Usually whenever you read anything about Internet marketing you hear about the latest whiz-bang method that someone claims to have thought up. 

Of course, they’ll tell you that it is a SECRET way to make money online, but in reality there is no new thing under the sun.

Trust me on this. 

Now, having said that, I’d like to point out that there are people on the Internet that you should listen to because their information is valuable.  They’ve been around the block quite a bit and know what they are talking about.  Their books and courses are pretty good and I think if you want to pay $200 + to buy one…Go for it!

You’ll probably learn a lot more from those courses than if you went to college for the “4 year vacation” and you’ll have spent quite a bit less.

The Dirt Cheap Method of Learning

I once read an article by Gary “The Prince of Print” Halbert wherein he was talking about the lean years of his life; he didn't have a lot of money and he was dealing with an overbearing wife. 

However, Monsieur Halbert was a smart man, and he knew that he was living in the richest country in the world. He knew that he could learn a crap-load about marketing if he read a lot of books on the subject.  So, off he went to the public library where he read every book on marketing he could get his hands on.

Yeah, I love it…The DIRT CHEAP method of learning!

He didn’t need to pay someone $5000 to learn how to make money marketing, he just needed the information available and he took it from there.

Not only can you learn from books in the library, but now we have the Internet as well.  Amazon, sells tons of books on just about any kind of marketing you can imagine, and you can get the books used for a lark. 

TIP!  Not only can you find used books in online stores like Amazon, but you can also get FREE reports and eBooks by many of the top-o-the-line gurus for the mere cost of your email address.

Your Marketing Can Be Dirt Cheap Too!

While it would be bone-dead stupid for me to tell you that you’ll put zero dollars into your marketing, you can still market your business as cheaply as you can and still have an effective way of reaching out to potential prospects and customers.

One of the cheapest ways to do this is by building a community.  It takes work but it’s not as hard as

you think, either. The fastest and easiest way to do this by simply being nice and helpful.

When I say “being nice” I mean it. 

I was on a forum the other day and I made a comment about how people don’t even say thanks by pushing a simple button on the forum that says “Thanks” on it.  (You can read my rant that started a group of people talking here: Your Attitude Sucks – That’sWhy You’re in Neutral! 

The problem I have with a lot of Internet Marketers, (especially younger ones) is that they think if they’re snarky, rude and use a bunch of foul language they’ll get somewhere.

BIG MISTAKE.  This is where I draw the line and tell whoever it is that I’m not even going to listen to them anymore.  Not only that, I’m NEVER going to recommend their business to anyone, ever.  I can’t tell you the number of times that I've not recommended someone based on their attitude and language.

Especially Internet marketing gurus that think it’s cool to do so.  Apparently, they think they’re so rich, powerful and invincible that they’re too big to fail.

Man, is that a stupid way to act.

About 2 years ago there was a guy that had a way of marketing on Facebook that was kind of popular so I went on YouTube to see if he had a training video on there for free.  

Sure enough he was on there, and it was a video of a seminar of his that he had recorded live in front of a large audience. 

About 30 or so seconds into his dissertation he starts spewing out the “F” word like it was a badge of courage.  And the real sign of immaturity was that he laughed at himself every time he said it.

Very impressive.

And to think there were ladies in the audience and had to listen to that rubbish.   

Now riddle me this…

If a person like that runs their filthy mouth in front of an audience, especially where women are present, do you really believe that he’s doing ANYTHING in your best interest?  Really???

It’s been my experience that people like that look at you like a number with a monetary symbol in front of it and that’s all.

Why you should never do this…  

But, you know what?  Let them be that way.  Because entrepreneurs that really care about the people they deal with are RARE!  People that respect others, follow up and help people sometimes without any gain in life are very hard to find these days.

And if you treat others with respect and dignity and call on their higher qualities rather than their basest instincts, then you’ll have gained a loyal following of people that know you really care.

Years ago, I saw a documentary about this guy who unclogged sewage lines for people.  He really had his business down to a science and really made a huge difference in his community. 

The thing that drew my attention the most to this guy was he had actually built a mini- shower in the back of his van.  He also had a whole row of uniforms hanging up in his van that he would change after almost every appointment. 

“I don’t want to smell like a rat when I go to somebody’s house.” He grinned.

He worked in a rundown part of a large city and was booked solid. Everyone knew and loved this guy. 

The reason? He was always super nice, extremely professional and his prices were very fair.  I remember one older lady that had no husband, and was obviously broke crying because the man did the work for free.  He looked at where she was living and saw that the services were going to break what little she had left. 

“Now, Ma’am please don’t tell all your friends I did this for free OK?  They’ll be calling me off the hook and I can’t afford to help everyone for free.  OK?  I just had to do it because you’d be up to your knees in sewage.”

“Thank you…Thank you!  The woman cried, tears running down her cheeks.”

Pushing his hat back and scratching his forehead he smiled again.

“She’ll tell everybody.”

However, this man was one of the most successful people in the business.  He was making money hand over fist and booked solid BECAUSE EVERYONE KNEW HE REALLY CARED.

It’s like the Joker said in that Batman movie,  

“It’s not about the money…It’s about sending a message….”

But hey, even if you don’t want to be Mother Teresa, think of how little he has to spend on advertising and marketing.

I’m tellin’ ya what Forrest…All the shrimp you can eat!  Dirt Cheap!

Even if he didn't want the attention, he’d get it and the people he helped won’t ever forget what he did for them.

Here's a company that really gets it. Watch this video:

So, random acts of being nice and helping folks can be beneficial to your business.  If you can’t afford to give something away, give away your expert opinion or advice because it costs virtually nothing to give those away.

To Your Success!

Mark “Elmo” Ellis