It's Time to FOCUS! Greetings to One and All!

[Karl Steinmann]

[FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS.]

Hey There Everyone!

By way of brief introduction, I’m a long-time entertainment advertising and marketing creative director. I’ve been lucky enough to work on huge campaigns and see my work hanging in movie house lobbies. The “biz” has been great in a lot of ways, but it sucks in a lot more, which is why I’m (hopefully) getting out of it.

What I’m really excited about now is getting my online ventures rolling. I’ve been monkeying around with “the web biz” for a long time, but as all the gurus (including Larry and Amish) say, you’ve gotta FOCUS. Well, it turns out some of the gurus are idiots spouting nonsense, but you can’t disagree with that basic edict. If you want to succeed in any field, you’ve gotta FOCUS. I’ve taken an enforced sabbatical from my biz in order to do that.

FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS.

But that’s a problem in and of itself, since there are so many programs and plans out there, and so many products. Which do you choose? What direction do you go in?

As you undoubtedly know, just in the realm of SEO/PPC and keyword research, there are dozens and dozens of options, and countless conflicting assessements and opinions. Separating the coffee from the rat manure is a real problem! In fact, after many months of research, I almost pulled the trigger on an expensive “suite” of apps in order to accomplish what I (thought) I needed.

Then I stumbled upon The New PPC vids. I was stunned and blown away by the content and insight those vids provided. More good, solid, real-world info there for FREE than most gurus give you for big bucks! And not just theory, but real, practical-hanna examples that illustrated the points and made the thought process behind it all very clear. Holy sh*t!

Maybe you can relate, but I am so sick of theory! It’s everywhere in the IM world. “You just have to do this and you’ll be successful...” Yeah, but tell me, step-by-step, how you actually did “this.” You hardly ever see it. And I can tell you, as somebody who has been involved in lengthy design and information systems development, that you have to take people by the hand and show them from Point A to Point Z in order for them to A) fully comprehend, and B) for it to “stick” and really make sense.

So many of the gurus out there think a quick, breezy overview to a complicated subject like PPC (for instance) is going to cut it. It doesn’t. You sometimes wonder (gee whiz) if maybe, just maybe, some of these so-called gurus are giving you the entire skinny. You know, you wonder if they’re telling you everything, or maybe holding something back. Namely “the good stuph.” Hmmmmm. They wouldn’t do that, would they? Ahem.

Amish and Larry clearly know what people really need – a really good tool that actually comes with really good support and information. Thank God!    To the creators of Hexatrack, I say good work. Hell, GREAT WORK! You should be proud, and you’re going to be famous (whether you like it or not). Keep it up! Please!

So imagine my surprise, amazement and glee when I sidled back into The New PPC blog to find the announcement for Hexatrack. Talk about the answer to my prayers! One fully-integrated program that handles the work (and serious, time-consuming labor) of setting up and tracking complex PPC campaigns. One program that researches the keywords, compiles and evaluates the market data (including competitive intel!) and literally “makes recommendations” based on that info. One program that is already integrated with Clickbank and Commission Junction and the others so that running big affiliate marketing campaigns is relatively simple and straight forward. OMG. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing... my heart started to race. It’s still racing today.

If this thing really works as advertised, it is truly the answer to my prayers...

I’m hardly familiar with all the keyword research tools out there. But I have used some of the “big names” progs. I know there are some really good (and in some cases, really expensive) solutions. Though I’ve only monkeyed around with Hexatrack to this point, I can see that it totally blows everything else away. The price is right and the tool is simply amazing.

Prior to Hexatrack, my favorite keyword research tool was SBI’s BrainstormIt!, which is only available to members of their site building program. One of the things it’s provides completely sets it apart from all the others. What is it? It’s a Profitability Score for keywords based on detailed market analysis. In other words, it tells you how profitable a keyword is likely to be relative to others of it’s kind or theme. But frankly (sorry SBI), if the data on Hexatrack can be trusted (only time will tell) it beats BrainstormIt! and all the others hollow.

So regardless of whether or not I make the mentoring program cut, I think I’ve found the tool I really need to succeed at PPC. As Amish and Larry have demonstrated, if you can master PPC, you don’t need all the other time consuming and complicated methods of generating traffic. Sure, go do all those other things too, if you want to. But you don’t need to. Better yet, as “the Hexatrack boys” have pointed out, a good PPC campaign actually provides you real world keyword results and market research. So, when it comes time to building out your website(s), you’re not guessing as to how well your keywords are going to pull. You know.

My one concern is whether or not the algorithms in Hexatrack really work in the long haul. Anybody who’s studied stock programs knows that it’s possible to make a program predict the market under carefully controlled circumstances. In fact, there’s a whole range of tricks used by software vendors in that field to make it seem as if their software is really great when it’s really not. I’m not saying Larry and Amish are stooping to this. I don’t think they are. But I am going to be really interested as I start to use Hexatrack to see how accurate the data it produces is. I’ll be using some other tools (like BrainstormIt!) to cross-check data as I go along...

If there are any other Hexatrack users out there who would like to start comparing notes, I’d be more than interested in doing so!

BTW, as a long time Mac guy, I want to thank the Hexatrack team for choosing a web based option. Not only is it smart from a usability standpoint, it makes Hexatrack accessible from any machine anywhere, which I for one greatly appreciate. I can get into my account from my laptop, from a desktop or even from somebody else’s comp, and that’s really slick! Further, making a fully usable version of the prog FREE is bold and brilliant marketing. Nobody else is doing this, and like all the great features, it sets the program far apart from the “competition.” What a great gift guys! Thanks so much!

OK, enuf for now. I’ve prattled on quite long enough. Back to FOCUSING. Is Hexatrack working correctly now? Gotta go check...

Later,
Karl

Karl,

First, thanks for the kind words, they are greatly appreciated. We love people like you because you "get it".

Let me break it down so the flow really makes sense (this is for a REAL business)...

1. Pick a market. Sounds simple enough yet it's one thing that most people stumble on. Which one? So many to choose from... My answer is the one your most closest to and one that you understand intimately, it will make marketing and talking to your list MUCH easier because it's where your passions lie. If you have no passions or interests - f'n find one! Learn what your purpose is. Use google zeitgeist, lycos 50, google trends to see what people are searching for and are interested in.

2. Market research. Find what other people are doing in the market by analyzing it with HexaTrack. Study their marketing (landing pages, autoreponders, copy, ads..etc). Analyze amount of traffic coming to the market vs amount of competition.

3. Determine whether you want to play in the market. Some of the more competitive markets have a solid backend marketing system (which is something you want to create) that allows them to spend more per click because the lifetime value of the customer is more than just that one-off sale. This is last sentence is what separates the strong from the weak. It takes more work to create a backend system but the payoff is tenfold.

4. Create a market domination strategy using the market analysis you just acquired. Create a campaign that incentivizes people to fill out a survey that asks them several questions that will let you know what their needs are a good one is: What is your number one problem/concern/need...)

5. Implement it. Create landing pages, autoresponders, a backend system. (remember the idea isn't a one off sale, it's a relationship that builds trust and rapport)

Sidenote: A backend sales system includes but is not limited to:
+ autoresponder series that continues to educate and makes sure they get what you are marketing.
+ creating your own membership around your market
+ an e-book
+ complementary product
+ webinar/seminar
+ related offers
+ physical products
+ JV's with related lists

6. Drive traffic via ppc/seo/web 2.0

7. Track this traffic with Hexatrack. Add google analytics...This answers important questions of what working and what not... You will learn... Where traffic is coming from, where the conversions are, where you are losing money, what people are doing on your site...

** Hexatrack is a simple tool that analyzed competition and tracks conversions. There is no stock market formula voodoo here. It simply shows you data that you can analyze and make an informed decision on. We do have a P Score that we put together that guages profitability in a market, that is based on obvious factors like traffic, ad longevity, cpc...

8. Optimize. Kill what's NOT working. Expand what IS working.

9. Focus on the list you are building a relationship with.

10. Deposit your checks.

** The number one hurdle for most people in doing any of this is THEMSELVES.

It's not about a single tool or method of traffic, it's about the entirety of your business that will lead to inevitable success. Use Hexatrack and our training to give yourself the advantage you need to succeed. Eliminate fear, take that first step, & focus on your goals.

Hope that was helpful

Larry

[Karl Steinmann]

[steal my thunder]

Hey There Larry!

Wow, incredibly cool. I hear from “the Man” himself. Or one of them anyway... 

I certainly had no expectation that I would hear from you directly, much less that you would answer at such length. Are you trying to steal my thunder as the most long-winded guy in this forum or what?

 

Seriously, the “10 Steps to World Domination” strategy outlined above is an absolutely great short course on what one needs to do.

You’re undoubtedly quite busy, what with growth, upgrades and your own PPC campaigns (not to mention surfing, hehe), so I really appreciate the effort. Even more to the point, I really appreciate the info and insights. Excellent, excellent advice and wisdom! Thanx!!! I’ve got a few steps to go before I get to #10, but I’m really looking forward to getting there...

In recent weeks, I’ve been getting pieces of the puzzle from various sources and starting to put them together. What you’ve outlined is exactly what it’s all boiled down to in my head! Cool. And I feel that discovering Hexatrack is the last major piece (tool) needed in solving my personal puzzle. Now I’ve just gotta learn how to use it properly, and integrate it with my marketing efforts.

The next phase is the one you emphasized the importance of in the vids (I really was paying attention), just as you’ve done here once again. You can’t say it enough, actually. Because when you get past the tools and the technology and the gee-whizery, it’s the market. It’s the market and the marketing, period. You gotta know it and you gotta nail it. It’s what scares me and excites me at the same time.

It’s funny. I’ve worked on multi-million dollar campaigns for huge products and companies, and I’ve never had to do anything like this before. By the time it got to guys like me (the “creatives,” in other words), the product was already chosen and the target audience known. I’m assuming (and you know that that means) that somebody did some market research somewhere along the way before we got the gig. But I’m not really sure...

Ironically, we would put together these high dollar campaigns without a single thought as to whether they were going to lead to sales. How bass-ackward is that? Of course, we weren’t doing “direct marketing,” but at the same time I always thought it odd that we knew we’d done our jobs right not by how many sales we could show we generated, but by how many of our peers thought what we had done was cool. Strange, eh? I guess generalized (and frequently incomprehensible) public awareness and branding campaigns are luxuries the big dogs can afford. Me, I just wanna sell some sh*t!

 

Though I worked on the “macrocosmic” scale before, and what we’re doing here is at the other end, one thing holds true on all levels. You’ve gotta have a system. I’ve seen it with Fortune 500 companies, and I’ve seen it with humble little online marketers. But it’s all the same. You gotta have a fully integrated process where all pieces work together and the whole is definitely greater than the sum of it’s parts.

Rest assured, Larry, that I take your words to heart, and I sincerely hope others take the time to read them as well.

I look forward to seeing you around the forum, and I will seek out the words of wisdom from both you and Amish. Also, I’m available for that mentoring program. Ahem.

 

Lata,
Karl


P.S.: What you said about back end marketing makes total sense to me. I’ve been looking at the CPC in many of the more competitive areas ($5 or more), and I figured that many of these guys had to either A) be selling a high-ticket item, and/or B) making up the difference on the back end. I know (or think I know, anyway) that if they’re doing their jobs right, they might be getting less costly clicks, but for a small guy like me the entry costs are prohibitive. I don’t do loss-leaders yet. I’m looking for very inexpensive clicks as per The New PPC/Hexatrack instructions.

Also, thanks for the the Lycos 50. I wasn’t aware of that one, but what I’ve been doing (or what I’ve been looking for, anyway) is exactly what you recommend. That is, the hot niches that aren’t being served.

I suddenly find myself looking at things through the eyes of a direct marketer and pondering, with just about everything I see, one simple question. Can I monetize that?

Even though I (gasp) look down my nose at pop culture (I’m a snob, I admit it), I’m now watching for the buzz quite opportunistically! Soon they’ll be able to call me a crass capitalist...