Learn the Ins and Outs of Online Promotion: Part Two, “The Art of Social Media Mastery”

What makes someone an authority figure—whether we’re talking about a mentor, a teacher, or—my most minor favorite term—a guru? It’s paradoxical, almost dialectical. There is a thesis, an opposition, and a synthesis. On one side, we have the amateur who thinks they know everything (what a paradox!). This person exemplifies the thesis, standing at the end of a continuum with fuzzy limits. On the other end of the spectrum is the genuinely indignant and self-righteous expert, the one who believes he or she has earned their stripes in the field of battle and cannot assume all these would-be experts and pretenders are running around everywhere dispensing knowledge only HE (note the caps) should be privileged to share. The overwhelming majority of people are stuck in the muddy middle, where nobody wants to stay for long because they have neither power nor credibility, neither chance of making it nor being heard. A frustrating intermediate level between novice and expert.

This is a dilemma, a riddle with no equal. To what extent can we resolve the thesis and antithesis to arrive at a synthesis? This comparison may seem far-fetched, but bear with me. It’s like when you meet a young person who exudes confidence despite lacking life experience; you can tell he’s got that specific something. He has a lot of street smarts and potential but no real expertise to back up his application to the big leagues as a salesman. Can he work for you? If so, what kind of businesses does he handle until he’s ready for the legendary 7-figure client? Do you put him in charge of your prize accounts right away, or do you put him under someone else’s tutelage and tell him to shut up, study, and maybe even role-play until he’s ready to jump in?

On the flip side, there’s a lovely young pair who’ve recently become parents for the first time, she’s doing well at work after leaving the military as a lieutenant, but they’re otherwise financially strapped. Will you provide them with a loan? Zero natural credit history; only potential! In both cases, there are individuals who, given the chance and the right conditions, could earn respect and trust necessary to advance to the next career ladder or move into a perfect home.

What is the connection between Twitter, LinkedIn, logic puzzles, and dialectics? I’m relieved you inquired. It’s not hard at all to do.

Is there a way to skip the letters between A and Z?
How can you learn the ropes if no one will let you “play” sales to gain expertise?
How did the ball player even make it to the lower leagues, let alone The Show, the primary professional company?
If you can’t get a credit card or a signature loan, buying a home won’t be in your near future.
How many ballplayers spend their entire careers in the lower leagues?
How many star athletes on college teams never make it to the NFL and instead become high school teachers or life insurance agents in Lima, Ohio? Apologies to the life insurance agents of Lima.
The total number of trainers at all levels.
What separates a teacher who regularly wins at the Division I level from one who struggles to win at the Division III level? Ha! We can all stop working if you can answer that question in ten lines or less.

There aren’t any social media “experts,” so there isn’t a simple answer, a right or wrong method, or a tried-and-true route to becoming one. Follow me? There are no bona fide authorities.

It’s like spending four years at an elite university learning C programming or RT-PCR for DNA processing, only to find out that as soon as you’ve mastered the technique, the language, it’s already changed and evolved into something entirely new different. Fortunately, many DNA scientists have not yet encountered that, or at least not to a degree beyond which they can keep up and change; however, they are intelligent, so they will. Contrarily, C? Well…

And that is my last argument. You probably figured I’d never make it! They are learning and playing little league on their way to the big companies…maybe. Many of the wannabes are learning to spread their wings on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media platforms, at least the ones who stick, the people who aren’t part of the 60% who quit everything because 60% of the people stopped everything. And as any novice will tell you, teaching is the best learning method! Instructing others can be thought of as a social media exercise. Wow, it’s lovely that they’re using each other as practice partners. The strong ascend to the top, while the weak give up (there goes that 60%). Constantly, the powerful are honing their abilities, not on some seven-figure customer but on each other, but for whose benefit?

Yup! Yes, every one of us! This experimental social media and social media marketing (a paradox) space is helpful for all of us. How many people have died? Only a few, unfortunately! People, you see, are much more perceptive than most people give them credit for, at least when identifying a pretend guru, fake prophet, or another imposter. And yes, there are lots of fakes…but there are also lots of very bright people learning the ropes and getting their feet wet; you have to adore these little cliches while doing it all in a social media marketing laboratory, not on some five stars, 7-figure client. People are constantly acquiring new knowledge and refining their existing skills. This concept of evolution and natural selection operating in a social medium fascinates me.

This is so realistic!

The Internet Marketing Quest Revealed and The Ultimate Internet Image result from an intensive year-long study of Internet marketing from every conceivable angle. After more than 30 years in business, Internet marketing and the role of social media and marketing within it offer an intriguing mystery. Over the past 12 months, I have spent countless hours studying, testing, and reading everything I could get my hands on, and the outcome is understanding. I have learned nearly a hundred various programs and sifted through reams of data to get a firmer grasp on this field.

I’m hopeful that between The Internet Marketing Quest Revealed and its new companion project, The Ultimate Internet Image, you’ll be able to learn as much as I have about this fascinating and challenging field. I want to help you escape the many painful and costly mistakes I and others have made while gaining experience and wisdom.

The Search for Success in Online Marketing Exposed.

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