By Mary Jaksch
Good friends have the knack of pointing out things that we don’t really want to see. They help us to keep on track.
As you may know, as part of my journey as a blogger, together with my friend Leo Babauta of Zen Habits, I’ve managed to build an online business, the A-list Blogging Bootcamps.
I love mentoring bloggers and helping them to succeed. At the same time, there is part of the work that I really dislike. And that is marketing. The reason I dislike it because there is a lack of integrity in marketing. Marketing works with emotional triggers that are supposed to make turn readers into buyers. At it’s worst, it’s a kind of manipulation.
I recently spend time with my friend and business partner, Leo Babauta. He pointed out that we are in danger of losing integrity every time we use marketing strategies. I think that’s true.
So, we’re trying an experiment. Here’s what it is: we’re just about to start our six-week A-List Blogging Bootcamp How to Write Like an A-List Blogger this coming Monday, November 8th.
Instead of doing a big marketing hype, we’ve trialling a ‘zero launch’ policy. Instead of trying to ‘sell’ places on the (virtual) Bootcamp, we’re simply letting people know that the first week is free.
I’m delighted with the ‘free’ option, because I know that there are a lot of people out there who wouldn’t be able to join otherwise. (If you’re interested, click here to register for the free module)
It’s going to be interesting to see how this works. My sense is that Leo and I are moving towards a new way of doing business on the Internet. A way that has integrity, doesn’t try to manipulate anyone, and is based on generosity.
What are your thoughts?
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Hey Mary,
that’s a good idea – free always makes people overcome the initial step.
You and Leo have such name in the community – this alone will attract like-minded people.
But marketing is not bad itself – it simply helps you to spread your message
.-= Mars Dorian´s last blog ..Truth or Lie- This Is What You HAVE To Do To Be Successful Online =-.
@Mars Dorian, thanks for your encouraging words, Mars. As to marketing: I’ve done quite a bit of study in the last year. As a marketer you learn a lot about the psychology of selling, and about the emotional triggers that make people buy stuff. I’m really uneasy about that kind of stuff. Because if I use those triggers, I”m basically playing with people’s emotions in order to benefit from a sale…
@Mars Dorian, thanks for your words, Mars. It’s a real adventure trying to change the culture of marketing. It’s pretty scary too
All the marketing and launch experts say that it won’t work…
I haven’t been able to take part in this great discussion on GLZ because I’ve been super busy starting off the Bootcamp. 12 – 15 hour workdays are the norm at this stage of a Bootcamp. That’s why I feel fine about earning money from the people who pay for the whole Bootcamp. And I’m equally happy to provide a great opportunity for free – for those who join our first free week (we have over 1,400)
@Mary Jaksch, That’s incredible, 1,400 !
Insane insane. But then again you two are personal brands, whether you like it or not
I respect your view on not messing with people’s minds. I can see that you want to give a lot of value, and you want to really help people, which is awesome.
I wish all the best to your and your own genuine methods. I’m sure it will work out !
.-= Mars Dorian´s last blog ..The Defining Difference- Blogger VS Maverick =-.
Mary: I love that idea and it definitely seems like something you and Leo would come up with. You both are so genuine and always willing to give what you can to others and the blogging community. I would love if this became the standard approach to get people engaged and check out products. I am sure it will work fabulously … It just seems so right and 100% sincere.
.-= Sibyl – alternaview´s last blog ..Why You Should Judge Your Own Performance =-.
Hi Mary,
this is a really interesting subject. My thoughts about it are something like this: I find it much easier to market something I feel genuinely passionate about. ie. art has changed my life so dramatically that each product I’ve created I feel genuinely about it and how it could benefit others. However, I have also been a struggling single mum financially and know that not everything is accessible to all even if it doesn’t seem that much.
I have just launched the one week journal your dreams workshop and decided to set it as a ‘donate what you can afford’ scheme, just as an experiment and to see what happens. This has meant people can pay whatever they want. It has been extremely interesting.
Also, it depends how you do your marketing I think.
Thanks for the thoughts.
Amelia.x
I absolutely love the idea of a ‘zero launch’ policy! Integrity is very important to me and like you, I am very uneasy about marketing. It seems so fake, and I too hate manipulation. Marketing is like people screeming at the top of their voices: Look at me… look at me! I want to be noticed without having to do that…
My worry is that this might make it difficult for me as a blogger. I have just started, and the only thing that I feel OK with is writing guest posts. I am actually considering to let the rest take care of itself.
I wonder if a ‘zero launch’ policy would work for a blog?
@Annika Thomas, I think the main thing that makes a blog grow is providing useful content. It takes time, but readers will find you. And return for more.
I agree that the ‘zero launch’ idea is a wonderful way to get the message (and awesome information) out there. And I really think it is so beneficial to be able to offer something to an audience that might otherwise not be able to afford it.
Just based on the content of the previous Boot Camps, I’m sure that those who do access the first free week will be so motivated with the content, that should they have the means to afford the rest of the material, they will indeed continue with the Camp.
Thank you Mary & Leo for sharing so much !
.-= Deb G´s last blog ..A Beginner’s Guide to Rediscovering Joy =-.
Hi Mary,
I hear you but I really don’t think you can tar marketing with one brush. The integrity, or the integrity GAP, is the relationship between what you’re saying your product or service is and what you truly believe it to be. Yes, this is subjective but at the core of it, if you feel like you’re using language that is manipulative, it is because you’re not using your own voice, not being true to your core values. I think the free trail is an extremely common launch model, even if its labeled ‘zero launch’. In order to let as many people know the trial exists you’re back to the original point of needing to market as widely as you can, in order to provide service to as many people as you can. And then surely the idea of the trail is to funnel/convert as many peeps into full subscribers? In my experience the integrity users are looking for is usually found through becoming familiar with the personality/brand, seeing consistency in the quality of the work, testimonials and referrals from other trusted names etc. I think its important individuals invest the time to research the product or service to be able to make an informed decision at which point the trial is an easy in. Personally, I’m not moved by the ‘zero launch’ idea, however, I do know from participating in your virtual retreats your integrity is inherent in your work. Ultimately, I think this is about you looking for the voice, the language, that is compatible with you? If you do, I think it with resonate within your marketing copy, your products and services, your entire business.
Un saludo. David
Hi Mary,
I spent a good part of my “career” in retail in visual presentation… how a store looks and feels, how the merchandise is presented, and how the customer moves through the spaces in order to maximize the potential of selling her things. It started to feel really yucky as I was being pressed to override the overall aesthetic with the dollars per square foot. I strongly believe that there is a balance to strike between the two. It is not bad to create a space in which to make a valued transaction… but manipulation always came to mind when I was in that business and it still does as I make my way into doing business on the internet. I know that you and Leo are the ones to be watching… you’re creating a new road.
(With this post and Katie Tallo’s latest post http://momentumgathering.com/a-simple-guide-to-remembering-who-you-are/ I can sense a change in the blogging breeze – quite refreshing!
.-= laurie´s last blog ..on all hallow’s eve- the veils are thin =-.
This is what it looks like from here:
You have picked up that there is a backlash against the hard sell within the minimalism community and that the old marketing methods are losing their impact so you are attempting to reposition yourself.
This post a marketing post. The decision to give away a week and publicize it by ‘word of mouth’ is a marketing one.
For the record I have nothing against marketing but marketing while trying to give the impression of benevolence does make me a little uncomfortable..
.-= Steve´s last blog ..Colors and Tones of Autumn =-.
Viz a Viz Steve’s comment:
I don’t think you can know Mary or Leo or their work very well Steve if you can infer that they would attempt to sneakily market a product while trying to appear benevolent…that’s simply not their style. If they wanted to use marketing tricks then that’s what they would do….just like everyone else does. If you are offering something for free that has proven over and over again to be a valuable product and you ask other happy clients to spread the news and reccomend the product, then where is the manipulation or marketing? Is the person/company selling the product supposed to keep it a secret that they have an excellent product? The individual who avails of the free week does so because they have either informed themselves or been informed from a trusted source that it will benefit them in some way. As long as, at the end of the free week, they are not put under pressure to buy further time/products then I can’t see any sales or marketing ploy or tricks. I think that what you’re seeing here is the fact that once a product or maybe a business has proven itself over and over again to be honest, reliable and coming from a place of integrity then it simply starts to sell itself!
.-= Rosemary´s last blog ..5 Steps to Recovery From an O-D of Shiny Happy Peeps =-.
Very well said, Rosemary!
.-= Cristina´s last blog ..Why connecting creates beauty =-.
Thank you Mary and Leo. I’ll definitely sign up to give it a try. Dealing with health and financial issues while trying to do what you love is a little challenging. No cost trials are very welcome.
.-= Marianne´s last blog ..The Gift of Gratitude- Revelation Occurred – Day 45 =-.
All I can share is my own experience both as a marketer and a consumer. Sales 101 states that any time two people have an interaction, whether face-to-face or via a media promotion (and the web is certainly considered media), one of those people is going to be “sold.” That means the other person is the seller. Now, smarmy marketers might believe that the person who has bought an item or a idea has lost a negotiation because that person was manipulated or otherwise convinced.
To say that marketing lacks integrity is a dangerous oversimplification. In the non-profit world where I make my living, marketing is about reaching as many people as possible with educational messages that could impact a single family, an entire community and even all of society.
There is no escaping marketing, but there is such a thing as saying no to bad marketing practices. It’s all about the motive.
Hi Mary,
Any effort we make toward selling a product is marketing. There’s nothing morally or ethically wrong with that. I’ve been in sales and marketing, in one way or another, most of my life whether I’ve been a freelance writer, a bookstore sales person, a restaurant server, or in direct sales positions such as my brief stints in real estate and retail sales.
I’m really good at selling (thinking of face-to-face situations), but I can only do it when I believe in the product I’m selling and when I’m not expected to manipulate anyone (as was the case in retail sales and real estate, in varying degrees). My approach–which I’m very comfortable with–is like this: here is the product. It’s great for A, B, and C reasons. It will solve your problem this way or it will help you reach your goal that way.
If there’s any downside of the product that I can’t reveal, I just can’t sell it. If there’s a problem with it, and if the potential buyer will turn away if he or she knows about it, or if it’s a piece of crap, then I can’t sell that product. I couldn’t possibly be in the pharmaceutical industry, for example, or the meat industry or anything I don’t believe in and when there’s so much to hide or manipulation is required to sell it.
A FaceBook friend recently asked about the A-list blogging club because he’s interested in joining. I emailed with him back and forth, and I told him all the great things about it and answered his questions. I also asked him to click on my affiliate link on my blog so I get some credit. That’s marketing, and there’s nothing wrong with it. It’s a good product, which of course I know since I’m a long-time member. And there’s nothing wrong with asking him to click on my link so I get a few bucks for the time I spent telling him about it. Why not? I believe in the product and if I’m selling it I ought to get credit. That’s just basic. The customer knocked on the door, I told him about the product and how to get it, and then the choice is up to him. If he doesn’t join, no problem; people have to make their own choices. No problem on my end either because it’s all straight-forward and straight up–good product, I think you should buy it, here’s how. I sleep well at night
Offering a free week of the Bootcamp is a great way to show people the value of the product. Getting the word out is another part of the marketing effort. It’s all up front: here’s the product, would love if you buy, here’s how. Like giving a free sample at a bakery–you like that cookie? Why not buy the whole bag? It’s marketing, sure, and you’re still selling seats in the Bootcamp, but there’s nothing wrong with that. Businesses–even if it’s a hot dog stand–and economies would not exist without it.
Manipulation or luring people in on false promises or changing terms or anything tricky or dishonest is not OK, in any endeavor, at least in my book. Integrity is good
.-= Leah McClellan´s last blog ..Living in the Now =-.
Mary,
I’m deeply inspired by the experimental approach you and Leo are trying out. I am so turned off by the “hard sell” it’s amazing that I do or buy anything. Nevertheless, I recently joined the A-List Blogger’s Club when encouraged by a friend and am immensely grateful for this wondrous fountain of information, support, and kindness. Word of mouth is powerful.
.-= Sandra Lee´s last blog ..The Perfect Doctor =-.
Hey Mary,
I’ve been a partipant on your virtual retreats and I’ve followed your blog for a while. I love the range of comments that you’ve attracted with post and I thought I would also answer your call for thoughts.
I believe there is a line between hard selling and being passionate about a service/product your offering. Being passionate feels good. It doesn’t feel like selling it feels like you are doing what you’ve been put here to do. Hard selling feels uncomfortable – it’s when the passion you started with is replaced with a need to be bigger.
Neither is right or wrong, both attract followers – at the end of the day only you and Leo can decide which experience you wish to create.
I think that you’re helping to create a better internet, and that’s something that will benefit everyone. I despise ‘launches’ and ‘pre-launches’ and all the emails that go with them. I appreciate your approach and look forward to seeing how it goes.
.-= Sherry´s last blog ..Conducting Business with Integrity – Free week of training =-.
Mary, I really admire your willingness to try new ways of doing things. It’s courageous to go for a zero launch – yet I know the bootcamp be wildly successful because who doesn’t want to write like an A-list blogger especially when it’s lead by A-list bloggers
Marketing is often one of those funny things that we need to do, but there are a million ways of doing it. As a consumer I like a zero hype marketing strategy and I’m more apt to join when I don’t feel pressured.
I am very excited for this 6 week bootcamp – and I look forward to sharing the adventure with the other participants!
.-= Aileen´s last blog ..10 Kaizen Tips For A Frugal Holiday Season =-.
I plan on joining the camp today. I’ll hella excited. See you on the forums.
I think it’s excellent. The main reason I stopped my Third Tribe Marketing was the focus on launches – and the incessant being marketed ‘at’.
Just be seeing who was in and organizing the boot camp, I could had a fair idea that it would be more integral and it feels right so far
I really want to know how to be of real value to MYSELF and others as opposed to ‘how to be valuable so I can get som mulah’.
Sorry to compare, and I hardly expect you to comment with ‘I know, we are so cool,’ but that’s how it is to me.
I wish your project and the great place it comes from all success! And please don’t dilute the focus on great blogging.
.-= Ali Dark´s last blog ..The Hardest Question – How Do I Help =-.
Marketing isn’t all spin and copy. Consider, for example, search marketing where the person is already looking for the product you sell. In a broader sense, marketing is just making people aware of the product. For you, if someone were on your site, they should be able to easily locate your workshops or books. I think it’s important to create products that consumers find valuable and present it clearly but subtlely as an option. Representing it accurately is really where the responsibility comes in; but positioning things in an appropriate “findable” location is just a good user experience. As consumers, there are all sorts of silly things we could spend our money on so you should feel good about offering a good value and presenting it clearly.
This is a great topic and great discussion. As a writer, not a marketer, it’s been challenging for me to get comfy in a marketer’s hat. I was hit upside the head with a marketing 2 x 4 when my first book came out. I wanted to sit in my cozy office with the rain pattering on the window and my dog curled by my feet and be a writer. I didn’t want to “sell books.” But if you want the cozy office-rain on windows-dog by feet experience you need to sell.
I’ve been studying marketing for five years, and I’m still a marketing toddler. I think this is because I so hate being marketed to. When someone starts talking business funnels and upsells, it sounds like fingernails screeching across a black board. I think if someone’s cramming something down my throat, it’s probably going to taste lousy.
I LOVE the idea of giving a sampler like a free first week. (Like those bites of food they give in grocery stores). If the content is great, people will spend the money on more. This method isn’t so much marketing as “revealing.” You show someone what you have and let him or her decide if it’s a fit. The emphasis is on creating quality that sells itself instead of creating a pitch that convinces someone to spend money.
So BRAVO to you, Mary and Leo, for your zero launch. I would love to see all marketing move in that direction.
Interestingly, my own experience is that allowing the audience to come to you works better than the hard sell anyway. Two of the three books I had out I really pushed with a publicity campaign. They both did okay. The third book I barely promoted at all. It sold into Wal-mart stores, which meant sales were great, and it went into 3 printings. I didn’t market anything. I just let it happen.
I think of what you’re doing as the Tao wu wei of marketing — “without doing, causing, or making.” You just let it flow.
.-= andewags´s last blog ..Yes- You Can Be Courageous =-.
I so totally agree with you. I’m new to this game, don’t even have a “product” to sell yet, just trying to get a blog established. I’ve been looking at a number of marketing and MMO “programs” and some of them make me uneasy with the SEO techniques they advocate. I wonder though if it’s possible to e successful on todays internet without walking through the mud. Perhaps your Boot Camp would help me sort it out.
.-= Allan Douglas´s last blog ..Building a Stone Fireplace =-.
I have purchased many seminars and internet application-type software from the sales pages, all raving about how cutting edge and valuable the content was going to be. But you had to purchase first to really see what you were getting for your money. Some were good; most were not so good. And there were times when I needed to request a refund. Refunds were given, but that took time for me and the internet retailer to process.
As a blogger and internet consumer I appreciate the ability to have access to programs or materials for a real first-hand experience prior to purchase. That allows me to make intelligent buying decisions. It also reduces time spent from both parties to handle dissatisfaction and refund.
I have been participating in the bootcamp this week as a member. The material and forum support are excellent. And the best part is that anyone participating in the free first week will have a great idea of the value should they choose to continue.
In a nutshell, the course speaks for itself through the free first week.
Mary you are an inspiration!
I really struggle with feeling like I need to sell but like you it doesn’t feel right for me.
Look forward to seeing the results of your experiment.
.-= jules´s last blog ..9 christmas gifts to make at home 5 ingredients a new virtual cooking class =-.
I agree with Leah. This is marketing too – and there’s nothing wrong with that. The people you are trying to reach are probably fed up with things like marketing-disguised-as-blogging/journalism (although your post could fit in this category), not to speak of banner ads etc. Which means that the zero launch policy is a rational thing to do – it gives people a free taste and contributes to word of mouth.
Love your site. Just reading it makes me happy and relaxed.