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What Does This Social Media Marketing Academy Claim To Teach Me?

Hello Aspiring Social Media Marketing Butterflies,

After explaining exactly “what I do” over and over again, I finally got tired of saying the same thing over and over again (although, questions from my awesome readers are always welcome, of course), I have decided that what we really needed here was a heartfelt explanation of the what and why surrounding the “Social Media Marketing Academy” and what we’re doing here.

First of all, understand that this is NOT a salespage style blog for an Internet marketing information product.

There’s nothing for sale here.

As of right now, and for the past several months, I have been teaching the entire contents of the course (including the upcoming “Build Your Own Web 2.0 Empire” home study course), 100% free of charge, to 6 hard-working home based Internet business builders (mostly newbies).

In keeping with my “Do Something Different” mantra, I decided to use the pre-launch phase as a peephole instead of doling out piles of hype and “take my word for it” salescopy.

This is a live case study.

These fine people are NOT in my downline or anything hokey like that (well, 1 student and possibly soon 1 more decided to join my network marketing team AFTER they were already part of the class and only because they ASKED to check into what I do, not because I promote my MLM in a training course like a slimeball.), they just responded when I posted to my blog awhile back that I was looking to give the entire course, 3 years in the making total and over a year doing it strictly web 2.0 style, to newbies who wanted a head start and were not afraid to take action.

After a bit, and in-depth interviews, I had my “Social Media Marketing Academy Founder’s Class.”

To this day, I still cannot believe how blessed I am to have these people in my circle of friends now. I only had one real issue and had to ask someone to leave the class due to unsavory practices despite repeated discussion. We won’t go into that and I wish this person no ill will.

All I hope is that this person soon realizes what he has to offer and stops doing the same things over and over that are not working at all.

The very next day, I got a phone call and it looked like the spot was filled again already. However, due to the person’s very tight schedule (he’s a New Yorker, they have less hours there than we do, really) it was not to be.

He’s so cool though, I predict he’s at least gonna get the “Web 2.0 Empire Home Study Course” in it’s entirety (IF he keeps in touch and let’s me know how he’s doing. I really took a linking to this well-spoken and extremely sensitive man. Sorry Ivan, you’ve not heard the last of me!).

As are some special subscribers as well. It will all depend on how many new subscribers, how many refer others to the forum and, when it’s open to the public, the free social networking community, and things like that.

I haven’t decided how many memberships for coaching and/or home study courses are up for grabs yet, it will depend on you all. I want to reward my subscribers for joining in the conversation, asking questions so I can better help future students, and just spreading the word that there is help out here, no strings attached.

Everything I teach, everything I stand for, and all of my own accomplishments revolve around being part of something bigger than just you or me. Do you realize, I mean actively and conciously ponder, that you literally have the ENTIRE WORLD at your fingertips! Web 2.0 made us all so much closer regardless of geography.

Don’t take it for granted and don’t ignore it. This New Media and the paradigm shift that we’re seeing is a gift. Even if you’re not a marketer, it is a gift. The key is to take off the salesperson mask and be yourself.

This is OUR TIME, all of my fellow “regular people.”

We’re all burnt out on insane scrolling salesletters that make our eyes bleed from people we will never even know a little bit. No more hiding behind graphics, fonts, and paypal/clickbank reports on webpages with too much hype and not enough of what we need.

You know what people look at first many times?

Your about page.

That’s right. They want to get their info from a real person they can connect with directly, not through some support line or email ticket.

Bill Ortell answers his calls HIMSELF. That’s classy in my book.

That’s why I felt like I should chat him up and how I ended up talking JV with such a successful guy even though I’m not well-known outside my modest (by “guru terms”), yet very awesome, friendly, and social little (yet ever-growing) following online.

I want to be that “expert” that is never too big to talk with my audience. I put content up for you guys, not for me.

What’s the fun in social media marketing without the SOCIAL?

Let’s get back to what the heck I’m teaching these people here, ok?

The difference between the 2 is that the “Social Media Marketing Academy” is a live, interactive coaching program while the “Web 2.0 Empire” series is to be simply a collection of digital information products (ebooks, videos, and recorded audios) that you download and read at your leisure.

The “Social Media Marketing Academy” requires that you actively participate (everything that I suggest you implement into your business toolbox also has a free alternative so it’s not some racket to sell other stuff) and take action with what I (and my future guest experts~no, it’s a surprise bonus, can’t tell you) teach you.

Even though right now, I have given all 6 of my students free scholarships in exchange for being part of my public case study experiment, even when I launch I really don’t want to take people’s money who aren’t going to use what I give them. It’s a waste of my time and their time.

That’s why all of my students have been thoroughly interviewed and completely informed of what is expected of them (nothing monetary, just doing what we cover!) and why one student was dismissed some time ago.

See, I only have 2 rules for participation:

  1. You do not plagiarize my course in any way. I encourage my students to talk openly about what they found useful, what results their seeing, what they hated, what they think is pointless, etc. That’s why I wanted to do a live case study (plus, we regular chumps outside of the “guru club” have to prove ourselves, especially if we don’t start out with piles of money to throw into our marketing). What I don’t want is my students participating in a webinar I have and then going to their blog and re-hashing my entire lesson plan like they just thought of it all. My students are amazing people, very real and full of integrity. Each one of them wouldn’t even dream of doing something like that, I’m sure. They understand why it’s in their own best interest to give their audience what they know they are experts in, to be who they really are and share their strengths, not someone else’s.
  2. I ask that they actively participate in the training and actually do what is assigned. The home work that I give them is for their benefit, they know this. I show them how to do exactly what I did to take my business to the next level, not a bunch of theory I read somewhere. I tracked and tweaked and tested all over the web 2.0 marketing world for over a year before I even thought of opening my mouth and uttering the words “social media marketing expert” and was doing the web 2.0 marketing thing before it was “cool.” I’m not saying that to sound neato or whatever, I’m just pointing out that this is what I did and what I still do that has produced phenominal results while costing a tiny fraction of what traditional Internet marketing experts were suggesting I do. If you go to any of the places I write or teach about, there I am.

And that is it, only 2 rules. That’s all I need because I teach them how to behave in a respectable manner in the community atmosphere of the new web. Though it may seem as though my 6 students are sort of guinea pigs, that’s not accurate.

I was the guinea pig.

I took over a year to figure out where to be, where it’s a waste of time, what to do when you’re there, how to interconnect your online reputation, and what is the cheapest, yet still effective, way for someone on a tight budget (how many newbie Internet marketing hopefuls come in with a wad of cash to throw at their business? They’re trying to start a home business because they are not happy with their current situation, usually) can begin to make profits online.

I didn’t wake up one day and say, “I think I’m going to train to be a “web 2.0 marketing expert” because it looks like it might soon be the “hot marketing strategy” of the month.” I saw that (at that time) vague, misunderstood, highly criticized at first, strange new concept called “web 2.0 marketing” as my only possible hope to actually make any money doing what I was trying to do while avoiding any further financial turmoil.

You can read about the events and people who inspired my mission at “Newbie Internet Marketers Need A Real Hero.” It goes into detail about what made me decide to try to fill these big shoes and go out and attempt to save newbie marketers.

All us average folks needed was someone to tell us the truth and teach us, in plain English that even the most tech-challenged can understand, how to get this Internet business building started and off and running in the right direction.

Well, I know I’m making a bold statement here, but I feel that I (along with several mavens in different areas that I have learned a lot from) am the one to do it.

I know, I know. Who are you Sheree? You’re just an “unknown,” and you don’t have super-sonic gurus promoting YOU to THEIR lists! How can someone like you expect to be a “newbie savior” without super-fierce-guru-mastermind JV partners all lined up in a row to talk about you?

Well guys, let me tell you…

I, my friends, am NOT a guru. I am always complaining about the lack of value in the guruiest of products. Therefore, I do not expect to have them lining up to have me tell you what they like to pull on poor newbies.

Let me just quickly explain what I mean by the term “guru” in it’s not so endearing context first. To me, a guru is NOT someone like:

  • Jack Humprey
  • The Stompernet Guys (Andy, Brad, Jerry, and whoever else is involved)
  • Rich Schefren
  • Dani Johnson
  • Mike Dillard

just to name a few. You see, these people give you more free content, without asking for anything first, than the gurus will EVER leak into their hyped up ebooks full of affiliate links.

That’s the difference, in my eyes.

The Mavens (as Rich put it so well) are the ones to see.

They have real blogs full of content, send free gifts to their lists for no reason at all, and don’t sit on a pedestal saying “I have a secret and you can have it for only $___(knowing they’re not gonna tell you squat)” while they laugh at you all the way to the bank.

The Mavens are the ones who give you useful information that you can use, right now, and see if it produces the results they claim. And to do this, you didn’t have to even get your credit card out. These are people you feel confident giving your email address to because you know you’ll get all sorts of valuable knowledge sprinkled lightly with product recommendations.

So, you see, I’m not looking for “guru” JV partners at all. If I am blessed enough (and earn my respect) to ever be mentioned by one of my mentors above (unlikely? perhaps yes, perhaps not), that would be a super awesome life changing bonus indeed, but it’s just YOU GUYS I want to be my partners.

If I’m to be a champion of the “little guy,” why would anyone care what the gurus said? It’s the little guy who I’m here to please. I just have to get you all to join in the fun, that’s my challenge.

So, let’s get to the part where I tell you the WHAT now. What exactly am I teaching here?

Don’t let the name fool you, it’s not just all web 2.0. I go through the entire process of setting up a business core (website,blog,autoresponder,lead capture system,etc.) and then go through social media marketing topics like:

  • Social networking
  • Social bookmarking
  • Video marketing
  • Blogging
  • Content marketing (Squidoo, Hub Pages, Wikis, Etc.)
  • Forum marketing
  • The coming of Mobile marketing and getting ready for the next strategy

But what makes me different than other “web 2.0 marketing experts” is that I won’t pretend that all you have to do is bomb the bookmarking sites with your links, plaster up profiles everywhere, and throw in a few videos on You Tube.

There is a lot more to it than all that and I won’t leave you to figure out what on earth you are supposed to do.

I also teach my students the “golden oldies” and core skills that anyone doing business online needs to know like:

  • Finding your niche
  • A good understanding of SEO. While I don’t claim to be an “expert” on SEO, I know more than the average person and have and always continue to learn from the best (Brad Fallen, Jerry West & Andy Jenkins are probably my favorite and most respected “mentors.”). Through 3 years of doing whatever it took to wrap my brain around this complicated subject, I feel confident explaining the fundamentals to even the most techie-challenged newbie Internet marketers out there.
  • Basic advertising strategies
  • Article marketing
  • Press releases
  • Contests
  • Creating your first product
  • Finding JV partners
  • Some basic MLM network marketing skills such as:
    • Lead generation
    • The basics of prospecting and closing
    • The fundamentals and the true power of attraction marketing
    • The importance of strong leadership within your team
    • How to minimize attrition
    • How to choose the right (and I don’t neccessarily mean MINE, in fact, I do not promote my own MLM within the course at all) network marketing opportunity and, more important, the right sponsor. Also, what makes a legitimate and LEGAL MLM opportunity.
    • The importance of balancing recruiting AND retail and how to incorporate your products subtly within your web presence.
    • The power of networking and referrals. Just because someone says no, that does not mean you should write them off.
    • The “funded proposal.” How to incorporate relevant affiliate marketing promotions into your network marketing prospecting activities to start bringing in money NOW while you build your residual income for the future.

and how to leverage them even more with social media.

Despite what some crafty marketers claim in order to make money, social media marketing is not a quick fix, it is a process.

Not only that, but it is not meant to take the place of all of the other wonderful (and most of what I teach is free since my main concern is helping those who are lost and confused but really want to create a real income for themselves online. I remember when I got started, as a single mom, I certainly wasn’t up for a big ol’ PPC campaign) strategies available to you.

Web 2.0 marketing should COMPLIMENT the things that have worked in the past and still work today.

I also teach my students how to research online.

I know, maybe you think that all you need to do is “Google something” and you have your answer. You must learn to dig deeper in order to find the truth. Not only that, but companies pay big money to be the first solution you see. I want to show you how to dig deep enough to make an educated decision because you have seen ALL the options available to you. You wouldn’t believe the things that I’ve found digging deeper that have saved me thousands of dollars over the years.

Which brings me to my DIY teaching methods.

In my 6 student case study, I asked for the least tech-savvy newbies out there. well, I got them. They were convinced that they could never learn how to even build a website or a blog! Now, each one of them has built their own hosted Wordpress blog, installed and activated the plugins, and changed the themes. All for a $9.95 domain name (per year) and $6.95/ month hosting.

I’m simply giving my students another option.

I realize that my do-it-yourself style of home business building isn’t for everyone. You may have plenty in your budget to have your website built professionally, hire an SEO, buy inbound links (a questionable practice no matter what your budget), and launch a fierce ad campaign. If that is the case, you are very blessed and I hope that all goes well for you.

But the majority of us with dreams of making it big online are just regular people. Many of us have jobs we hate and are always lacking when it comes to finances.

That’s why we want to build  a business online in the first place.

The Internet is one of the few places where someone without a business degree can build a thriving business even on a shoestring budget. But, it takes time, patience, and you must educate yourself.

I try to teach my students how to recognize and avoid falling for hyped up Internet marketing products. I got very good at spotting what’s real and what’s fluff after buying my fair share of useless ebooks, software, and services myself.

My theory is, if I can help someone succeed faster, avoid going in the wrong direction, and learn the skills they need without blowing up their brains via information overload, my job is done.

I realize that a lot of people say that if you help people, you’ll acieve success for yourself in the process. A lot of people SAY a lot of things.

I’m telling you to DO IT!

The honest to God truth about the past 3 years of my life, which has been the formative years of my full-time Internet marketing business, is that I didn’t even make my first DOLLAR until I stopped trying to “make money” and just started sharing what I had learned in my extensive research.

See, I’m one of those “green” personality types. I analyze everything to death. But, I’m also very “yellow” too, meaning I love to help people. Before my unfortunate surgery in 2005, I had just finished my Medical Assisting degree. That’s what I wanted to do for a living, help people and help doctors help people.

I never really had much in the way of material things growing up and when I was making really good money tending bar, I was horrible at managing my finances. So, I don’t have much “red” in me.

You might think that in order to be successful in business, you would have to really have a desire for the money part. Well, as it turned out, my “green” and “yellow” personality is just as effective in the business world. I found my place as a mentor.

Not just a mentor in title, but a mentor that is always there for my students and team members.

You see, it doesn’t really matter what it is that drives your personality:

  • Blue: fun
  • Red: money and material things
  • Yellow: helping others
  • Green: Learning and analyzing

or any combination of them. We all have a place. We all have something unique and valuable to bring to the table.

My mission, and I have already chosen to accept it, is to take all of that analysis I have done, and constantly continue to do (my 1st year of business online was pretty much my “schooling.” I read, listened to, and watched everything I could get my hands on and followed successful bloggers, podcasters, and vloggers. I just became a sponge for information.) and do my best to present what I have found, in a way that anyone regardless of experience or skill, can understand.

I want my audience to know that they don’t have to settle for whatever pops up at the top of the search engine results. My students learn how to dig and investigate until they are sure they have found the correct answer.

That, I believe is one of the #1 most important skills that I teach in my “Social Media Marketing Academy.”

The other skill, tied for #1, is that I teach my students how to figure out what their “specialty” will be.

Too many newbie marketers start off trying to sell Internet marketing info products before knowing anything at all about the topics they’re trying to sell.

I feel that, instead of jumping on the bandwagon of the latest “hot topic” in Internet marketing (I know what you’re thinking, “Sheree, you’re here teaching web 2.0 marketing! Didn’t YOU jump on the “hot topic bandwagon?”) My answer to you is that, no, I did not. If you read my story, you’ll see that I became an expert in social media marketing completely by accident, because I was too broke at the time when the “web 2.0 term” started popping up to ignore it) you need to think long and hard about your own strengths that you already have.

Each one of my students is thoroughly interviewed and we talk about them and figure out what their “expertise” will be. Any true business professional will tell you that there isn’t just one “golden skill” you need to be successful. A great business owner is well-rounded and knowledgeable in many things.

Your job is to take your expertise (and YES, you DO have one!) and give it to your audience to build credibility. My job is to get you to open up about yourself and I’ll help you to figure out what it is that makes you shine.

Because if you use those great strengths you already posess, your credibility is not going to become an issue. Gone are the days of having a line-up of guru blogs in your reader and trying to be one of the first to re-hash their great new content. Web surfers are much more savvy and intelligent than marketers would like to believe and if you are a fake, you will be outed at some point.

But I know that my students, my readers, and my network marketing team is filled with true entrepreneurial spirit who aren’t afraid of a little hard work and creativity.

I am absolutely baffled by aspiring online marketers who, instead of using the various strategies that they either pay to learn or take the time to research, continue to waste time on “get rich quick schemes” and signing up for oodles of “groundbreaking opportunities.”

People, there are NO quick fixes and NO magic pills out here!

As a matter of fact, if those so-called “push button money magnets” are luring you with income claims, they are in fact, breaking the law.

Why would you want to put your future in the hands of a “company” who allows these practices?

The bottom line is this…

Through my own trials and tribulations while building my business online, I have found my calling. My calling is simply to educate aspiring online business builders and empower them to have choices regarding:

  • What information they even THINK about buying
  • Who builds their online real estate (I enable my students with the skills they need to, if they choose, do it themselves to save both money and have complete creative control.
  • What sorts of business opportunities (translation: MLM network marketing) are even worth taking a look at based on what they should expect from a network marketing company as well as the potential sponsor.
  • Who they listen to. There are many famous Internet marketing gurus who, a mere year ago, were like prophets to those seeking enlightenment. The problem was (and still is) that many of these gurus make their fortunes by leaving out as much key information as possible while still sounding like experts. After all, they want you to buy the next product!

In A Nutshell?

There is an easier way and there are people here to help.