Sell Like a Human: Make Money Online Without Acting Like a Tool

Sell Like a Human: How to Make Money Online Without Acting Like a Tool

Posted on 12. Jul, 2010 by refe in STRATEGY

Help delete irritating internet marketing tactics.

Last week, Hypebot asked me to contribute a brief post for their ‘Social Media Day’ feature. You can find it here. The exercise got me thinking, and I’ve decided to expand on the topic a bit here on Creative Deconstruction.

If I were to create a poll to find out the average internet user’s feelings toward internet marketers, how many people do you think would respond positively?

… And how many of that number would be internet marketers themselves?

Next to perhaps lawyers, the internet marketer probably has the worst reputation in Western business. In may cases, this reputation is largely deserved. Like the telemarketers of old, internet marketers make it their business to interrupt peoples’ days with unsolicited messages, brazen advertisements, and questionable ideals.

It doesn’t have to be this way. You don’t have to act like a tool to make money online.

Human Beings vs. Internet Marketers

The way I see it, there are two ways to approach business online. You can sell like a human, or you can sell like an internet marketer. The question is: which are you?

What is the difference between a human being and an Internet Marketing professional? I’ve taken the liberty of creating a handy list to help shed some light on the disparity:

1. Humans have real conversations. Internet Marketers have agendas.

2. Humans are interested in helping others. Internet Marketers are interested in monetizing each and every interaction.

3. Humans are passionate about creating interesting and valuable content. Internet Marketers are passionate about SEO.

4. Humans value connections with other humans. Internet marketers value leads. (Which do you think is more valuable?)

5. Humans develop mutually beneficial relationships. Internet Marketers develop human sales funnels.

The irony is that the human activities listed above have so much more potential with regard to building a valuable – yes, even revenue generating – network of connections, supporters, customers and fans. The other activities are shallow and transparent. Very few people are fooled by these tactics anymore anyway – so is it really worth trading in your personal credibility?

How Then Shall We Sell?

Selling like a human, to other humans, is not easy. Humans are notoriously unpredictable and difficult to please. That’s why so many turn to the soulless side of internet marketing. There’s a much lower threshold to entry. It also takes much less emotional energy to manage textbook marketing activities, than it does to truly seek to add value to human relationships – whether with customers, fans, clients or other connections.

The answers to selling like a human lie in what makes us human in the first place. Human beings need to connect with one another in meaningful ways. We need to belong to a diverse community of like-minded people. Sometimes we need others to help us, other times we need to share what we have with others. We need to learn, and even at times to be entertained.

If you can help meet these needs in other people, you will be successful in business – and life, for that matter. The other side of that coin is that if you can’t figure out how to contribute to at least one of these needs you will likely struggle.

What does this have to do with you?

Like the internet marketer, modern artists are often out there on there own. There are precious few label deals to go around, and the ones going around may be a gamble, at best. So artists are left to promote themselves and their music lacking key resources and often without any kind of real training. So who do you turn to for direction?

When you’re out here on the internet, especially on social networks, pay attention to how you are going about your business. Are you interrupting peoples’ day with unsolicited messages, brazen advertisements and questionable ideals? (“Check out my MySpace page, fan me on Facebook and make sure you RETWEET!!” – What value does this add to the reader?) Or are you treating people like humans and helping to meet their needs?

People want good music, clearly, but I would even argue that people need good music. What we don’t need is to have artists trying to sell us that music by mimicking the tactics of shameless internet marketers.

Instead, take the time to think about your audience. Who are they? What do they want, and what do they need? How can you meet those needs and desires? Sometimes it’s as simple as giving them something to laugh about, or finding a way to connect like-minded people within your niche. That’s how you’re going to find an entry point into their day.

And that is how you are going to find new fans.

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Tags: blogging, business, content, internet marketing

9 Responses to “Sell Like a Human: How to Make Money Online Without Acting Like a Tool”

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12. Jul, 2010

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by David Sherbow. David Sherbow said: Great piece by @refeup "Sell Like A Human: How to Make Money Online Without Acting Like a Tool" http://bit.ly/bjtAtV – Read it !!! [...]
Greg Rollett

12. Jul, 2010

Yo Refe,

You make some good points here and I wanted to add a little being that I am an Internet Marketer and a social media head. I tend to see that there is a nice middle ground (some call it the 3rd Tribe), where you add value to your community via blog, social networks, etc and then have products that compliment them and again add value to solve a problem.

For musicians there needs to be a business model in place. Making music, buying gear, recording (real recording), duplication, distribution and marking are not cheap – so there needs to be a model in place to make money.

Real relationships will help your fans open up their wallets. I’ve seen it time and time again. But all these artists also have a call to action. They build out content with a purpose. To get fans interested in their music and their lifestyle.

I think we can all cross out the spammers in the music industry. Especially the Twitter spammers. But I think the true power is finding a mix of great content that adds real value and then having a call to action. Without telling people what to do and what to buy, we just click, click away to the next post or ADD video on the web.
- refe
  
  12. Jul, 2010
  
  Hey Greg – I’ve seen a lot of posts from you trumpeting exactly what I’m saying here, so I know you are on the right side of the issue.
  
  A call to action is vitally important – it’s the where and when that separates the wheat from the chaff in online promotion.
  
  The true power is finding a mix of great content that adds real value and then having a call to action.
  
  I agree, and I wish that this was common knowledge! I used to think that it was, because I think that in general artists have become much more savvy than a year or two ago.
  
  Unfortunately, many, many more are still missing the key point – that a call to action presented outside of either authentic communication or valuable, relevant content is just spam.
Gwyn Eira

12. Jul, 2010

Thanks so much for this… I’ve been following social media/marketing for musicians ideas for the past couple years, in an attempt to educate myself and be able to give my work (as in my art) the best chance possible to succeed. More so than money, success means to me that I’ve achieved a level of value in my work that my work actually matters to people. If I was only interested in a paycheck, I’d be better off becoming a doctor or something I suppose! That said, of course I want to be successful financially as well! Be able to work on my art and perform/share it without the constraints of a day job (yes I’m dreaming, I know!)…

… so anyway, all the inhumane (is that too harsh?!) marketing practices being taught just end up making me want to throw in the towel with the business side of things and go busk or something which is a shame, because it doesn’t HAVE to be that way, as you so aptly showed in this essay. And that is why I want to thank you, it is encouraging! There is no need for me to forsake completely the opportunities available with the internet just because there are so many bad examples out there.
- refe
  
  12. Jul, 2010
  
  There is a way to promote yourself and your music that doesn’t alienate your audience, and even adds value to their day. What that looks like depends on your target audience.
  
  OK Go makes videos. Hope & Social creates impromptu french bistros. Ingrid Michaelson posts funny, authentic updates on Twitter. Imogen Heap crowd-sourced her Grammy’s outfit. Trent Reznor offered his music for free online. The list goes on and on.
  
  So take heart! I’m not claiming that it’s easy, but you really don’t have to sell your soul to make a living! In fact, I think that if you take the time to create engaging content and develop a network of authentic connections, the return on investment will be far, far greater. It has been for me. It feels like progress is moving slowly at times, but when you start to see the fruit of your work it looks a whole lot tastier.
Kristian Jackson

12. Jul, 2010

I’ve read this article about 5 times now, my smile broadening with each successive read.

Here’s part of a comment I wrote in response to Jango radio’s request on their blog, “Tell us how you engage Social Media and Online Services.” http://bit.ly/djsb87

“The digital age enables artists to connect with their fans and to nuture and maintain that community spirit across the entire world without having to do the hard, constant touring slog, and more importantly, without having to spend millions on marketing. However, artists need to keep one thing in mind. If you wish to develop the relationship with your community, apply all the same social rules and guidelines you would in the real world. Knock on people’s doors and introduce yourself. Be open and honest about your intentions. Dress simple but classy (how cluttered is your MySpace?). Once someone has become your friend, visit/contact them regularly but not constantly (ie. don’t spam them. Esp. on Twitter) otherwise you’ll outstay your welcome (like the record company who’s tweeted me 21 times in the past 9hrs). Give people the same respect in the virtual world as the real, and your community will build, and with that, your sales. People will buy all your material (including your shameful efforts) if they believe in and trust you.”

I don’t think the efforts of Soulja Boy, Justin Bieber or the many others who spam their fans day in, day out will bear fruit in the long term. But, like many in their respective genres, it’s a drop and run, make a quick buck affair. That’s the nature of formulaic Pop. The problem is that that incessant marketing behaviour becomes a blur after a while and thereby ineffective, but is still held up as “the thing to do”. It is not an example of best practice by any means.

Social Media is an extension of your personality and so should your tweets and updates, your blog posts. Lose the pretence, the ones you really want on your fanbase can smell bullshit a mile away.

k
Kristian Jackson

12. Jul, 2010

Ok, so who wants to buy my album? Just sayin’ lol
Chris Bracco

13. Jul, 2010

Great article, Refe! No joke, as I was reading this (7:30AM), some guy called my house trying to sell me knives. He made no attempt to make any sort of human connection, he just went straight to selling. I know it wasn’t an online interruption, but still an annoying interruption of my morning.

I was so tempted to read a few quotes from this article while I had him on the phone, but instead, I just hung up on the dude in frustration. I didn’t even want to help him, that’s how annoying that approach to selling is. It sucks that a lot of internet marketers behave the same way, and since they never got “human connection training” in college, don’t understand why their sales efforts are mostly failures.

Maybe I should have bought a few knives and gave him a piece of my mind afterwards….too far?
Sell Like a Human: How to Make Money Online Without Acting Like a Tool | Nimbit.com

14. Jul, 2010

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