Debunking Internet Marketing Ballyhoo

Ballyhoo comprises a good deal of the Internet Marketing world. Which means if you don’t want to get taken for a ride you need to learn to think critically. I recommend critical thinking in terms of web copy, but the same could apply to almost any other product or service out here in the ether. It’s not an all or nothing world. Teh most successful sales messages and information portals leverage a few models- could be text, video, a social media platform, design, etc.

Recent Ballyhoo Sighting

I wondered what the fall-out might be from a claim made–by some “guru” marketers– a few weeks ago…their proclamation that long-form sales web copy is dead as a doornail. Why make such a claim?  A new gang-bang sales launch, of course! The strategy? Strike fear into the hearts of marketers everywhere by selling them a load of ballyhoo about how their businesses will fail if they don’t ditch sales copy.

John Carlton ripped those naysayers a new one a few days ago in a smoking blog post. Of course his appropos blessing out dovetails nicely with one of his own products. I’m not endorsing, but I do believe his blog post is notable. Here’s a teaser:

There is a trend now among some info-marketers of insisting that you can “sell without selling”.

This is an excellent sales tactic.  Vast mobs of rookie marketers crave this kind of soothing message.  They fear the sales process, and want to hear that they can skip any act even remotely associated with gnarly, unsightly salesmanship.

And so, this is the exact message that is floated by info-marketers eager for the quick kill.  You don’t need to know how to write, and you don’t need to understand anything about selling.

And it’s bullshit. (John Carlton)

What’s ironic is that while many sales pitches claim “fastest, longest, biggest, purest, strongest, richest, shiniest, quickest…most fantasmagoric!, etc. there may be found just as much power in admitting yours (whatever it may be) is NOT an  _____-est ( fastest, or strongest or weirdest), instead it’s…[fill in the blank].