• In my last blog post, I talked with you about how the live 24 hour Ustream video broadcast played a MAJOR part in the success of our GPS Coaching Program launch.

    In fact, it almost overshadowed everything else–to the point where we had to scramble to make some last-minute tactical changes to the launch sequence.

    The video broadcast was bigger than any of us had ever imagined. I even suggested that you put one together to promote your own business, and several of you chimed in to say you were planning to do exactly that.

    Well, as it always goes in this business, what was once groundbreaking has now become the norm…

    Because in the past several weeks, I’ve seen a number of marketers announcing their own Ustream broadcasts.

    They’re seeing the tremendous potential to reach thousands of viewers at once. And they realize how easily it can be done (not to mention the fact that it’s FREE).

    So these action-takers are running full speed ahead. And it only goes to prove the point I was making with Silver Bullet #6 inside "The Uncertainty Syndrome: Entrepreneur’s Emergency".

    You remember that one, right? (waiting while everyone scrambles for their copy) Okay, I’ll let you off the hook…

    Silver Bullet #6 talked about embracing the awesome power of social psychological marketing. And the Ustream broadcast portrayed this perfectly in several aspects…

    • First of all, it brought people together in an entirely new and different way. Not only was everyone watching the screen, they were submitting questions and making comments in real time.

      Some of those comments were funny, some rude, some outrageous, and some completely inappropriate. But the very fact that you could instantly talk with a thousand other people about something that was happening RIGHT NOW was truly remarkable…and more than a little frightening.

      Because if a few of you didn’t like what I was saying, you could respond with negative comments. Which might have led to a few more jumping in. Then a few more. And before you know it, we might have had a virtual Rich Schefren hate-fest going on.

      But in the same respect, it could go the complete opposite direction. All it takes is a few people to become raving fans, and others will follow. This turns into a mass of die-hard believers who will eat up any word you say. And before you can say Barack Obama, you’ve achieved maven status in your market.

      (Not to say I’m an Obama fan, but social marketing has played a MAJOR part in his lightning fast rise to prominence…and very well may get him elected President).

    • Secondly. the live 24-hour Q and A broke new ground by offering a different way to market. Yes, there had been similar broadcasts, but never for an entire day straight. And never without pitching a high end product.

      We wanted to make this very simple and straightforward. So we opened our offices (and our lives) to the world while answering some questions and directing viewers to download a free report.

      But as the word got out to what I was doing, it spread throughout the IM world and brought thousands of curious visitors our way. And once they got there and saw all the others chatting inside, they felt like they were a part of the group.

      So this was social marketing in its purest form–pulling thousands together to create an event that generated a monster buzz that pulled EVEN MORE thousands into the group.

    • Finally, the broadcast spawned a legion of followers in my footsteps–much like the original manifesto did.

      When the Manifesto hit the web and became an overnight sensation, we were suddenly inundated with a tidal wave of "manifestos" from every conceivable angle and niche.

      Copywriting. Traffic generation. Blogging. Email marketing, You name it–somebody wrote it. A few of them even blatantly ripped off my design, making only minor changes before publishing it as their own.

      So we knew we were onto something big. And we got that very same feeling after signing off from the broadcast.

    So what should you takeaway from this?

    Simple–take full advantage of the social marketing landscape and the opportunities it presents you. And don’t be afraid to try something new, something different.

    For example, when I was pondering the manifesto idea, more than one prominent marketer told me I was out of my mind for handing out all that powerful info for free.

    "Are you CRAZY, Rich?, they cried. "You can get 97 bucks for this easy–if not more!"

    But I had a revolutionary idea: Give it away, build a following of die-hard believers, then market to those people.

    And guess what? It worked out pretty darn well. But it didn’t happen with just one person. Or two. Or even two thousand.

    It happened with ALL those people telling ALL their friends how much they dug the report. And they told theirs. And so on. And so on.

    In other words, social marketing gave my manifesto life….and that life has changed me and my business forever.

    Same deal with the 24 hour Ustream video. When somebody threw it out there on a pre-launch brainstorming call, I heard more than a little chuckling. In fact, somebody began comparing me to Jerry Lewis and his telethon.

    But the more we fleshed it out, the more potential we saw this thing having. And the more we started loving the idea…

    Next thing you know, we’ve got 27,000 people logging on to watch me barrel through 26 hours of non-stop Q and A. And they gobbled up every minute of it.

    See what I mean?

    And what’s really cool about all this is we’re not stopping there…

    Right now, we’re testing some new, breakthrough technologies inside our GPS coaching program. And the initial reports are all thumbs up!

    Soon, the word will get out and social marketing will kick in once again. And just like that, everyone will be using this stuff to help establish their name and grow their businesses.

    Kind of like a content-rich free report. Or a 24 hour online broadcast. ;)

    So tap into what’s at your disposal and pump it for all its worth. Because Silver Bullet #6 may just lead you to a GOLD MINE.

    To Higher Profits,

    Rich

    P.S. How’s social marketing working for you? Are you experiencing some mind-blowing results? Or do you find yourself still struggling with Constraint #6–following the same outdated marketing tactics?

    Let me know in the comments section below. I’d love to hear your story.

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