I was asked recently by a friend about who I would recommend as an internet marketing teacher. So I put together this list of internet business education resources to share with her and anybody else that wants to know where to start.
There is no shortage of “Gurus” selling courses on how to make money on the internet. The vast majority of this stuff is just “teaching” you how teach other people how to make money on the internet. It’s mostly just a big disorganized multi-level marketing scheme!
Trust your gut feeling. If your BS detector starts to go off then I would seriously question spending a big wad of money. And go slow in making relationships with teachers, one of the standard techniques on internet marketing ( and any marketing really) is to create a sense of urgency. The world’s not going to end if you take your time to get familiar with someone before handing over your money. However, truth be told …
You must find your own way!
Read everything you can get your hands on. There is a first class education on just about any topic, including business and marketing, available at your public library. Funny, because I am sitting in a Borders bookstore as I write this list.
That said, here are some voices on the internet that I trust. These are people that I think you would get value from if you were to consume and act on the information they provide.
Ken McCarthy – www.kenmccarthy.com – Ken McCarthy has being teaching online marketing and business for nearly 20 years. What he teaches is rooted in classic direct response marketing.
Sean D’Souza - www.psychotactics.com – D’Souza teaches business skills using studies of how our brains works. Both from a buyers standpoint and from your standpoint. He gives away a lot of actionable free content.
Dan Miller – www.48days.com Dan Miller is more of a personal entrepreneurship guy than an internet business educator. He encourages and educates you on finding meaningful work, whether it’s your own business or working for others.
Howie Jacobson www.askhowie.com – it’s interesting how many quality business/marketing educators are from the field of psychology. Howie is best known as an Ad Words man. His content is easy to access, in the form of the Ad Words For Dummies book that he wrote.
www.copyblogger.com – a great resource for learning copywriting skills.
Book Recommendations – in no particular order
“How To Make A Living Without A Job” by Barbara Winter, personal and business growth.
“Scientific Advertising” – by Claude Hopkins – advertising and salesmanship.
“How To Be Rich” – J. Paul Getty – note: it’s titled “how to BE rich” not “how to get rich”, big difference.
“Don’t Make Me Think” – Steve Krug – important information on web usability. Applicable offline too.
“Real Success Without A Real Job” – by Ernie Zelinsky – personal entrepreneurship.
“No More Mondays” – Dan Miller
You should always be reading and putting new information in your head. You can’t find your way in business and entrepreneurship without having information to think about and act upon. Reading is the best way to get new information. Like any acquired skill, internet business education comes down to reading, studying, and practicing.
P.S. Why isn’t Seth Godin on this list? Good question! Read, and then re-read Seth Godin.