I read a fantastic quote this week by 17th-century educator John Amos Comenius. He wrote…
“To teach means scarcely anything more than to show how things differ from one another in their different purposes, forms, and origins. . . . Therefore, he who differentiates well – teaches well.”
So true. To really learn anything, a key ingredient is knowing and understanding the differences.
So let’s apply this to Internet Marketing, especially Social Media Marketing. There are differences between the various forms of Internet Marketing, such as SEO, PPC, Social. Within Social Media Marketing, there are differences between Facebook and Twitter, etc.
Knowing and understanding those differences enable a business owner or marketer to spend his time more wisely and efficiently. It also instills confidence so that they can work harder without looking back and wondering if they are “doing it right”.
These are some of the other differences that became apparent when Brandon and I taught our first Charlotte Social Media Marketing class last week…
The difference between the outcome you desire…
Branding
Relationship building
Advocacy
Customer relations
Engagement
Sales, etc.
The differences between…
Developing a Social Media Marketing strategy
Developing a Social Media Marketing plan
The various forms of Social Media…
Blogging
Microblogging
Bookmarking/Voting
Networking sites
etc
The various Facebook components…
Profiles
Pages
Groups
Events
The various twitter tools…
The various content you can microblog about…
The various ways of determining ROI…
…and the list goes on and on.
Brandon and I spent two days in a classroom with 8 other students. And by the end of it, after reviewing everything we taught and hearing the feedback from the various students, I feel like we now know how to teach this stuff.
The key is knowing the differences.
Differentiation is learned through practice and experience. But it is also learned through watching the reaction on faces and hearing the expressions from those that have learned from us in the past.
The same could be applied to learning most anything. Learn the differences and you’re on your way to greater understanding and wisdom (applied learning).
One of the things I love about teaching Internet marketing classes is that you meet very interesting people. In one of our last classes, I met a true expert on “Nickel Allergy Solutions”.
What’s that? (She gets asked that a lot!)
Come to find out, there is a considerable amount of people worldwide that are allergic to nickel. Typically, they do not realize it. They simply think that “cheap jewelry” makes them itch or gives them a rash.
I sincerely hope you’ll check out her site to learn more. In fact, please contact her if you think this information could be helpful to your family, friends, or coworkers.
So what happened when she attended our class?
She is just getting started with all the things she wants to do to get more attention to her site. But already she writes…
Since taking Hippo Internet Marketing’s SEO Class, our company has changed how we do business on-line. Within a month of implementing Hippo’s strategies and recommendations, our on-line sales have doubled. I am looking forward to the AdWords class and growing our sales even more.
Thanks Lea! That’s very kind of you. She also wrote…
Your class was a turn-around for me. Prior to taking your class, I didn’t think I could do ANYTHING computer related especially web and HTML stuff. I had very little confidence in myself. After taking the SEO class, I realized I didn’t need a computer science degree and there was no magic, just a formula of how to improve our rankings and site. With the help of XSitePro and Magento, we have doubled our sales and we are continuing to grow steady. And I did it!!!!
The SEO Meetup has been great for me as well. I am learning new things and meeting new people.
Thank you for the knowledge, but most important thank you for giving me confidence to do things I thought were impossible for me. It has changed my life dramatically!
Wow! Now that’s a testimonial. One worth putting on this blog!
Are you interested in getting more attention and sales on your site? Our next round of Internet marketing classes start in September.
Check out our training site and make sure you tell me the nickel allergy lady sent you!
I know I do. Although I enjoy interacting with my three other employees and talking to a few clients, most of my time is spent at the computer. I market my businesses and e-commerce sites online, I network online, I learn online.
And that’s just work. When I’m not working, I’m checking the news online, I shop online, etc. (You get the point.)
Given this, I constantly ask myself: “Am I actually getting things done?”
Is it just me? Or do you ask yourself that too? Before you answer that, imagine this…
When I was at a recent conference in Atlanta, one of the speakers asked the audience: “How much time do you actually spend each day building and growing your business? Be honest.”
(Now keep in mind that the audience was filled with hundreds of online marketers and business people. They even admitted that they tend to work 10 to 12 hours per day.)
The answer? Only about one-third said 1–2 hours or more! And only two people in the entire audience said 4 hours or more each day.
I was one of those people.
So, when I noticed that only one other person had their hand up, I was tempted to take mine down. After all, there were HUNDREDS of people in the room. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I am pretty strict with how I use my time.
So what do you think? I’d love to hear your comments below. Am I that unusual? With so many potential distractions online, how much time per day do you actually spend building and growing your business?
I really want to hear back from you about this.
(After all, I’m teaching SEO and other Internet marketing courses. If my students can barely find an hour per day to use it, I should probably be including training on how to stay focused and get things done.)
