Note to Self: If it's Too Good to be True...
If you've been following the Elon Musk / Twitter scandal, you've probably been wondering what's the hubbub. Turns out we might be seeing the great unraveling of the "black-box" advertising theory - that companies like Google, Twitter, Facebook and others have been selling us for decades. They claim "secret formula" algorithms you can't "really know" or expect to be consistent will "promise" returns on dollars beyond your wildest dreams. Anyone who has tried to read their reports knows this isn't true. But in exchange for the sugar-high of "traffic" and "hits" and "popularity" and "influence" and maybe even some inquiries, well...
Wink, wink, nod, nod!
Many years ago I spoke at the same conference with an incredibly insightful marketing expert named Bob Hoffman. He runs a firm called the Ad Contrarian and gave a speech called "The Golden Age of Bullshit." I've attached the video of the original here for your enjoyment. (This video is from 2014.) He knew, way back then, these companies were selling vapors - or at least things didn't pass the smell test. Along the way, even clients wondered if it might be true: Search for stories of major firms halting advertising on these platforms because of "fake likes" and "bot followers" and even entire "farms of people" overseas who sit in front of hundreds of smartphones and "pretend" to be real prospects liking your and content.
As Hoffman wrote - and now Musk may be revealing:
"According to CNET [in 2013], only 38% of traffic on the web is human..... The scope of online ad fraud has been argued about for years by computer scientists, software engineers, cybersecurity analysts, advertising media specialists, and independent researchers.
On one side we have advertising and marketing trade organizations... who tell us that ad fraud is a minor problem that is being well-defended...
On the other side, we have independent researchers who tell us that ad fraud is a massive problem (recently estimated at over $60 billion) that is becoming harder to identify and is growing dangerously."
Go ahead: Check your own Instagram Followers or the last dozen "likes" on ads. Do the profiles have real photos? Do they have thousands of followers, but ZERO posts? How could that be? Of course, it's golden bullshit.
This doesn't mean that advertising doesn't work.
On the contrary, advertising is more effective, more creative and more engaging than ever. Advertising is everywhere - and most importantly - persistently in front of your eyes, from the little screen in the palm of your hand. Advertising is perfectly fine. What's not fine are the advertising "agencies" - the black-box systems and platforms like promise you millions of REAL RESULTS - hits and followers frictionlessly - without having to even create real stuff.
This is why we are told that 1-5% "returns" on social media advertising dollars is somehow "good." Because all it takes is one "success story" for the sugar high to be replenished.
Of course, if it's too good to be true, then maybe you should consider another way.
This is why I sell through direct conversations with real people.
This is why I advertise to a few people with a 1-1 message and haven't touched a template in 25 years.
This is why people who are Ninja Selling certified understand that talking TO people ABOUT people-things - family, occupation, recreation, dreams - creates far better results than responding to a dozen leads that "ding" your inbox - and never reply to your reply -
You may have been responding to a fairytale.
We are living in an age when there's a great cultural, technological and social challenge to what's REAL. We are told too often that up is down, left is right, white is black and no is yes. We doubt our smartest people, while our dumbest declare with utter certainty the most ridiculous of claims. We wake up hoping for the best from those we meet - on the street and on the screen - while we engage (unknowingly) with systems that tell us they are okay, but they are knowingly not.
Because essentially, people operate on the basis of trust. And we're generous enough to often give the benefit of the doubt.
Unknowingly even to a 'bot.
This is why I wrote this post by hand.
This is why I don't write "ads" on social media.
This is why I write my own comments and like each one at a time. This is why I don't "schedule" posts or auto-generate them from random content.
This is why it's the most REALISTIC way, in my humble opinion, to do social media.
Show up, as yourself, with your real name, and authentically do:
YOU.
At worst, if we don't connect, at least you're someone.
At best, if we do connect, I can confidently trust you're doing your authentic best - as a real person.
It's time to decide that anything with a "secret box" at the center of its existence is probably too good to be true.
It's time to pull the curtain back on the Wizards of Oz.
And get back to the business of spending time online and off - on platforms and with people we can have strong confidence are
REAL.
Enjoy the video!
#AlwaysInspiring