Learn to Do It Wrong Quickly

By: WayneSedlak


1. Archimedes and “Small Business Internet Search Marketing”

The ancient Greek mathematician/scholar, Archimedes, was a brilliant scientist. Once, King Hieron of Syracuse, his patron, queried the famous scholar about the crown he was wearing. Could Archimedes determine if it was pure gold or merely alloyed?

Archimedes was bewildered by the problem.

Of course, it wasn’t like Archimedes could just subject the valuable crown to experimentation. He couldn’t melt it, cut it, mold it, stain it… He wasn’t even allowed to touch it.

Ah, but he was allowed to “think” about it.

Thinking about it was not good enough. He knew that. Note the lesson for Small business Internet search marketing. Archimedes realized he needed to test, not guess.

But, how, pray tell?

Then it happened. One day as he stepped into his bath, it came to him. The amount of water that overflowed the bath was equal to the measure of “body weight” placed in the water. The same was true of gold … and its alloys. Gold displaced a certain amount of water. Alloys displaced differing amounts.

We’re told by contemporaries, he was so excited about his discovery that he ran through the town crying “Eureka!” (“I found it!”). He had discovered the principle of effective small business Internet search marketing …uh, no, sorry, getting ahead of myself … the principle of buoyancy.

He was so excited and eccentric, he forgot to … well… get dressed. So, everyone got what they wanted. Archimedes got his discovery. King Hieron got a new crown… and the town got their “buzz.”

2. Small business Internet search marketing? : “Learn to Do It Wrong Quickly”.

Archimedes was stuck with a classic unknown. How could he find the information needed to please (quite literally) his “market” – his patron king?

Answer: He tested.

It meant testing different amounts of metal against gold until he got it right. As he tested, he illustrated a simple axiom scientists have known for 2200 years… Learn to do it wrong, quickly.

In the world of effective Internet marketing, individuals being trained to market for their small business (Internet search marketing included) can gain immense advantage if they learn the power of this principle: “Learn to do it wrong quickly.”

Think about it. Why guess at what people are thinking, desiring, asking… or what prices they are willing to pay? Test, using small business Internet search marketing methods.

This author conducted an Internet search marketing test about 2 years ago. One keyword had over 1500 small businesses vying for a market that was only searched 27 times. Yet, they were all spending money, time and expectation attempting to position themselves in an unsustainable “market”. But, they didn’t know that.

Why?

Because they didn’t know how to test the market.

3. Small Business Internet Search Marketing: The last words of H.G. Wells…

Market testing offline (Tv, Radio, newspapers) is expensive and can take months. In contrast, there is the world of Small business Internet search marketing. Imagine, telling a business owner, who is accustomed to paying thousands of dollars for testing, that a set of tests using only online methods, cost him about $59. Granted, it isn’t the average. But, the average cost for much of what can be tested by Internet search marketing expertise…

- prices

- headline appeal

- graphics

- content write up and text

- new product introduction

- illustrative material

- ad design and content

- site design

- product appeal

- service appeal

- specials

… can be tested very inexpensively. Really, $59 is not a rarity, if you know what you are doing (in a small business Internet search marketing environment).

“Internet search marketing” is too often conducted as if all in the market is already known. That reminds me of the last words of H.G.Wells: “Go away. I’m all right.”

But, it isn’t all right.

Time and expense continue to eat out substance and profitability. Results breed cynicism for small business owners.

Or should I say a lack of results?

I can’t tell you how many small business owners tell me something like “I’ve had a website up for years. I never got a single client from it”.

So, I ask them, “What testing did you conduct telling you how to write your website and ads for your product or service?” The visible confusion – and predictable silence - is a consistent response.

The pain on their faces is almost unbearable when they find that through a judicious combination of real time online testing and marketing expertise (Internet search marketing included), their business could have been prospering for years instead of wasted, disappointing guesswork (which dominates small business Internet search marketing everywhere).

Of course, it may be too painful to admit, or simply too incredible to tolerate. So, they exercise their disbelief and vote with their feet.

Their last words to me often express something like …

“Go away. I’m all right.”

And sadly, I too often find later that their “Internet search marketing” efforts achieved the same end.

Alas, they only learned to do it… wrong.

Eureka.

Wayne Sedlak has been training small businesses for effective online positioning and is a copywriting trainer and acknowledged expert. He was the online marketer consulted by the newspaper industry concerning their Internet marketing needs (2007). Need to effectively learn to position your business online? A unique training opportunity is offered. Call 1866-735-5871. Go to: LeveragingInfluence.com.

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