List Building Superstars - June 21, 2007 Teleseminar.

Ross Goldberg -
Web 2.0 List-building Secrets Revealed.

June was a big month at Gajapati Subudhi's List Building Superstars (LBS). Numerous success stories were told, and savvy note takers feasted on a potpourri of expertise.

On this call, Ross Goldberg, a relative newcomer to Internet Marketing (2 years), shared his personal insights and experiences. Goldberg is quickly establishing himself as a Web 2.0 expert with impressive, start-of the-art techniques and income-oriented learning. For six consecutive months, Goldberg has created two products monthly to claim $400k in his first year online.

Significant health issues have not derailed Ross Goldberg's Internet dreams. Endless 14-18 hour days spent researching the Internet have made him a pioneer in social bookmarking techniques. Goldberg's Web 2.0 strategy builds on personal experience acquired with several Internet marketing staples:

- eBay selling techniques
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Traffic generation


Making Money Early and Often.

To earn money quickly, Ross Goldberg stresses three factors:

1. Personal accountability. Don't make excuses for yourself! Everyone fails, but how you deal with failure is what determines your business success.

2. A magnetic personality.

3. Genuine curiosity about how things work that develops into expertise over time.


What is Web 2.0 Anyway?

Web 2.0 was a term first used and popularized in 2003-04 by O'Reilly Media, and refers to an emerging generation of web-based communities and hosted services (web logs, social bookmarking sites, online audio & video repositories, social network marketing sites, etc.) that encourage greater collaboration and sharing amongst users. Unlike Web 1.0, which is characterized by command-driven content, Web 2.0 ushers in the era of user-created content.


How Web 2.0 Affects List-Building.

Web 2.0's implications for list-building are deemed positive by Ross Goldberg. The purpose of your online sales funnel may remain the same (i.e. grab customers' attention, entice them to join and stay on list, make purchases) but newer techniques will improve its flow and management.

Whereas Web 1.0 list building essentially came down to squeeze pages and e-mail relationship marketing, Web 2.0 offers a variety of tools that broaden a list builder's reach. Google, MySpace, YouTube, and Squidoo are at the forefront of an Internet business revolution that encourages immediate user interactivity. Increasingly accessible audiovisual technology allows marketers to connect at a deeper level with prospects. For example, there is a way to put your links on other people's videos! All of which makes it easier to ask the almighty question:

"What do you want to buy from me?"

Work Habits to Live by.

With traffic generation and SEO expertise becoming increasingly commonplace, Ross has dedicated himself to becoming the Web 2.0 expert that newcomers and marketing "gurus" alike can turn to. To that end, he has adjusted his work habits to account for Fibromyalgia and a chronically poor memory. For example, Goldberg takes notes directly on his PC. He plays games on his XBox when caught in a marketing "fog", and chooses to advance multiple projects simultaneously. For the rest of us, though, he strongly recommends focusing on one project at a time until it is finished - or dead.


Ross' Three Web 2.0 List-Building Strategies.

Ross Goldberg shared his preferred online tactics and vision to achieve profitable ends.

1. Internet Video: The best way to get targeted customers into your sales funnel without resorting to bonuses or freebies. The video presentation should speak for itself and attract subscribers who will value your e-mail correspondence. A responsive list that will be receptive to surveys and other forms of interaction.

2. Social Networking: The best alternative to face-to-face communication. Get involved in select forums, niche discussion groups. Long-term strategy that positions you as an expert. Use tagging and bookmarking techniques to become more viral.

3. Blogging: Deal with and write about real issues. Boring, diary-like musings are a waste of time and bandwidth! Quality content shows that you are a real person and serious about your niche.


Final (but Essential) Words of Advice.

- Treat your Web 2.0 activity like a business.
- Be selective about partnerships and alliances, because there are a lot of fake "experts" online. Carry out research and due diligence into prospective business partners, and protect yourself with copyrights and written contracts.
- Schedule each day according to your priorities and capabilities.
- Your favorite traffic generation method plus Web 2.0 branding will build your list. "Ethically" replicate the list-building habits and tactics of successful competitors, then provide top-quality, unique content for subscribers.
- Use people around you to push yourself towards your goal, your success.

Conclusion.

Ross Goldberg is a prime example of playing to your strengths and knowing how to compensate for actual weaknesses. He is at the forefront of profitable Web 2.0 marketing, because he had the vision and drive to pursue it. Whether or not Web 2.0 "humanizes" the Internet paradigm is the Information Age debate of the decade. For now, all interested parties can at least agree that profound change is upon us.

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Rahul Majumdar is a full-time information marketer specializing in teleseminar reporting, article marketing, and information product creation.