News By Tom Brownsword

This post was originally posted on my blog on Wednesday, December 27, 2006 but was removed when I committed “blogicide” (see the first post on this blog for more information). I’ve decided to re-post it because, if you are not too late, you might be able to sign up for James Brausch’s Christmas Gift, Version 2007. I don’t know what it will be yet, but last year he gave everybody three of his software programs that, if used, would have driven lots of traffic to your website.

James asked for people who received gifts last year to comment on their experience. I posted a comment to that post, but also mentioned that I would pull out this post (which I made last Christmas) where I talk about those lame Christmas “gifts” that so many people want to give away. This post helps put James’ gift into the proper perspective.

So if you haven’t signed up, click on that first link above and FOLLOW JAMES’ INSTRUCTIONS EXACTLY. If he sends you to a download page on Christmas Day, don’t go there on December 26 and expect the page to still be there!

Without further ado, here is the original post (with a few minor proofreading edits!)…

–Tom

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Christmas Gifts And Marketing

If you are like me, your Inbox was flooded this past Monday (Christmas Day 2006) with tons of so-called Christmas gifts from every marketer and his or her brother.

What a bother.

As my online education increases and I get more experienced in Internet Marketing, it becomes easier for me to spot a marketing gimmick a mile away. One of those gimmicks (for lack of a better word) is “The Reason Why”. It’s an important part of marketing if you want to run a sale or give something away, but I’ve seen it used, abused, misused, and amused far too many times. And quite frankly, I had better things to do with my time than download 117,000 free gifts that weren’t really going to help me meet my goals this Christmas.

You see, the vast majority of marketers simply found some free membership site (most likely with a one-time offer that paid them an affiliate commission on the back-end; I don’t know because I didn’t follow the links) or a reprint rights product and gave it away as a Christmas gift, using the holiday as a “reason why”. That’s OK, and I’m certain that a lot of their customers benefited (and some of the marketers may have, too) — and if nothing else, if you took advantage of one of these gifts, then you saw the “Reason Why” principle in action.

And I guess that’s why I’ve become jaded; it’s the same stuff that most people (myself included) either try to give away as an incentive the rest of the year or is some resale rights product that you’re happy to sell for a few bucks. It’s legitimate marketing, but it’s something I see every day — so to me, it’s not much of a thrill to get these so-called “gifts” at Christmas. But remember — that’s just jaded old me talking… If you received one of these gifts and were happy with it, then be happy! I, too, was happy the first time I got those back in 2003.

Two marketers, however, stood out from the rest (along with those who really did send an appreciative “Merry Christmas / Happy Holidays” message and nothing else. Bless you!). I’d like to talk about them for just a minute.

The first was Ryan Deiss. His email “gift” was simple. Get some goals, go do them, then let him know when you are successful. I’ve dealt a bit with Ryan this past year and the one thing I admire about him — okay, TWO things — is that he is big on action and hates “time vampires” (thanks, Willie Crawford, for that one). But I believe that he genuinely does want others to succeed, and that success for others really is his ultimate goal because it makes him more successful (and he doesn’t want anything or anyone else keeping him from it). You really can become prosperous by helping others. So here’s a special thanks for your gift, Ryan.

The other one was James Brausch. When I think about it, James is a lot like Ryan — not only does he despise the “time vampires”, he simply won’t waste any time with them. He actually refunded my money once this year for a purchase because I was slow in getting to the purchase registration link! But I took my medicine and learned — a lot — thankfully (humility can be one of your best marketing tools, especially when you are learning). But like Ryan and 1,001 other marketers, he really does want to see you succeed and has put together an arsenal of tools to help you get there.

Anyway, James’ “gift” simply blew this jaded marketer away. To the people who took action and asked him to send them a Christmas card (the “action” was going to a website and filling out a form within a specified time frame), he sent a Christmas card via snail mail and email that contained a link — valid only on Christmas Day (I just checked it and the page is gone) where he gave away stuff that he sells every day. Stuff that puts a roof over his head, food on his table, and clothes on his back. There was no gimmick — it was simply a true gift that cost James a lot of cash. A special thanks goes to you and your family too, James.

So Ryan put forth a challenge, and James pretty much did the same when he gave away that/those product(s) (the “challenge” being to actually use the tools). Thanks, guys. I’d wish you continued success in the year to come, but somehow I don’t think “wishes” are necessary because you’ve already planned it…

Thanks for listening,
Tom