Have you ever noticed how when you give someone advice – advice that works that is – that you immediately establish yourself as an authority in their mind?
Then, have you played with this power and come to realize that once someone sees you as a reputable authority in a certain area of expertise, they will much more likely follow you into whatever you suggest is good for them?
This psychological factor to conform to, follow, and obey authority is built into every human being, even YOU!
For example, ever notice how blindly the Internet marketing community will follow the established Internet marketing authorities of our day? This is due to the psychological tendency of every human being to follow the authorities. After all, these people are at the top, they know what their doing, they give the right advice and people respect them for it.
Although you may think you are not in the position to utilize this psychological marketing tactic, you actually are. At any given time you can use this tactic, on a smaller scale, and establish yourself as an authority in a given subject and use that authority to guide people into whatever you wish.
This skill is not easy to master and it takes a good balancing act to perfect, but it can be used with great success.
First, you must be sure that you do actually
KNOW what you are talking about in whatever subject matter you decide to give others advice on. After all, if your advice is bad and doesn’t help anyone, you will not establish yourself as a reputable authority.
If you do know your stuff and can give good advice within a particular subject matter, you will be able to quickly establish yourself as an authority in that subject and therefore gain the credibility and trust needed to have the power to suggest what you wish to your followers (such as a product or service that would be good for them) and they will be much more likely to listen to your advice and purchase what you suggest.
You may be thinking, “How can I utilize this tactic for my success in the real world?”
There are several real world options for this and they include applying this concept to our copywriting, ezine publishing (which is talked about elsewhere in this course) and also newsgroup advertising.
What is a newsgroup?
A newsgroup is an online discussion forum focused on a particular subject area. They allow people to post questions, comments, news, etc. and respond to each others posts in order to discuss various topics. You may have visited a newsgroup before. Maybe you’ve been on an Internet marketing discussion forum to read the posts and learn more about this area.
A newbie to Internet marketing might go on an Internet marketing focused discussion forum and post questions he has about this subject. Once others post questions, it is now your time to begin your marketing strategy. If you understand how to answer their question, you can answer them and give them the advice they need.
Once you have given this great advice, this person will begin to respect you and see you as an authority. Or you may begin discussion by making comments or suggestions or posting a guide about a particular area of Internet marketing for example. Then, as others read this information and find it useful, you will again establish yourself as an authority in their mind.
The concept here is simple. Hang out in these newsgroup discussion forums, post questions, answer questions, and post guides and advice, and just plain make yourself known as an authority in your subject area.
Well then, how are we supposed to best market to these people without being too blatant about it and being accused of spam?
As you will find out when you begin hanging out in newsgroup discussion forums, spam is not usually tolerated. By spam I mean members of the forum who post blatant advertisements, especially when not accompanying the ad with advice or something useful for the forum members. Not only will you get kicked out by spamming, but you will also ruin any chance you may have had at establishing yourself as an authority.
The only option then is to think creatively and manage to work your advertising messages into your posting activities. If by answering someone’s question or giving certain advice, the NoBSzone opportunity fits with what you are saying and you can suggest they check it out without sounding too obvious about promoting it, then you will not get accused of spam or lose your authority.
In addition to this, it is usually acceptable to include a short description about yourself or your company and include a link to your advertised product, service, or opportunity as part of your signature at the bottom of your post. This is same concept as adding an advertisement to your personal email signature (which by the way is a very effective way to advertise).
When working your ad into your post or adding a short ad with your signature at the end of your post, be absolutely sure to use creative copywriting tactics to ensure the maximum response rate. Read up on the copywriting courses NoBSzone has released and learn how to write so that you ignite your reader’s curiosity, take control of his senses, and leave him with no choice but to check out your offer.
Last of all; please be careful with what you say and how you present yourself at all times on these newsgroups. It will take you much longer to work yourself back into a reputable authority figure position after saying the wrong thing than it does to get into that position in the first place.
Finally, have fun and don’t let the authority idea get to your head!
