Is Your Marketing Coach The Wizard of Oz?
“I’ve finally decided my future lies, beyond the yellow brick road”- Elton John
The classic film “The Wizard of Oz” teaches a very valuable lesson: things aren’t always what they seem. As the story goes, Dorothy and her friends are following the yellow brick road to find the Wizard, who they think can help Dorothy get back to Kansas, as well as help the Scarecrow get a brain, the Tin Man get a heart, and the Lion get some courage.
As anyone who has seen the film knows, they arrive and meet an impressive creature! Until they notice a small booth with a curtain. When they move the curtain, they see a tiny man operating a machine, pretending to be the Wizard. There is no Wizard, and all seems lost, as he is unable to grant them their wishes.
A lot of folks that are looking for digital marketing help are falling into the same trap. They are given the promise of impressive results, given to them by someone who is claiming to have experienced massive success running social media ads. But what is the reality? A simple look behind the curtain can reveal much about who you are hiring to help you run your digital marketing.
One of the first signs of trouble would be with websites. Recently, I was talking with a new potential client who had previously worked with a digital marketing coach. Out of morbid curiosity, I decided to do a little research. I FINALLY found the website this coach had (an early warning sign was having to comb through search results to find it!) When I finally did, it was enlightening. The “site” was a simple ClickFunnels page with no real information. In fact, the basic SEO wasn’t even done, so the ClickFunnels icon was still visible, and the SEO meta description read “my site.”
So, SEO isn't this coach's forte.
Another major red flag was the reviews. Not the amount of them, because frankly, it isn’t always easy to get even your BEST clients to write reviews, but the fact that 25% of the reviews were negative was not encouraging.
In further discussions with the potential client, I was told that once she had signed up and paid ($3,000 up front), she was given access to a bunch of outdated training videos, told to sign up for a bunch of services, and then implement everything on her own.
Also, she was granted access to a private Facebook group, where the confusion among clients was apparent. She showed me the group, where I was able to see what was going on. Every day, questions were posted. They were all answered with the same sort of frustrated response from the coach. It seemed like these folks were spending more time trying to get answers to these new problems, rather than running their actual business.
Another issue I spotted was the apparent lack of platform diversity. At POSH, we utilize several marketing platforms, customizing your marketing plan to fit your business. In some markets and industries (mortgage, real estate and insurance, for example) Facebook is LOADED with advertisers. The most you can hope for is “better sameness.” Most of the time, potential clients can’t distinguish between you and your competition. Diversifying your marketing plan is KEY to being successful, no matter what industry you are in.
I watched the Q & A sessions. The coach would give a rambling opening statement, then open it up for questions. The questions were all the same as the ones I had seen posted. At the end of the call, the coach asked “Anyone have any wins to share?” Crickets. This private group had about 500 members. At 3 grand each, you’re looking at someone who just made a comfortable 1 year salary, while those that paid him are treading water.
I was appalled. Sadly, this isn’t a unique story. Across nearly every industry, there are hundreds of coaches willing to take your money, promising big things and delivering absolutely nothing.
That’s why POSH Detroit doesn’t do “coaching” on advertising. Because it doesn’t work for the client.
We do the work for you. And we don’t charge exorbitant up-front fees to get started. Nor do we lock you into contracts. Everything is month-to-month. We have experts on EVERY platform. We also provide monthly status updates to our clients, providing transparency.
Pull back the curtain on your coach. Do the research. If something doesn't feel "right" most likely, it isn't.