So watch this video blog post, put yourself in my shoes as a Generation X’er, and then read below. Most importantly: THINK!
Don Johnson represents my life: dramatic? …nah, I think not… When ole Don was in Miami Vice (1984), I was 10 years old and wore white pants and light blue sport coats in an effort to catch the eye of little Wendy Campbell, my 5th grade crush. I dreamed of sweeping her off her feet at the wheel of a 20-foot cigarette boat with white leather seats and champagne coolies on board: nothing spilled. Pegged pants were cool, Van Halen made “Jump” a grammatically correct sentence (Mr. Brodney confirmed it in class… I remember!!!), and I was learning the ropes of life, love and Little League…
Later in my life (1996), Don appeared again in Nash Bridges. This time he had the former pot smoker, Cheech Marin at his side in another crime drama where Don was “the man” driving a sporty yellow 1971 Plymouth Barracuda… he was free and single and called total strangers “Bubba” while sounding like a bad ass. I think I had a man crush…
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Ok, so let’s talk a little. Please bare with me, this is not a self-serving diatribe… it is a lesson in internet marketing…
I am a Generation X’er: I was born in the 1970s, came of age in the 1980s, graduated high school in the early 1990s and climbed the company ladder into the new millennium.
My musical tastes were formed in the disco era, transformed in the 80s British invasion coupled with hair metal, mal-nourished with the introduction of glam-wrap, and nowadays, I re-live my childhood by working out and lifting weights while listening to Linkin Park.
I am mortgaged on my second house, discontented because that is just my age, and thinking about upgrading to the next cool neighborhood, just because. My kids are now reminding me of myself and I am beginning to realize I am my father; but I have tattoos.
At work, I am moving into upper-middle management and feeling comfortable in my finances, though the economy has me worried. Speaking of the office, I am in a quandary with technology– those above me in “position” annoy me because of their supposed hate for anything “cutting edge.”
I often hear them make statements like, “Twitter; I don’t have time to learn that, I can barely figure out email.” Sometimes I want to help them understand, while other times I think, “Great jackass, I will take your job next week then and you won’t even get the email telling you to get the fuck out!”
On the other side, I have these “kids” working for me who can text message in the dark and develop farting IPhone apps that they use to play jokes on me. I wonder if they think I am indeed, “the jackass.”
I am considering retirement, but right now I am more interested in trying the next wheat beer on the market. Speaking of that, the beer sticks to my sidewalls, aka; love handles, like never before. Maybe I need to study anti-aging medicine a little…
blah blah blah
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Ok guys, here is what I want you to think about: “How, What and Why” would you market to me on the internet? How would you make money on Gen Xers like me? Do you see any niches in the description above? Do you think my feelings above are normal or not (honesty expected here). How many internet users out there are just like me? …or you?
Do you now see how to think like an internet marketer by looking at your own damn self, setting the table for you, but inviting others to dine? That’s how you make some money! In short, this is the beginning of “niche research.”
Thoughts?
My only thought is that I’m older than you are and I hate it. But I make some of my best money by trying to figure out what people are doing and thinking as well as which segments of the population are doing it. I don’t hit a homerun all the time but occasionally I guess right which makes it all worthwhile. Now I have to get back to linkbuilding.
A few things, that’s a lot of reading on a video blog. I am used to listening to your site
. Then I’ll probably make you feel older knowing that I was born in 84.
More importantly than all of that, how do I get my money out of your wife’s purse?
I think that you either give people what they want or you tell them what they need. You want an awesome wheat beer, but you also need the next cool dohickey to impress your kids. Maybe you need a better health and fitness routine to enable your obsession with high calorie beer or perhaps you need something that will help you relive the days of a simpler life.
Knowing who your target audience is half the battle. Then you know how to phrase things, what kind of pictures you should use (remember Joe Camel?). Then give them what they want or tell them what they need. Either way you are the solution to their dilemma. That is were the money is that.
Sorry for my long blurb.
Ok, that seals the deal, we are brothers from a different Mother. I’m a freakin huge Don Johnson fan and will be till I’m planted. I will watch a Miami Vice Marathon all day long and will not leave my couch even if the Swedish Bikini Team is having a car wash in my driveway. My wife has bought me the CD with all of the theme music. Call me gay, (I’m not, I don’t think) but yes, I man crush over Don. I don’t care but that is one good looking man and if I had to be stranded on a tropical isle with him or Rosie O’Donnell, I’ll take the BadAss in the white suit and pink t-shirt. Ok, let me back out of the dream where I just wasted a punk with a silver .45 and the chick in the thong is giving me the goo goo eyes besides the crystal blue mansion pool.
I turned 50 last week. I lift weights and I went mountain bike riding twice this week already. I’m active and I like tech and I like to drink beer. As far as tech goes, Twitter is starting to make me puke but that’s a different story. Inside my head, I’m not 50. I feel like I can stomp a mud hole in a lot of other 50 year olds, but I’m not that way. Besides, these ladies would go tell their husbands and I would get shot or beat up. I scream at the TV because they market 50 year olds as dumbass Dad’s who are bald and have pot bellies and an IQ of 4. Nobody can help the bald part, I might have to do the combover soon. I refuse to do business with companies that market me as an idiot and portray everyone as my superior. Market to me like Grecian Formula does. Older dudes, in shape (not fat-asses) dressed nice and turning the ladies heads. I don’t have any grey but I might go buy a bottle just in case. Make me feel cool and hip and show me a product that will help get me there. Tell me I’m the smartest guy in the room if I use this product and Julio, the illegal immigrant who is my corporate boss now fears me.
Maybe this whole internet marketing thing is getting over my head a little. I like to keep things as simple as possible.
As far as who the target audience is and how to market to them, I just use this site:
http://quantcast.com
I type in the website, and it gives me a whole bunch of info on who is buying from that site. I can know my target audience in 3 seconds. Now, I haven’t really figured out how to market to each segment other than rewording some content and having a much simpler design for the “gen-xrs”.
@therealjosh, 1984 was a great year to be born! graduated HS in ‘02 and college in ‘06 (wasted a lot of money). Now finally knowing what “real work” is and trying to get around that with the internet.
One more thought. Got to http://www.quantcast.com/amazon.com and you can see how wide a customer base amazon has. Guess what, pretty much all people (male-female,ages 18-49,with kids or without,with college or without) buy from amazon.com.
Maybe amazon associates program should be one to focus on. Now you can compare Amazon to ClickBank:
http://www.quantcast.com/clickbank.com
Hmm…interesting. Older people buy more clickbank products than young people?
Wow, Allyn, I never had occassion to think of you as a novelist, but you’ve got it in ya, Bud/(Bubba)!
Don Johnson, born Donnie Wayne Johnson, Flat Creek, Missouri, 1949. Would he still be so cool if his stage name had been Donnie-Wayne Johnson? Inquiring minds want to know.
When I think of Miami Vice, it’s music memory that comes back to me. You’re a lucky guy, Steve, if you have a CD of that!
@Palmetto
LOL, I try to write a little here and there. thanks for calling me “bubba,” that is hot! LMAO
I like all the music too. One time I went on a Carnival Cruise on one of their old ass boats and it reminded me of an episode of Miami Vice… I just felt that I had to share that with you.
@Eric, that is awesome dido the 02 and 06 graduations along with wasting a lot of money.
@Sam
yep, you nailed it. You gotta figure out who and what people are doing and then try to target the right keywords to get to them! Now go get links will ya?
@therealjosh
I like you young guys cuz you keep me on my toes. I think you are quite a bit wiser than your years, however.
And I remember Joe Camel well. I used to smoke Camel Wide Lights “back in the day” when I was playing in a band and dying my hair jet black, LOL
@steve
dude, how did I know that you were a Don Johnson fan too? ROFL
I completely agree with the dumbing down of America’s men. It is pretty sad that in every TV show and TV commercial, the dad or the dude is a bumbling idiot. I think marketing to “real men” so to speak is definitely a lost concept… sounds like an interesting thing to explore online!
@eric
I agree, simple is what you want. That is why you just need to be simply observant of people around you and you can find all kinds of niches everyday.
Hey we are both Gen X but I am the early 60s end! I hate your taste in music – haven’t heard of most of it – but there you go. I think the whole gen think is a gross oversimplification – I know 70 year olds who are better with the tech than 20 somethings. I certainly can run rings around most 10 years younger than me in terms of taking risks, quitting jobs, travelling for the sake of it, and building niche websites. On the other hand I REALLY dont get facebook so maybe thats an age thing?
Wow, a cruise! Yah, I can see you now… perfect cinemagraphic backdrop for a Miami Vice soundtrack.
Gotta love that music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGkurWAXgZs
I think the best way to market to people of your own kind is to blog about products that you have bought that you were really satisfied with and provide an affiliate link where possible. I think you did this before regarding cleaning your pool.
Even if there is no affiliate link available, simply being honest and recommending things should help build your credibility with readers.
This is what John Chow (successful blogger) does a lot of.
Then our blog posts may attract people in buying mode that are searching for product reviews. Then our enthusiastic review from the point of view of an actual owner of the product should hopefully get them pulling out their credit card and clicking on our affiliate link.
As I type this I am looking at items on my desk such as a cool watch, iPhone and headphones etc. that I could write about, then there is the HDTV behind me etc.
I was born in the 60’s and am mostly concerned with keeping healthy and generating income so I do run a weight loss blog and post about ways to make money online on forums or blog comments. I could post about stock trading too but I avoid doing that for legal reasons (offering investment advice).
Thanks for the thought provoking post!
@ andy
I really appreciate you stopping by!
I agree that pitching and talking about stuff you already own is the way to go. I actually buy stuff, review it, and then take it back to Walmart or Target LOL
My wife thinks that is hilarious.
Just what I suspected you like to sport for the un-shavin’ look just like Don!
I would think to market to you is anything to do with comfortableness but yet slick. You want things to be comfortable. Comfortable clothes, shoes, easy to use products, yet with sex appeal.
How I market to you is another question, where would I go to meet you online, I’m not sure yet, most guys like sports so maybe on a sport news site. How did I do figuring out how to market to you? LOL!!
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I too was a creation of the 70’s. I look at myself and more importantly my friends when looking for a niche to market too. GOLF is one i found and am doing quite well in. Also tecchie stuff, we all like a good gadget, this is where CPA offers come in.
Don Johnson don’t you just love him.
70’s wild child signing out
Pete
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