How To Sell Snake Oil On The Internet

TweetI love this picture… this guy is a REAL business man.  He gets up every morning and puts on his fancy clothes and heads out into the dusty street to make a living.

He is an independent salesman.  The ultimate micro business owner.  He has a product and he needs to sell it to put bread on the table for his family.

Not to be deterred by the fact that the product manufacturer back in the Big City couldn’t come up with anything more imaginative than XXX for the label, he steps up on a stump and begins hollering out his sales pitch:

“Step right up and get the most potent elixir known to mankind.  It will cure arthritis, bursitis, tonsilitis and any other “itis” you are unfortunate enough to have contracted.

For a limited time you can get a third bottle for free when you buy two bottles at the regular price.”

This is called PROMOTION.

But if this hard working salesman lived today and was pushing his magic elixir on the Internet, he would find that his promotion tactics don’t work very well.

This salesman would need to adapt or fail.  This salesman would need to learn the new ways of marketing his product.

Does He Believe In The Benefit of His Product?

To market in the Internet Era, this salesman must believe that his product will truly help his target audience.  Marketing 2.0 channels will expose the salesman as a fraud if he doesn’t actually believe in the benefit of the product.

In the new era of marketing, he will have to create valuable content that provides a benefit to those afflicted by arthritis (or any other itis).

If the salesman does not believe that there is an actual benefit to taking the elixir, he won’t be able to create authentic and believable content.

Do you believe in the benefit of your product or service?

What Does His Target Market Need?

The salesman’s target market is afflicted with arthritis.  Here are just three of the many needs they have:

1. They are curious as to whether they have arthritis or some other affliction
2. They are experiencing pain and are seeking relief from that pain.
3. They are worried about how bad the pain will get in the future

What does your target market need?

How Can The Salesman Deliver Valuable Content To Meet This Need?

It is true, assuming he believes in his product, that selling the target market his elixir will meet their needs.  After all, the snake oil cures the arthritis.

However, promoting and “hard-selling” his target market would not be the best strategy on the Internet.  In fact, giving the sales pitch he gave above would be downright unacceptable in many Marketing 2.0 channels.

The salesman could create valuable content for his target market and distribute it for free through his blog.  I know he doesn’t look like the blogging type but I hear that guys with top hats love WordPress too. 

Here are some content ideas that would attract and retain loyal snake oil customers for our beloved salesman:

To meet Need 1:

• A text blog post that lists the signs and symptoms of arthritis.
• A DVD and online video that interviews arthritis sufferers on the signs and symptoms of arthritis.

To meet Need 2:

• A text blog post that gives tips on coping with arthritis.
• An audio podcast that interviews arthritis sufferers on the best practices of coping with arthritis.

To meet Need 3:

• A text blog post that outlines the typical progression of pain associated with arthritis.
• A video or audio interview with a doctor that outlines the progression of pain associated with arthritis.

What could you create that is valuable to your target market?

If the salesman follows the Golden Rule of Internet Marketing (provide value) he will find that it is not necessary to go out into the dusty street and holler from his stump.  Arthritis sufferers will come from three counties away to buy his elixir as they trust him and appreciate his valuable expertise in the field of arthritis … not to mention they dig his top hat.