Who's Hurting? ...as a Marketing Strategy

Right now, in December of 2020, in Rhode Island where I live, we just entered a two-week shutdown due to Covid 19.  Our hospitals are full and just down the street, they have opened a facility to house more Covid patients, the first 7 were today - in a barracks-style warehouse.  These people are sick, however, there are many more people who are hurting due to job loss, financial strain, and even hunger.

There is a world of hurt.  Restaurants are closing.  Servers and cooks have been laid off.  Just about every night on the news there is a new story with a restaurant owner talking about how they are struggling to keep their heads above water and make it through these dark times.

We can help.  We can propose an alternative that may have not been considered.  This can be done locally.  It can be done nationally.

A few weeks ago, Disney laid off thousands.  Can you go on LinkedIn and do a search for people who worked at Disney and are "looking for" or "seeking" new work?

Winter is coming.  In the northern climates, landscapers are all going to be laid off in a few weeks.

You get the idea.  Google "companies that are laying off employees due to coronavirus"  or simply see this list.  You will find many more resources like this.  Go LinkedIn and connect.

Musicians who play venues are not working.

The airline industry has been cut way back.

The bottom line here is this (depending on who you are listening to):  over the past 9 months, millions and millions of people have been laid off.  For many of these, their benefits have, or are about to run out.

All of this is made even more relevant if you have some direct experience with any of these.  See my post on Affinity Affiliate Marketing for a frame of reference on this.

Again, we can help.  See it as a noble mission, because it is.  We can help by educating people that building a group of interdependent people who share the same skills and competencies as a very viable and real way to create income.

One last time.  We can help.

Affinity Affiliate Marketing

When I was in college, my undergrad degree was in Human Communication.  Many people in this field go on to be Counselors.  A word I learned was 'homophily".  It means perceived similarity.  For instance, in general, tall, skinny people will be most likely to be attracted to tall skinny people.  People of similar socioeconomic backgrounds tend to be drawn to each other... people who play tennis...  have read the same books...  Any perceived similarities are predictors of attraction.

So, what does this have to do with Affinity Affiliate Marketing?  The question is, "To whom are you
homophilous?"  Aka, who do you have something in common with?  For example, I have had my Life and Health Insurance Licenses twice in my life. I can disclose this and "fully" empathize with people who are struggling to sell these insurance products.  In this industry, there are as many people "starving out" as coming into the industry with wide eyes and eager optimism. But for those struggling, we have something in common, which is a point of "affinity" and I can relate to their pain.

As a retiree, my first part-time job was at Lowe's.  I learned a lot about their organization and the values that drive their decision-making.  There are Lowe's Groups on FB where I can reach out to people and share my experience and (eventually) ask if "they are open to having a look"...  I can go into any Lowe's and talk to anyone about their jobs and their frustrations...

Another example.  I worked in Higher Education for a good portion of my career.  I can relate to the College Community "ethos".  I understand students.  I "get" how Adjunct Faculty get screwed.  I appreciate how Universities are more corporations than schools.  I can talk to people about all of these things.

More examples without explanations:  I grew up in the Lutheran Church.  I was an Ocean Lifeguard for 14 years.  I have sold windows and patio rooms in-home to homeowners.  I managed large Custodial Groups.  Then, there is all of my online experience in blogging, creating funnels, and autoresponder campaigns...

THE QUESTION IS:  What have you done in your life that is the basis of some level of homophily, affinity, or attraction?  "Who" do you have "what" in common with?  Once you have this defined for yourself, make a plan to get "what you have" in front of them... PRECEDED BY BUILDING AFFINITY for you around your common frame of reference.

The assumption here is that you have an Affiliate Offer to propose.  As such, this is Affinity Affiliate Marketing.

Hope it helps.

On Being a Digital Franchise Broker

To get to the definition of a Digital Franchise Broker (DFB) let's start with the word Broker.  Everyone understands what Stock Brokers do. They evaluate and recommend stocks and establish relationships with clients to manage a portfolio of "paper" assets based on the performance and value of corporations or commodities.  

Stock Brokers need to be licensed and certified by the Securities Industry to transact business.  You may have heard of all the tests:  the Securities Industry Essentials (SIE), then on to Series 7, Series 66... there are many, many more credentials that people need to test (and pay) for - to become certified in different areas of expertise.  Ultimately, when credentialed and making money, a portion of their earnings are funneled up-the-organization (or) these profits are 'baked in" based on their commission structure.

Insurance and Real Estate Brokers are much the same.  They too have tests and certifications to pay for - and need to pass.  However, typically Brokers recruit agents who work under them. Agents contribute a portion of their earnings to the Broker for the privilege of their affiliation with an established agency.  (This is over-simplified simply to make a point:  whether Stock, Real Estate, or Insurance, each has a tiered structure, and the "organization" shares in the profits.)

What we do in marketing Digital Franchises is essentially the same.  We are a part of a larger "decentralized" organizational structure.  And, like these other kinds of Brokers, we curate, recommend, and support products.  Our products are digital in the Internet Marketing and eLearning spaces.  Ultimately, we teach people to develop a portfolio of online businesses, recommend them to potential clients, and establish a relationship that teaches how to replicate this process; thus, creating a network of shared skills and competencies that pertain to all Brokers.

Now, taking this one step deeper, there are literally hundreds (if not thousands) of Marketing Tools and eLearning platforms that have an Affiliate Program attached.  Each has all of the same dynamics as a franchise. These mini-franchises (each) inherently represent a money-earning opportunity with some form of financial leverage component as a part of "how the money works".  You buy into a business that has established systems, no different than McDonald's or a National Gym Chain...  as a DFB, you purchase the rights to operate on  "platforms" on which you market their product or service.

Our role is to pick winners and losers and recommend winners based on the justification of cost, ease of implementation, a program's ownership (and history in the industry).  Then there are variables like the mechanics of the compensation plan, the level of support the community provides (and) whether the business has a long-term vision that will keep it in business for years to come.

Obviously, there are many more important things that can be run through the wringer when digging around and doing due diligence.  However, these would all be near the top of the list.

At the end of the day, as a Digital Franchise Broker, we choose and recommend platforms to become affiliated with based on these criteria mentioned.  There are no $250 tests that you need to pass.  Then if you fail, take it again (and again) for $250 until you do pass... even to get started in the business.  There are, however, fees to get started as a Digital Franchise Broker.

Compared to conventional Brokerages as described here, the path to profitability is greatly accelerated and you are "the boss" from Day 1 with "soft" accountability from your mentor... (meaning) if you do not perform, you do not lose your gig.  Let me say, however, that effective organizations have factored-in accountability and business metrics that serve as guideposts for success (but I digress).

Education as a DFB is inherently On-The-Job training through direct mentorship and community support.  The "cost" is only your Affiliate License Fee in addition to whatever financial leverage components there are in different platforms' compensation plans.

Your job is to find people to whom this makes sense.  You can market individual programs with no bigger vision than a quick buck or you can lay out a proposed course of action, simply beginning with an introductory program/platform... then build a portfolio of businesses that will appeal to different kinds of buyers and/or business partners.  Out of this pool of people, some will self-select and see the big picture and "Go Pro".  Many will not, but they will have benefitted from being exposed to one of the fastest and (easier?) ways to earn extra income in existence today.

Make sense?  Let's go!