Expert or Impostor? Red Flags to look for
Authentic Marketer is a reader-supported publication. To receive new updates and support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.
✏️ ON MY MIND
Are you following credible experts or pretenders? 🕵️♂️
Recently, a colleague shared an eye-catching Linkedin carousel post packed with seemingly insightful tips.
But something caught my attention - the familiar style of the post. It seemed like I had stumbled upon quite a few of these in the past few months. 🤔
So, I decided to investigate further by checking out the creator’s website. What did I discover?
Their About page boldly claimed, "I’ve been building 6, 7, and 8-figure businesses online for the past 10 years." Yet, curiously, they omitted specific brand names, logos, or any form of testimonials.
At first, it seemed like a case of someone attempting to appear credible by posting attention-grabbing and seemingly expert content, possibly with the aim of selling an online course (you know the type, right?).
So I dug further and found:
Evidence that this person is running what appears to be a legit business and their name is tied to an acquisition by a credible brand that I’m familiar with.
They are indeed selling an online course (but not on the topic their carousel was about). On the course landing page, I found a testimonial from someone I trust 100%.
So, in this case, it seems we’re dealing with a legit expert. (They really could do a better job at establishing their credibility upfront)
I’ve been burnt before, and I care what happens to you, so here’s my warning:
In the online world, there are some people who say they know a lot, but they might not be real experts. Let's be careful and pick the ones who really know their stuff.
Do yourself a favour and take 5 or 10 mins to dig into someone’s credibility before opting into their email list or buying their stuff (your wallet will thank me for this suggestion later).
Red flags to look for
Speaking of people with credibility, the amazing marketing expert Amanda Natividad from SparkToro (whom I had the fortune of interviewing about audience research on my pod) shared the following red flags to look for when you come across posts on social media.
Source: Amanda Natividad / Linkedin
I’m curious, have you been scammed online before? Feel free to comment below (or reply to this email) and share your story.
I’m not trying to embarrass or shame you, nor do I want you to call someone out publicly (unless you want to).
I know what it feels like, so I just want people in our community to know they are not alone.
(This newsletter was drafted with the help of GPT-4 and edited by yours truly.)
🔨🧰 MARKETING TIP
👍 3 THINGS THAT CAUGHT MY ATTENTION
1/ Read: This week I bought 2 businesses by Dan Norris
Dan Norris is a serial entrepreneur, award-winning content marketer, international speaker and the author of 6 Amazon best-selling business books.
His books The 7 Day Startup, Content Machine and Compound Marketing have profoundly impacted how I approach business and marketing.
After resigning from his role as CEO of one of Australia’s fastest-growing craft beer breweries, Black Hops Brewing, it didn’t take Dan long before he was back at it again with a new business.
Last week he bought two more businesses - and this is the very entertaining story of why and how he made it happen.
2/ Watch: Magic Words: Change What You Say to Inspire and Influence Others
Magic words allow us to change minds, engage audiences, and drive action. In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart: The Podcast, Jonah Berger, author of "Magic Words: What to Say to Get Your Way," and host Matt Abrahams discuss how we can leverage their power in our own communication.
3/ Read: The untold story behind F45’s downfall
On Aug 14, Leading Australian fitness brand F45 announced an intention to voluntarily delist and deregister its securities.
F45 looked unstoppable when they went public in 2021 with a US$1.4 billion valuation – but they’ve hit the wall hard since then. This financial breakdown by Jason Andrew is fascinating.
💸 WEALTH BUILDING TIP
10 Money Habits of Self-Made Millionaires
Avoid consumer debt, especially high-interest ones.
Buy cars and keep them long-term instead of leasing.
Maintain an emergency fund (6-9 months of expenses recommended).
Save at least 20% of your income monthly - and put it towards your savings plans, emergency fund, retirement and investments.
Leverage employer benefits like retirement match, life insurance, and employee stock purchase plans.
Resist the urge to constantly upgrade and live within your means.
Minimize taxes through various plans and programs.
Create additional income streams. Such as rental properties that provide passive income.
Start early on saving up for kids to go to college. If possible, stick the money into an investment account that offers tax benefits when it’s time to withdraw. (In the US, google ‘529 plan’. Some banks like CBA in Australia offer an “education savings plan”. In the UK, it’s called a “University savings plan”)
Stay informed about your finances and seek transparent advice. Plenty of expert advisors and free online resources can help guide you. (Just steer clear of the dodgy financial gurus)
Building wealth requires discipline and consistency. Start with reducing debts and building an emergency fund, then incorporate other habits to grow assets. Discipline is key! 🌟
(Source: CNBC + a few edits by me)
🐦 COOL SOCIALS THIS WEEK
I've implemented @nathanbarry's content flywheel and it's crushing.
Upload new "public" coaching call 👉 Pin comment where creators can book their own 👉 Stripe booking notifications roll in shortly after publishing 👉 New content on auto pilot 🤩
— Justin Moore | Sponsorship Coach (@justinmooretfam)
Jul 18, 2023
Trader Joe's does $16B+ a year.
It has the highest sales per sqft among grocers ($2100), beating out Walmart, Whole Foods and even Costco.
How? By doing the opposite of "best practices" on wages, products, ads and store design.
I wrote more here:
🔧 TOOL OF THE WEEK
Recast
What if you could turn articles online that you want to read later into bite-sized audio with AI?
Well, now you can.
Here’s what the app creator shared on their Producthunt listing:
Recast’s AI app helps you “read” without reading.
🎧 Listen to any article as a short podcast
🎙️ Co-hosts explain in real dialogue
📲 Submit any article to convert
🌐 Or browse community recasts
🏃 Keep learning while on the go
⚡️ Save reading and screen time
🤔 PARTING THOUGHTS
Fate is the hand of cards we're dealt. Destiny is how we play them.
Unknown
Here’s what I wrote in a comment on a Linkedin post about Destiny vs Fate (I guess being in India has got her thinking about these things 😂):
One thing that became very apparent to me when I started my path as a seeker of truth, knowledge and spiritual enlightenment is that we operate on different levels of existence at the same time.
On the one hand, we're told to set goals, make plans, chase our dreams, and see a bigger vision for ourselves (so we're in control).
Conversely, we're told to "let go" and "just trust" that things will unfold how they're meant to.
So what should we be doing (or not doing)?!
Where I have arrived is that it's best for me not to focus too much on fate vs destiny - assuming those things are even true. What will happen will happen.
I prefer to look at what experiences I want to live, who I've been, and who I want to be moving forward. With this in mind, I can focus on improving my behaviours and the way I show up for the people and projects that matter to me.
…
What’s your take on destiny vs fate? Feel free to add your 2c here.
Wishing you a beautiful weekend.
Anfernee Chansamooth
PS. – Did you get value from this newsletter? If yes, then please:
Forward it to someone else who might find it useful too.
Consider supporting my work and becoming a paid subscriber. You’ll also unlock the premium bonuses (like the one below)
PREMIUM BONUS: 🔨🧰 MARKETING CASE STUDY + CHECKLIST
How we used a customer success story to generate sales for a bookkeeping firm
Conventional thinking is that case studies are better utilised for bottom-of-the-funnel (BOFU) content i.e. when your prospective buyer is ready to buy.
Source: Rjaglan on community.hubspot.com
In my experience, assuming that’s the only place case studies are useful is a massive mistake.
From what my clients have seen, case studies can be effective throughout all stages of your customer’s journey.
Let me share how I worked with an online accounting firm to use their customer case study at the top of the funnel.
Meet Meryl of Bean Ninjas
Back story - When I started working with Bean Ninjas in 2016, Meryl hired me to write articles for her online bookkeeping business. At the time, the business was only a year old, and they supported a variety of digital businesses using Xero (eg. coaches, consultants, bloggers, SaaS, agencies, etc.).
In 2020 I was asked to work on collecting customer success stories. One of the first stories I worked on was Bento - an “All-in-one email marketing & chat platform for online businesses.”
So I interviewed Jesse, the founder, and published this case study.
Here’s what happened next:
Just in case you missed it, within 48 hours of publishing the case study online, Jesse re-tweeted it and that led to a new client for Bean Ninjas.
Before we move forward, here’s my disclaimer:
This is NOT a typical result
Much work had been done before this campaign regarding building trust and brand recognition for the business. I’m talking about years of work on Meryl and our teams’ part.
Having said that, I’ve seen less established businesses use what I’m about to show you without all that brand-building beforehand.
Checklist: Creating TOFU Case Studies that Draw Leads
Alrighty, now that you know what happened. Here’s a breakdown of the steps we took to make it happen. I’ve written it as an easy-to-follow checklist that you and your team can work with right away.
Here’s the checklist: (visible to premium subscribers only)
Subscribe to Authentic Marketer Plus to read the rest.
Become a paying subscriber of Authentic Marketer Plus to get access to this post and other subscriber-only content.
Upgrade Translation missing: en.app.shared.conjuction.or Sign In
A subscription gets you:
Subscriber-only posts and full archive
Bonus business growth resources eg. worksheets, templates, videos, etc.
Monthly Ask Me Anything (AMA) - submit your question & I'll respond with a member-only video/audio