Do you like ads on YouTube or social media?
Don’t hate me but I like them. I will talk about it someday later π
But I recently noticed that I was constantly shown an ad from a fake course seller. Literally on every YouTube video π€¦
Kinda someone you might know who tries to teach you to become a millionaire. That’s even more irritating! π§
I think being a digital marketer comes with a big curse.
Everyone wants to teach you online business because thatβs how targeting works in online ads π
I am so tired of fake gurus targeting me with their ads.
βI know your shady businessβ
I wish there was an option to scream at them to not target me because I am never going to get converted. They are simply wasting money on me!
But anywayβ¦ How do I know heβs a fake guru? π«€
Okay, I understand not everyone might realize that.
As a digital marketer, these tactics are known to us.
Let me show how I find such shady course sellers π
I visited his website… Click… Click… Scroll… Click… Scroll
Spent 10 minutes doing so!
There were some obvious red flags π©π©
π© Insecurity Attacks: I saw phrases like “escape your 9-5 job” or “stop being mediocre.” Such sentences are common for such sellers.
Real mentors never spread these negative vibes. They help you grow instead πͺ΄
π© Dream Selling: “Build A Business That Gives You Freedom!”, “Attend the webinar that has already created 100+ crorepatis! Join the club”. I spotted them all.
Such pitches always start at some exotic location, surrounded by a supercar and lots of fancy gadgets and luxury accessories.
Everything materialistic that they can show off – totally unrelated to what their course is about! π€·
π© Price Slashing: I saw discounts that seemed too good to be true.
Such sentences are common – This course costs Rs 50K but just for you and today, I am giving 99% discount and selling for Rs 499 only if you buy it right now within 30 minutes.
Why would anyone give away their lifeβs learnings for such a cheap price? Think π§
π© Fake Urgency: There was a permanent counter on his website telling that only a few minutes were left for a giant discount.
Most of the live webinars that you see are pre-recorded as well.
Ignore those countdown timers. They are always there β
π© Social Proof: I saw the comments section of his ad video, checked comments.
Then I checked for social media comments and reviewed videos and blogs about him online.
They were all full of abuses and complains π
π© Testimonials: I investigated those success stories shown on his website. Are they real, or just smoke and mirrors?
I picked the top 3 students who were shown in testimonials claiming that they made lakhs.
First student = His website was not working anymore.
Second student = Open for Work on LinkedIn.
Third student = seemed like an aged uncle with a decade-old business. Couldn’t find any activity. I assume his business is doing fine.
Fourth student = he himself turned into a coach. On his website, this same course seller was shown as a client. What! π
π© Seller’s Credentials: I checked if the seller has actually done any business on his own?
No. He purely runs a coaching business. Or maybe cleaned his LinkedIn profile β οΈ
π© Bonus Red Flag: If a man wears a coat or blazer – run away.
Seriously, why do they always wear coats in the sweltering heat of India? π€΅
β TODAYβS ACTION ITEM
JFYI – I never pursued any course. Neither I have any marketing degree nor I have any certification.
Doesnβt mean I wonβt recommend you. Just pick the right sources.
I prefer YouTube. Literally every topic has a dedicated playlist which is organized just like a course π
Search what you want to learn. Go in advanced filters by clicking on those 3 dots.
Select Type ο»Ώ> Playlist.
Free Courses are here on YouTube!
Learn basics from YouTube and get hands-on real-world experience on side projects.
And if you do decide to invest in courses, go for trusted brands with certificates that hold weight in the market.
β WHAT I DID THIS WEEK
This week, I finally got around to restructuring my investment strategy. It’s one of those things that was on my to-do list. Finally got it done πΈ
Spent the majority of my weekend diving deep into web design, crafting an eCommerce website for a friend π
Watched “Tamasha” movie. What a gem of a movie! It is a thought-provoking and emotionally resonant film that takes the audience on a profound journey of self-discovery βοΈ
Published 2 videos this week, and even published a LinkedIn post about the beauty of the marketing field π₯°
On the professional front, hit a milestone in AI research at the office. It’s moments like these that remind me why I love what I do. Progress, one breakthrough at a time.
Despite the productivity, I’ll admit, this week felt a bit uncontrolled, unplanned and unstructured. Sometimes that’s just how the cookie crumbles.
π AROUND THE WEB
I love Google Docs but it requires an account. Also, document just sits in my drive even if I just need it once.
No more! Stashpad is a minimal Google Docs alternative for instant team collaboration. You get aligned effortlessly without any account π
Best part? Simply type Stash.New on the browser opens it.