African Americans and Internet Marketing Training

A Survival Guide for African Americans: Meeting the Challenges of Modern Technology by Implementing Internet Marketing Training

 

 

Bill White is an internationally-renowned Internet marketing guru who teaches the fundamentals of Internet marketing. A recent interview with White explores why African Americans are lagging behind in this field. He further describes several steps African Americans can take to raise the bar and survive the technological age through Internet marketing training.

Internet marketing expert Bill White uncovered some disturbing trends in African American lifestyles – particularly in regards to advanced technology in the age of the Internet.

Following are the highlights of that discussion, in which RegalMag.com played devil’s advocate:

Regal: There seems to be a divide between African Americans and other cultures in regards to the Internet and its usage.

BW: That’s true. Culturally, there’s a fear among Africans Americans in terms of technology. When one thinks of someone who might excel at Internet marketing training, from our own perspective they’re often nerdy kids, and that’s just not “cool.” Traditionally, our society looks up to the athletes and entertainers; there aren’t too many scientists, mathematicians or techies, so there’s no balance in our outlook, which often comes across as “that’s all there is,” which couldn’t be further from the truth. Look, from an economical standpoint, its modern technology – Internet marketing training – that’s going to help us survive [as a society] what’s down the pike.

Regal: Can you give us some examples?

BW: Absolutely. This country has grown from an agricultural society to an industrial one; from industrial to technological and we’re now advancing to an informational society. But African Americans, along with Hispanics, have typically remained in the service industries: cleaning and janitorial; working in steel mills or the auto industry – labor-intensive jobs – jobs that pay OK, and in some cases, quite well. The problem though is that society as a whole has shifted from those service jobs to the technological phase, and minorities in this country haven’t taken advantage of the Internet marketing training that’s out there to advance with the times.

Regal: Well, Mr. White, some could look at you and see that you’re doing exceptionally well in that field and I know there are several other African Americans in your own circle who are also excelling in the field of Internet marketing training.

BW: Yes, we do quite well. But we’re far from the norm among minorities. Think about it: just about every African American household in this country has a TV set – cable-ready. There’s likely also a video game of some sort: Nintendo, Wii, what-have-you. And the kids in those households are experts at those games. By contrast, not nearly enough of those same households contain a computer – whether for educational purposes or any other – and yet, we know that most inner city schools don’t have enough computers to teach our children what they’ll need to advance in terms of learning marketable skills on the Internet. So while some are learning keyboard strokes and those basic types of skills in the school system, there’s a whole business aspect that can only be taught through Internet marketing training. On the other hand, for those households that DO have computers, that equipment is often “off limits” to children, perhaps because it’s solely for business purposes for the adults, but the end result is the same: we’re not teaching our children the importance of learning what’s needed to advance in this information age. How many families discuss modern technology or business as a whole with their children? And it’s not just parents who fall short in this regard, but African American leaders too just aren’t stepping up to the plate.

Regal: Well, Oprah’s site is very impressive. It’s informative and educational.

BW: Yes, Oprah does great, but again, Oprah doesn’t target the African American community. Her site is all-inclusive, which isn’t to say that’s a bad thing – it’s just that Oprah’s audience doesn’t cater to the needs of African Americans exclusively. On the other hand, for those sites that do – for instance, the Tom Joyner Morning Show – that site must become more informational, educational and less entertainment-oriented in order to teach African Americans the importance of Internet marketing training. And that’s typically what’s happened in our community: we haven’t discovered the Internet as a means of making money. But we’re all over Facebook and MySpace and other social networks – sharing meaningless banter, when in fact, the opportunity to actually earn a living – a GOOD living – through Internet marketing training is highly possible and attainable.

Regal: I do understand several of your points. But…some people are satisfied with their lot in life. So what’s the harm in sticking with those “service positions” as you call them?

BW: The harm is that our survival is at stake. Robotics is taking over in several of those key “service positions.”

Regal: Robotics? Really? Aren’t you being a little melodramatic?

BW: Well you tell me: In the past 10 years entire industries have become extinct; industries that we [African Americans] were once a prominent part of. Take McDonald’s, for instance. There are some locations where you pull up to the drive-thru and give an order to a person on the opposite end who might be located in a totally different state! There are now certain locations in this country where you might NEVER come into contact with a staffer. You place an order at a kiosk and pick it up at the end of the counter. For McDonald’s it’s perfect: it cuts down costs, and there’s less human error on the side of its employees – because you’re the one who entered the information at the kiosk. So can you imagine the positions that are now obsolete by this system? Here’s another example: There’s a cleaning technology that allows you to flip a switch, which pulls all the negative particles off all the objects in its vicinity. Once airborne, you flip another switch, which attracts all those negative particles onto a specific pole – like a magnet. All the cleaning crew has to do is wipe down that pole. Think about it: How many “crew members” do you think it takes to clean that one office building? Depending on the size of the building, just one. So now you’ve reduced a cleaning staff from, say, a dozen folks to just one. And keep in mind that those “service positions” are paid hourly. So now you’re faced with even that one cleaning person’s hours drastically reduced, from 40 hours to less than 10.

Regal: OK, I’m starting to get it now.

BW: …And these are just a few examples. The US Postal Service is shutting down offices all across the country. Why? Because no one sends snail mail anymore, the majority is done electronically, which means the US government HAS to find methods that are compatible with the Internet. Factory jobs are now (mostly) robotic. Even the agricultural industry has stepped up its game. Farmers no longer milk the cows – it’s done through robotics. If we neglect to educate ourselves through Internet marketing training, we’ll be back at “square one,” doing the menial jobs that pay the bare minimal.

Regal: Okay, let’s say I’m convinced. What should be my next step?

BW: You need to get the Internet marketing training that’s going to give you a comprehensive view of not merely where we are but where we’re headed.

Regal: And where can our readers get the necessary training?

BW: Well that’s where they’ll have to do the legwork. There are TONS of Internet marketing training opportunities out there, but you have to make sure you get the RIGHT training, since the Internet is inundated with scams. There are some signs to look for, clues that will lead you to the right training resource. Here’s a good tip I give to my own students looking to further their Internet marketing training:

 

• Look for a course or a person that teaches the fundamental underlying principles of Internet marketing. A really good course will include:
  
  
  
  • How to find out what people are buying – and how to find those people;
    
  • How to find a good product to put in front of those people;
    
  • The value of building a marketing list;
    
  • How to understand marketing as well as how to successfully market;
    
  • Not focusing on one specific product or person; and finally,
    
  • …A focus on marketing of all sorts – not simply Internet marketing (amazingly enough).

BW: The Internet offers a plethora of outstanding opportunities, but it also leverages the playing field for us [African Americans] against the racism that’s becoming more prevalent in this country. Doing business over the Internet is good common sense, since the person on the other end doesn’t know whether you’re Black, young, old, rich, poor – as long as you offer the consumer a good product, they’re going to buy. It also entitles you to more tax breaks due to owning your own business. And it’s less risky than hustling t-shirts or bootlegging CDs and movies. The proper Internet marketing training can provide you with financial stability even in this tough economy.

Brown is a contributing writer for Regal Black Men’s Magazine.