StomperNet SMARTS Coaching Program Comes To An End
We have now reached the end of the StomperNet SMARTS coaching program about social media marketing.
Boy was this tough.
There is so much to learn and the Webs 2.0 social media is such a fast developing area and there are so many options and opportunities.
Could I cope with all this on my own?
No.
You don’t have time to find, evaluate and find out the best practices (and just as importantly find out what you must not do) so I am really pleased that I made the snap decision to take the StomperNet SMARTS course.
StomperNet SMARTS Review
How was the teaching?
Excellent. You can see how much Don Crowther delights in explaining the social media marketing concepts and the videos were very clear.
Is StomperNet a fair dealing company?
Very much so. I have talked before about how they extended the bonus and the course so that people had the chance to get the most out of the StomperNet SMARTS course.
They were regularly asking for feedback and we had several catch up weeks because it was so hectic.
Was The SMARTS course fairly priced?
Yes. We got a lot for our money.
Was the SMARTS program difficult?
In terms of the volume of work I wanted to do, there is no doubt that it was very demanding. In terms of the intellectual challenge, Don Crowther built up from the basics very nicely. Perhaps a little too slowly for some but this was a very mixed talent group.
At times I thought the course was too slow, for example on Facebook I already had an account created but in other areas I was very grateful for the methodical approach.
Was the coaching group active?
There was a lot to do but the forums were active which is always a good sign of a program which engages the students. People wanted to be involved and I am sure that there would have been much more involvement if there hadn’t been so much to do.
Was the entire SMARTS course relevant?
At this stage no.
Partly this is because of limited time.
Tapping into all the social media marketing channels could keep a small department of people busy so there were some things that I have accepted I am either not going to do (e.g. MySpace where they won’t let me create an account but they are currently very strict on slapping down marketers) or not ready to do yet (e.g. video where I have been slightly overawed by the issues of video creation and production but Jeff Walker’s approach with the Product Launch Formula is certainly changing my views. There is a charm to the home produced, personality based videos that can be extremely effective with the marketing gloss of a big budget video.)
Do I feel more informed about the Social Media Opportunities?
Yes much more informed.
It is one thing to not do something because you don’t know about it and another entirely to say that you have looked at the issues, had both the opportunities and issues explained and then you’ve decided not to go ahead.
One is inaction from ignorance, the other a considered decision based on knowledge.
Now the big three questions
Did the SMARTS course increase my traffic?
This is the only negative.
Although I have been trying to drive traffic to my main business coaching blog, my traffic growth which was rising sharply from September through to January has stalled over the last three months.
Partly this is a time issue. I haven’t spent as much time creating content for my blogs as I would have done if I hadn’t signed up on the StomperNet SMARTS coaching course.
But it is now much more difficult for me to monitor my overall hits because I have content spread over the web and it all helps to grow my “Your Profit Coach” brand.
As Jay Conrad Levinson of Guerrilla Marketing fame is keen to point out, it takes repeated exposures to move many people to action.
I expect traffic to increase from the actions I have taken from the SMARTS course but it may take a few months for everything to knit together.
Has StomperNet SMARTS made me more money than it cost?
Yes.
Thanks to the SMARTS course I was able to promote one launch in particular much more effectively than I would have done through my blogs alone and I did very nicely from that thank you.
The other thing to consider is that I now have the content in place and this should continue to provide income opportunities.
Some of the success stories from other people were amazing but they may be operating in more social media friendly markets. While SMARTS coaching group is full of people who want to grow their business, I know that they have been too busy to look at other opportunities and ideas.
Knowing What I Now Know, Would I Do The StomperNet SMARTS course again?
Yes without a doubt.
It was hard work. It did take more time to go through the training content each week and to then apply that training than I expected.
But I know that the knowledge stands me in good stead, both to grow my own business coaching business through the social media but also to help clients capitalise on opportunities.
Without the SMARTS coaching, I would not have the confidence to advice clients that they should do A but ignore B based on the time issues and likely profit generation. That would have reduced my effectiveness in helping my clients to develop their businesses.
What Comes After SMARTS?
The main StomperNet program has been closed for some time but it is being re-opened for the SMARTS members who are interested in the full StomperNet service. It costs a lot at nearly $800 per month but you get a lot for your money.
I was tempted but I know that it is more suited to people who are full time Internet marketers.
There is also an ongoing SMARTS club which requires a monthly subscription to keep the social media marketing ideas moving forward. This I have joined because I still believe that the Web 2.0 and social media is very much at the beginning.
Individual sites may be flavour of month, shoot up in popularity and then fade but the social interaction is going to continue. It may become more fragmented with teens popularising one area, students another, small businesses another, each hobby may have its own key social media sites. But I believe social media is here to stay.
As I said, I have seen more than enough in the StomperNet SMARTS course to make signing up for the SMARTS club a no-brainer, even though the price is on the high side to what I expected.
I have confidence that StomperNet will over-delivery.
There is no sign that StomperNet will open its main doors again soon but I do expect SMARTS to open up again and maybe a few other specialised services.
I recommend that you sign up and get your name on the StomperNet mailing list. This is a company going places as their faculty is attracting more heavy hitters who recognise how much they gain from association with StomperNet.
Tags: Don Crowther, SMARTS Coaching, social media, StomperNet, Stompernet SMARTS