The Internet changes so fast sometimes, it can kind of sneak up on you.
But don't blame yourself for this one, I almost slept through it too.
Here's why we all need a big wake-up call right now...
The first time I experienced a broadband Internet connection was 1994. I was visiting a friend who had a T1 right in his office that came straight off the backbone.
His connection was so fast it smoked. It seemed like all I had to do
was think about a page and, bam, it was on the screen.
Then I went home to my pokey 14.4 k modem.
And that was a good thing. Here's why...
Slow was how the vast majority of people experienced the Internet in those days and the rule of thumb for web design was then - and it still is now: design for the majority, not the geeks.
I still agree with that, but I've just seen some brand new numbers that change everything.
What percentage of active Internet users do you think have a broadband connection these days?
30%
40%
50%
According to a "hot off the presses" market report from Nielsen/NetRating
Try 68%.
68 - freaking - percent
That's more than 2/3 of the market!
Not only that, but the growth curve is headed straight up.
Last year, there were 74.3 million broadband users in the US.
Today, without much fanfare, there are 95.5 million and in a short time, the number will be well over 100 million people - and climbing.
In contrast, just twelve years ago, there were only 3 million web users - worldwide.
So what does this mean for Internet marketers?
Just this... and its brutally simple:
#1 - People are beginning to expect a whole lot more from their Internet experience and...
#2 - If you don't give it to them...
#3 - Someone else will...
And guess what that someone will do to your business prospects?
Folks who only got involved in Internet marketing in the last four years or so may think that all this is terribly unfair.
"Just when I figured out how it works, they're changing the rules of the game..."
Well, that's the way the Internet game is. It changes. Welcome to the club.
Now here's the deal...
For some marketers, the broadband revolution is going to mean a slow, gut-wrenching, soul-twisting descent into oblivion.
For others, it's going to be the opportunity of a lifetime... because when the deck gets reshuffled anyone can end up with the winning hand.
But the good stuff is never going to happen if you're playing with last year's playbook.
The strategies that the System Seminar first presented to the world four years ago have been sliced and diced and repackaged so often by so many 'Johnny-come-lately' Internet gurus that it would take Google to keep up with them all.
It's still good stuff - don't get me wrong - but we've put it in our beginners course where it belongs.
It's 2006 now.
Nearly 100 million Americans are streaming audio and video like it was nothing. And that doesn't even count the rest of the world.
So what are you doing to prepare for the new reality?
Because if you think you can sleep on this revolution forever, I'd like to politely suggest that you're gravely mistaken.
Four years ago, when no one knew what pay-per-click even meant, the System taught a new generation of Internet marketers how to use the greatest direct marketing testing invention of all time.
Six years before that, when only a handful of people believed the Internet would ever "go commercial," my friends and I were offering the very first workshops anywhere on how to make money online.
It's 2006, and while the gurus are still serving up watered-down versions of yesterday's news, the Internet has moved on.
The gurus are responding by screaming louder, giving away cars, posing with celebrities, pounding your e-mail boxes with endless junk - but none of that's going to change the basic reality.
We're heading into a broadband world and they're stuck in dial up thinking.
You may be considering attending an Internet marketing seminar or signing up for a "mentoring" program with one of the celebrity gurus.
If you are, shop wisely.
The decision you make at this critical juncture in time may mean the difference between your success and failure.
You could find yourself investing a small fortune learning how learn to fight last year's war with last years's weapons - and lose.
Or you could prepare for the future with the ONLY Internet marketing training that has a consistent record of being way ahead of the curve.
Our upcoming System 2006 is probably going to be the most important seminar I've offered since the first System Seminar in 2002 and the first web marketing seminar ever in 1994.
Yes, the stakes really are that high - for you.
As always, we're heading towards a fast sell out. The event is over a month and half a way and 215 of the 300 available places are already gone.
Take a good look at what the System offers. Examine our faculty. Check their credentials and their public track records, not only as sharp business people, but also as real educators as well.
Take advantage of some - or all - of the brand new strategies and tactics that we've made available for free online.
The System Faculty Internet Archive
Note: This Friday, March 31, is the final deadline for the tuition payment plan.
The winners of the future are going to be in Chicago this May 19 - 21. I hope you're among them.
Great post, Ken. When you said, "You'll be amazed..." I thought the # usiung broadband would be painstaking LOW! How wrong I was!
Posted by: Emerson W | March 30, 2006 at 08:14 PM
Wow! No wonder iPods and music downloads are huge. Can you imagine downloading one billion songs, like Apple just finished doing, on a 14 baud modem? LOL.
Great point, Ken. Thanks
Scott
Posted by: Scott Paton | March 30, 2006 at 08:37 PM
I agree, Ken..
Not only is there
'Gonna Be a Rev-o-o-lu-tion'... It is here NOW and I'm glad you are the kind of visionary and leader who's willing to invest his time and resources in the 'Future Train' you'll be loading up in Chicago...Hope to see you there.
Posted by: Jim Zaccaria | March 30, 2006 at 11:21 PM
You're *so* right Ken, and we all know what this means, right? Content, Content, and even MORE CONTENT...
Posted by: David Rothwell | March 31, 2006 at 04:01 AM
Hi there one and all. I'm from the UK and the guys from the US laughed at me a year ago asking "do the UK know what broadband is?" I told them at the time "more than you guys do." I checked my stats today and oh yes, per capita, we have more broadband users in the UK than the US - I'm on 10MB and so used to having broadband, I moan about the speed!
But on a serious note Ken, thanks for this because I've been arguing for the last year that we can't let modem users dictate what we do on the web any longer becasue they're the minority. I don't know about the US, but in the UK it's actually cheaper to be on broadband than it is for dial up which is why we switched 4 years ago.
So, all you dial-up users out there go and check out how much money you could be saving by using broadband!
Good day, Trish
Posted by: Trish Jones | March 31, 2006 at 04:33 AM
We really are on the cusp of a revolution.
Typically, most people never see these things coming until it's old news.
I remember in 1994, most of the multimedia producers (CD-ROM authors) I worked with just could not see any potential value in the web.
A few years later, the BBS world which was where everyone who was online hung out was GONE. I'm mean wiped off the face of the earth. Why? Color picture and access to the world was more alluring than text-only computer bulletin boards with only a few thousand pages -and the market moved on.
What do you think video is going to do to text-only web sites?
It won't happen overnight, but now's the time to start studying your next move.
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Funny story about download times...
At the very first web marketing seminar ever, I had a speaker from the Well.com who started downloading a short exceprt from music clip as a demonstration.
She started at lunch and the clip didn't finish until the late afternoon.
That being said, when it finally played through the meeting room's sound system, we were stunned. Real music off the Internet. Wow!
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The power of content
Check this out... Powell's Books which has been online since 1994,
added blogs and podcasting to its marketing mix in November.
Results? Unique daily vistors are up from 55,000 a day to over 70,000.
It's hard for long established businesses to get big bumps like that.
Content, content, content
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Speaking of blogs, is this fun or what?
It's great to hear people's insights and experiences and be able to add new info as a story unfolds.
Ken McCarthy
Posted by: Ken McCarthy | March 31, 2006 at 06:58 AM
Hi Peter,
I removed your post.
If you want to know why, you can write me.
For others, I've got nothing against people including links to legitimate business offers in their posts (within reason.)
On the other hand, if you use this blog to post a "whiz bang" affiliate program that that features charts showing how you can make millions of dollars just by telling a few people each week, I'll remove your post, give you one warning, and ban you for life if you repeat the infraction.
Posted by: Ken McCarthy | March 31, 2006 at 10:13 AM
How did the song go?
"Video killed the radio star ...."
hmmmmm .....
Posted by: Mike_Myklin | March 31, 2006 at 12:46 PM
Mike,
That song has been running through my head a lot too.
For folks that don't know "Video Killed the Radio Star" was the first song that MTV played when they launched their network.
In fact, video didn't kill the radio star, BUT bands that got a handle on their video image thrived and those that didn't, well... bands that can't handle video don't make it to the top of the charts.
Posted by: Ken McCarthy | March 31, 2006 at 02:22 PM
Wow! 68% is a good figure. Now I don't need to worry too much of slowing down the visitors surfing my site.
My site do not have any hi-tech video, but lots of images.
I've bought some system materials from Ken a few years ago, and it's always as good as gold.
The large number of famous internet marketers attending the seminar speak for itself.
I trust Ken as much as I trust Dan Kennedy and Jay Abraham.
Posted by: Daniel | March 31, 2006 at 02:57 PM