Podcasts Business Ray Edwards Show An Interview With Ken McCarthy

An Interview With Ken McCarthy

Published: Jan. 22, 2018, 11 a.m.

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Today\\u2019s podcast is a lesson in the history of marketing online. I believe there is great value in knowing the history of our industry.

Most of you in direct response internet marketing may not know we owe our careers to Ken McCarthy. Time Magazine credits Ken McCarthy with originating the idea of using click-through rates as the key metric of website performance.\\xa0

In the early 1990s, as the owner of a direct response company, Ken saw the potential of direct marketing on the internet even as software CEOs, internet enthusiasts, and advertising executives all failed to grasp the power of commercializing the internet.

In 1994, Ken organized and sponsored the first conference ever held on the commercial applications of the World Wide Web. Marc Andreessen, co-author of Mosaic and co-founder of Netscape was one of the twelve attendees of this world changing conference.

Ken\\u2019s early internet marketing experiments included email advertising, contributions to development of the banner ad, pay-per-click advertising and internet video.

Ken\\u2019s success was built on anticipating changes in the internet during the Golden Age of Innovation. A true visionary, he shares his fascinating insider\'s stories from the early years of the World Wide Web.

Click here to download or listen to this episode now.

Feature Presentation: \\u201cAn Interview With Ken McCarthy\\u201d

Here are some snippets from our conversation:

  • 1994-2011 Systemseminar.com \\u2013 How learning from cutting-edge direct response pioneers will benefit your business. 42:00
  • The internet turned content on its head \\u2013 Understanding the difference between print and the internet and how it shaped the world. 43:00
  • An early discovery that still impacts direct response marketing today \\u2013\\xa0 How Ken McCarthy realized the unexpected power in giving.\\xa0 44:00
  • Give away foundational material for free \\u2013 How pre-system lessons shaped our industry. 45:00
  • Split testing \\u2013 Embracing this one practice changed an early web designer\'s approach. 46:20
  • So many System Seminar firsts \\u2013 Why we owe homage to Ken (the first to use email for marketing, create sequential autoresponders, develop push-button audio, and integrate video advertising on the web). 48:00
  • Being cutting edge \\u2013 How anticipating what was coming on the Internet was foundational to Ken\'s career. 51:00
  • \\u201cYou can only work binge for so long.\\u201d \\u2013 Understanding John Reed\'s insight and why systematizing your business is essential. 53:00
  • Apple almost closed its doors until Jobs proclaimed it, \\u201cThe Education Computer\\u201d \\u2013 How to follow Steve Jobs\\u2019 one simple action and revolutionize your business. 59:00
  • One foundational job of every entrepreneur \\u2013 Why you can\\u2019t afford to miss this opportunity (it\\u2019s like pouring gas on a fire). 1:01
  • Ken McCarthy\\u2019s success principle \\u2013 How new opportunities appear when you\\u2019re listening, looking, paying attention, talking, and reading. 1:04:25
  • Being prolific \\u2013 Why doing lots of stuff leads to success (even though not much happens with 90-95% of what you produce). 1:01:45
  • The ONE thing writers must do every day \\u2013 Embracing the Irving Berlin Principle will change your writing and transform your life. 1:02:09
  • Follow your passion + Have commercial instincts \\u2013 How to grow your business, avoid a bland life, and optimize the fire within. 1:05:30
  • Claude Hopkins and David Olgilvy \\u2013 You\\u2019re not born with it\\u2026you can develop it. (This one skill separates the successful from the struggling.) 1:06:00
  • No one has this instinct \\u2013 Learning how to sell, persuade, and package from the giants in the industry will set you apart.1:06:45
  • Enjoy the process of learning \\u2013 How learning from your predecessors and being prolific is key to your success. 1:07:46
  • Behind the scenes of work and success \\u2013 Keeping the engine running requires this. 1:08:45

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

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