My Experience Taking The #1 Social Media Marketing Agency (SMMA) Course By Iman Gadzhi
By: Arlie
Tags: Entrepreneurship, Social Media Marketing, Education, Smma, Startup

Key Components Of A Great Online SMMA Course

I’ve been making and taking online courses for over a decade. My college courses have gone through rigorous testing and an approval process that was a little too overboard if you ask me.

What I see is that online courses come in two major forms: academic courses and skills training courses. Instructors try to cross-pollinate these two all the time, but it rarely works. With business courses, we really just want the skills training and what works — leave the theory and liberal arts stuff to the profs.

So when I started taking business courses, I was surprised to see how much instructors loved teaching the theoretical stuff. In some cases, theory is necessary. But in SMMA, we’re trying to get a tangible result.

We want views, clicks, clients, and cash! That’s pretty much it.

What I also noticed is that the course itself was only a minor part of the overall educational package. In my research and experience, a lot of SMMA courses just fall short. Believe me, I’ve wasted money on them! No refunds, just a lot of regret.

Here’s what I think is the best scenario for optimal online learning. The ideal SMMA course — or any training course really — has these components:

1.COURSE QUALITY: A solid course does what it says it can do. It’s not too short, and not too long. It must have all the necessary lessons in the most logical sequence. For SMMA, you need to know things like the business model, marketing, cold calling, onboarding, etc. Six Figure SMMA has it all. The quality of the video and sound is very professional. Unlike other courses, this was not shot in a dingy bedroom with bad acoustics. With lesser courses, you never see the instructor. It’s just five hours of powerpoints and screenshots. Not in this course. Gadzhi is often teaching you face-to-face.

Knowing how much to teach is an art. If it can be done in six modules with about five to ten lessons or less within each module, that’s a good setup. Six modules imply six weeks. That’s just enough time to learn a skill and still not be too overwhelmed with the time commitment. We all know the more ambitious students will burn through that course in a week and start making money sooner.

Gadzhi’s course comes close to these parameters. He has nine modules. Most of them are short with only a few lessons in each. What I like is that the area that many SMMA owners struggle with the most, Gadzhi provides three-times the content. This section alone is worth the price of the entire course. Why? It’s nearly three hours of incredible content that you’d extract from a high-paid coach.

Now the technology is somewhat disappointing. A lot of instructors use the same learning platform for courses: Teachable. As an educator, I think the functionality is pretty basic. The assessments are unwieldy and there’s not much to choose from. Most instructors never use quizzes or any form of assessment: that’s just not learning. I think if Teachable created more options and it was fun for students and instructors, they’d have a real hit on their hands. But let’s be real. Instructors choose Teachable because it’s cheap, functional enough, and integrates with sales brilliantly.

My only major gripe with Six Figure SMMA is that there should be a few videos where you get to peer over Gadhzi’s shoulder to see him create a few winning Facebook campaigns for popular niches, start to finish. That would eliminate a lot of the questions people ask in the private Facebook group. Even if it’s not your goal to be an ad specialist, it helps to know the lay of the land. Six Figure SMMA Score: 9/10

Student post in Iman Gadzhi’s “Six Figure SMMA” FB group. | http://bit.ly/2U3faEM

2.INSTRUCTOR EXPERTISE: Great instructors have a proven track record in the field for getting outstanding results. It’s not about theory or mastering just the basics. These kinds of instructors have put in the time and know what stumbling blocks new students make.

This is a mistake I often see with many instructors. They get just enough experience and data to start their own spin-off business. What’s missing is the years of fine-tuning and experimenting that leads to predictable success. Often what you get in business courses are people learning new things along with you. That’s not an expert. That’s a peer who’s only a couple steps in front of you.

As mentioned, Gadzhi maintains a successful agency himself. He has worked with some incredible clients including Oura Ring, Kevin Rose, ZebraFuel, AJ&Smart, and dozens more. He never does this to name-drop — his clients actively sing his praises for the results he gets them. I don’t personally know of anyone else who has worked with this caliber of clients.

Furthermore, Gadzhi always shares several SMMA best practices. You can count on these tactics working. You also see him trying new tactics to get even better results. A lot of Gadzhi’s tests and innovations have made him a leader in this space. This is exactly the kind of person you should be learning from. Six Figure SMMA Score: 10/10

3.COMMUNITY SUPPORT: If there were one component that stands out from the rest to me, this is the one. Sure, the actual course and instructor are very important. But when you take a course, you’re on your own. It’s all you, and no one to keep tabs. It’s a discipline many haven’t mastered since online course completion rates are dismal.

That’s where community support comes in. We’re all part of a tribe. People matter. Tribes are difficult to cultivate online and SMMA groups are no exception. Starting an SMMA or any business is a difficult endeavor. Everything can’t be in a course because of all the updates and new tactics. And no one wants to take a 50-hour course.

The big first thing I noticed about Six Figure SMMA is the interaction between the Facebook Group administrators and the students. Gadzhi and three other admins regularly answer questions and celebrate wins of their members. It starts with a warm welcome when you make your first post, and it continues as you get more involved.

One particular administrator, Esteban, is an essential part of this community. He specializes in sales, which is what most SMMA owners struggle with. As a moderator, his comments augment and verify the lessons from the course. Esteban continuously keeps the group upbeat and positive to push members to complete the course and make more sales.

Also, members often collaborate with each other to practice sales calls. Some even go into business together. We’re all moving in the same direction. It’s comforting to know that a cheerful legion of peers and attentive administrators are there to help you succeed. Just the community support component alone is worth the sticker price of the course. (And in my humble opinion, this is the prime reason why people who just get the course fail at their SMMA.). Six Figure SMMA Score: 9/10

Student post in Iman Gadzhi’s “Six Figure SMMA” FB group.

4.GROUP OR INDIVIDUAL MENTORING: High-end courses often have mentoring available for students. This is a difficult task since it takes lots of time and differentiating for each student. Instructors that want to put up a course and never touch it again because they think students will serve themselves don’t last long. The art of teaching involves truly connecting with people. Online that includes occasionally checking in.

Student negligence in itself is a terrible situation. Far too often I’ve clicked on an ad, listened to a webinar, and bought into all the hype of a great course. After the sale, all I heard was crickets. I’d get an email to access the online course, and a prompt to join a private Facebook group. Then every few days, I’d get an email from the seller to buy yet another item.

Automation has disintegrated human connection.

Luckily, the best entrepreneurs understand how to merge automation with customer support. This is ideal regarding group and individual mentoring. When I ordered Six Figure SMMA, I got a very nice welcoming video. I know everyone was sent the same video, but it was nice that after the sale I was acknowledged. From there, Gadzhi instructed students on the next steps and what to expect. From the very beginning, I could tell that he had a “No SMMA Owner Left Behind’ attitude. The guidance and mentoring never ends, you just have to keep showing up.

Also in his course, Gadzhi takes the time every two weeks to have a Q and A session. These are live calls where any member can chime in and ask their most pressing questions. Lots of members get excited about this and the turnout is impressive. There are so many people, you wonder if he’ll ever get to your question but he usually does.

After a while, I noticed a lot of the people asked the same kind of question over and over. Also, since Gadzhi is being bombarded with these questions, he usually can’t go very deep with them. However, these sessions are still valuable. You can always watch the video replay and skip parts that don’t apply to you. It’s also a fantastic way for Gadzhi to keep in touch with his tribe and discover where people are getting stuck. Six Figure SMMA Score: 8/10

5.ONGOING EDUCATION: Industry knowledge constantly changes. Just as lawyers have CLE (Continuing Legal Education) units to keep their licenses and practices up to date, SMMA owners have a form of that too. For example, how do agencies handle new provisions regarding Value-Added Tax (VAT)? A lot of these things come up after a course has been created.

Sometimes you see these inquiries pop up randomly in the private Facebook group or live calls. The best courses organize these updates better because not knowing this information affects the bottom line. The last thing you want to do is ignore a Facebook policy and get your client’s account banned. (And Facebook policies change quite frequently.)

Six Figure SMMA needs a specific section where they address this, and they should update it regularly. Instead, it’s a bonus module in the course — but again, things change. They could create a simple Google Doc and update it. I’ve been a part of groups where they don’t create a section for this, but instead they send out an email regarding a new policy change from Facebook. It’s like a friendly FYI email. If they start getting a lot of questions about it, they hold a live meeting to show how others are handling the new policy. Six Figure SMMA Score: 7/10

Student post in Iman Gadzhi’s “Six Figure SMMA” FB group. | Strayed Marketing: http://bit.ly/2OYOkMU)

6.RETURN ON INVESTMENT: After it is all said and done, can you take the training from a course and actually make money? This is where a lot of courses (and universities) fall drastically short. If I take a course for a thousand dollars, I want to at least 5X it. That is, I want to make $5,000 minimum. A great course would 10X my money because of all the time and effort I put into it. While college-educated millennials are still waiting for their ROI, Six Figure SMMA delivers on the promise. If you do the work, it will generate money for you.

Students in this course have definitely started making money within the first couple weeks. There are countless testimonials about that and since I know the people personally, I’m a believer. This is the #1 goal and purpose of the course: to make money with an SMMA.

There are many reasons why someone wouldn’t make money with this course. They could be the wrong fit for the business model. They could be trapped by various kinds of fear. Their learning style may not be suited for online learning. They could even be in the wrong mental space to create a business. The reasons (and sometimes, excuses) go on. However, for those willing to do the work this is at least a 10X course. Six Figure SMMA Score: 8/10

7.MINDSET: I have always thought that the key to succeeding in anything comes down to your mindset. Professor Sonja Lyubomirsky maintains the same notion in her book The How Of Happiness: The Scientific Approach To Getting The Life You Want. In it, Lyubomirsky declares that 40% of your happiness is determined by the activities you choose to do. You might not be able to control your circumstances (10%) or your genetic set point (50%), but you can control your actions. In order to take the right actions, your mind must be in a good place. You have to control your thoughts and insist on doing the right things. Actions don’t always follow thoughts, but the two obviously work well together.

Similarly in a Harvard study (Opportunity Insights), several economists formally demonstrated that one of the key features to succeeding is one’s environment. When children were in a good neighborhood and a culture of excellence was fortified daily, nearly everyone was successful.

This was a huge part of Six Figure SMMA. The course, the peer support, the administrators, and Gadzhi himself always stressed a positive mindset. An ideal environment and cultural mindset were carefully nurtured online: All the members had to do was to keep taking action. If people failed at SMMA, it was due to something deeper about their personality or mindset. A course can’t solve everything, but those ready to succeed had it all with this course. And for those who keep getting in their way, Gadzhi addressed that directly in his other course Kaizen Cure. It was designed to get your mind straight and instill the kinds of habits to succeed at any endeavor. Six Figure SMMA Score: 9/10

Student post in Iman Gadzhi’s “Six Figure SMMA” FB group. | Find Liaison: http://bit.ly/2IguigH

8.MISSION: Business opportunities come and go. Great mentors come and go too. The most interesting thing about Gadzhi is not his portfolio of businesses or effective mentorship programs. Deep down, I think many people gravitate to Gadzhi because he is relatable and inspiring.

The facts about his life are both heartbreaking and remarkable.

What I know is that he comes from a single-parent home. When he was young, his family moved from Russia to England: a big transition both physically and psychologically. And as part of his personal branding, we hear about how he dropped out of school when he was seventeen. Furthermore, he shares his first efforts at trying to make money online. He dabbled with businesses around fitness and relationships. None of them worked out.

Gadzhi was clearly struggling.

In one interview, he briefly talked about the negative environment in his home. He was subject to arguments, put-downs, and grief. As a teenager, this only compounds all the daily challenges to face. When you’re growing up and you’re being told that you’re never going to amount to anything, that cuts deeply. A lot of teenagers feel like this to a greater or lesser degree.

Despite all of this, Gadzhi managed to pull himself together. He started reading more books. He devoured inspiring material from entrepreneurs like Ed Mylett, Aubrey Marcus, and Sam Ovens.

After working with a close mentor and doing a little soul-searching he discovered his life’s mission. It’s very personal because of his past. When I first learned about it, I have to say I was incredulous.

Gadzhi wants to change the broken education system.

He’s not wrong for trying, and I think he has figured out a better way. Through his courses and mentoring, thousands of students have created ethical businesses that help them live a better life on their own terms. Six Figure SMMA Score: 9/10