7 Things Internet Marketers Can Learn from the iPhone 6

By now, you’ve surely heard about the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Positive or negative, these new smartphones have very much become the talk of the town and you can’t flip over a Facebook rock without discovering another nugget of an iPhone post. Everyone has something to say about it. We all love our gadgets and technology has very much become a way of life, but they’re just toys and tools, right?

From the perspective of the online entrepreneur (or “dot com mogul,” if you prefer), there are many lessons to be learned from the business side of things and how Apple chose to go about designing, announcing and releasing the newest iPhone. Whether you’re an Internet marketer or a freelance writer, you’ll want to pay attention to this.

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1. You Don’t Need to Be First

Let me preface this by saying I’m an Android user, so I’m going to be a little biased when it comes to how I view the latest “innovations” from Apple and how these new features are so “revolutionary.” What can’t be denied is that Apple designs some seriously beautiful products that inspire people to open their wallets. The iPod wasn’t the first MP3 player, but it sure defined the segment. And the iPhone 6 isn’t the first smartphone to boast many of its “new” features, like NFC and 3rd party keyboards, but it sure makes them look shiny and nice. And the iPhone 6 will be a big hit too, I’m sure.

2. Bigger Is Better

Again, you don’t have to be the first to market to be successful. Android phones broke the 5-inch barrier a long time ago and it’s only now with the iPhone 6 Plus that we see such an iPhablet. Apple has recognized that people want bigger phones, so that’s what they’re going to give them. If you want to make it big on the Internet, you should similarly swing for the fences. Go big or go home.

3. Have Cool Friends

If you were paying attention during the Apple event, then you would’ve noticed that they used a couple of key celebrities some of the promotional videos for the iPhone 6: Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon. That’s star power. They also ended the event with U2. That’s more star power. As a dot com mogul, you’ll want “cool” friends in high places too, because this will bolster your image in the eyes of others and it’ll get you connected with more cool people too.

4. Do It Now

One thing that Apple has done very well in the last few years is stay on top of release dates. Very often, the product they announce at these kinds of events is available almost immediately through the Apple Store. In the case of the iPhone 6, the actual release is a couple weeks later, but that’s still far better than some of the vaporware we’ve seen elsewhere. If you have a product to market on the web, having a “buy it now” button available as soon as possible is great for generating sales.

5. Do It Later

Of course, there’s something about making them wait too. In the case of the newly announced Apple Watch, that smartwatch won’t be released until some time next year. This will help Apple continue to generate hype around the product as they continue to tweak it ahead of launch. When selling online, getting people on your pre-order list and building up that hype is a really good idea too.

6. Never Compete on Price

John says that the fastest way to make your first $100,000 is to sell a few high ticket items rather than a whole bunch of cheap products. Apple does not compete on price. Even though there are some great smartphones, like the Moto G for $179 outright, the cheapest iPhone 6 is still going to be at least $500 (without contract) and upwards of $1,000 or more for the 128GB iPhone 6 Plus. Don’t sell a cheap product; sell a product with perceived value.

7. The Experience Is Everything

Perceived value. That’s the real key there. If you look at the spec sheet for the iPhone 6 and compare it against a flagship Android device, there’s no competition. That’s why Apple is selling you on the seamless, powerful and easy experience of the iPhone instead. It doesn’t matter if what you’re selling online is the best on paper; it needs to be the best in the eyes of your buyers, specs be damned.

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