Do we, as ethical email marketers, have a responsibility to our subscribers to make sure what we are promoting is ethical, honest and will actually serve them?
I have been forced to consider this question time and again as I see people who are banner waving fanatics of ethics in ad swapping promoting some of the garbage going around.
In particular there is one product that I bought and promptly refunded when I found out what it was all about. But I see many emails a day promoting this product. At first I started telling people what was actually inside the product because I thought if they knew, they would not promote it. But I guess the easy money of a high converting product is what’s most important to some people.
I wrote the following in reply to one of the emails I received today:
Hey XXXXX,
Is it a breakthrough discovery, a glitch, a loophole to create a
software with the specific purpose and intention of hiding the
actual landing page from facebook staff so they will approve
ads that are against facebooks terms of service?Or is it a RISKY technique that can get your facebook account
banned for life? All that work gathering friends, building fan
pages and groups, relationship building…
GONE in an instant. Wiped out.If this guy hates Google so much because he was google-slapped
why would he risk a face-slap by intentionally violating the
facebook terms of service? Well maybe that is WHY he got Google
slapped.Or maybe he doesn’t actually use these techniques himself, but
he just takes the money from poor unsuspecting people who fall
for his sales pitch? After all, the sales letter doesn’t actually
mention what their program is all about, but it converts very well.
It’s not about the product at all, just about playing on peoples
emotions.The most honest part of the sales page is where it says it’s
“highly controversial” and “breaks all the rules”.Why does the sales letter say only 234 copies will be sold and yet
the Clickbank gravity score peaked at over 1300? Ok, maybe
they sold a few more than 234 copies… like maybe 10,000 more.
Actually that estimate is very conservative.They could get a gravity score of 1300 if 1300 affiliates made
one sale each yesterday and never made a sale before that,
but in all likelihood there are more than 1300 affiliates that have
made sales, but most of them made more than one sale,
many of them haven’t sold in a few days,But they are limiting the quantity so facebook won’t find out.
Do you think they accidentally sold an extra 10,000+ copies or
do you think they are outright lying when they say they intend
to limit the quantity sold to 234? Do you really think you can
trust them?Well, you shouldn’t be surprised if they are lying, after all the
product is based on a software that lies about what you are
advertising on facebook to the facebook staff. Why should
they be honest with their customers?Would you trust someone who bases their sales page, product
and business model on dishonesty and lies?So ask yourself “Do I want to be part of this? Do I want to
encourage my subscribers to cheat facebook? Is that the
kind of marketer I want to be?”Whatever it takes to make a buck, right? Or do you want
to actually serve your subscribers rather than be a part of
this monumental scam? It’s up to you.I plan to post this reply on my blog so there is a chance
some of your subscribers will read this.If your subscribers read this and see you are promoting
this product, will that build their trust in you? What
kind of relationship do you want with your subscribers?Like I said, it’s up to you.
Regards,
Allen
**DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT**
If you are curious to see the product and the sales page here is my affiliate link: UNNAMED PRODUCT
Yes, it’s an affiliate link and I will make money if you buy from this link. BUT HONESTLY SERIOUSLY DO NOT BUY THE PRODUCT. You may get your facebook account suspended or worse using this product.
Related post by Jason Fladlien http://48hourreport.com/myblog/stayawa/
2. Right-Click then Copy
3. Paste the HTML code into your webpage
3 responses so far ↓
1 Andre Arnett // Sep 27, 2010 at 11:37 pm
It is sometimes hard for people to accept the facts. You have laid them out well here. I often wonder about those “we only are selling XXX” and the next week you still see the product on the market. If the product was so good those XXX copies should have sold out very quickly. Even if you were to come back and say that I am selling a few more products wouldn’t be bad. Way to speak up.
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2 Rick Horning // Nov 27, 2010 at 1:19 pm
Great Post Allen, I think you have it right when you said that many people promoting this product have never actually used it or do not even know what the product is all about, they look at how well it converts and away they go. I personally do not mail a promotion without having a good look at the product, treating your subscribers with respect and integrity is primary to being a successful marketer. Keep up the outstanding work , being a joint venture partner of yours I know you hold true to your word and have the highest ethics for your subscribers and partners.
Rick Horning recently posted..What It Takes To Make It Online
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3 Don Hill // Feb 6, 2011 at 12:25 am
I know it’s been several months since you posted this article, so it’s not surprising that your affiliate link leads to a page proclaiming that the “product” is “sold out.” Looks like enough people got pi**ed off enough to demand a refund – perhaps in part as a result of your expose’ here – and the product’s creator finally realized that his/her “false scarcity” bluff had been called!
This sort of thing has been going on for years! (It’s probably the reason that “strike-through” is a font option in most WYSIWYG HTML editors in the first place.)
I personally don’t jump on every “bandwagon” that arrives in my inbox saying “GO GO GO,” and I have a policy of NEVER recommending anything that I haven’t used myself and can personally vouch for as being well worth the asking price.
Since I went “full time” in 2006, the list of items that fit that description is so short they could be counted on one hand! (At least as far as PAID products/services are concerned.)
Lately, I’ve pretty much abandoned the “make money online” niche – which is completely saturated by the “Snake-Oil Salesmen” who often bear “gifts” in the form of relatively worthless outdated ebooks and software, which are really just “bait” to entice subscribing to yet another Snake-Oil Salesman’s list via an “ad swap”…
And then people wonder why they get so much “spam” in their inbox, and complain about “information overload.” In most cases they’ve ASKED for it.
Nowadays, I prefer to focus my energies on selling REAL products to people who actually WANT them for what they’ll DO – and not just because they’ll make money with it.
It’s actually MUCH easier because I don’t really have to “sell” the product or service much – people are already “pre-sold” on what I offer well before they ever reach my sales pages.
I recommend that everyone who’s just starting to explore ways to make money online to keep listening to that “inner voice” that tells you when something sounds “too good to be true.” At least 95% of the time it IS too good to be true, or you’d be reading about it in the Wall Street Journal.
The principles of good marketing are the same on the internet as they are “offline.” The only difference is the METHODOLOGY involved – HOW you apply those core principles to connect people with what they already need or want. If your “business” doesn’t focus on THAT, it’s doomed to eventual failure!
Great post!
- “Digital” Don Hill –
Fortuna, CA USA
PS – If you want an example of something that lots of people actually WANT – and USE – then my name will lead you to it. I use it myself, and I absolutely LOVE it!
PPS – You’re required to be a PAYING USER of the service in order to become an associate and resell it to others – the kind of requirement that I heartily endorse!
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