I’m looking forward to your videos though. Milan (the creator) is a heck of a nice guy but I am having problems with his instructions.

Mark, I know you want to show real world proof that using AAS will assist in our marketing efforts, but honestly, I just want to see how to use it and get the most out of the darn thing!

My vote is to finish up the series with a topic you’re comfortable with. Everyone’s mileage will vary anyway so why not just cover what this puppy can do. Fire it up!

Thanks

Mark
(a fellow Texan and sharer of a noble name.)

You have Newbie Marketers looking to you to teach them ethical methods of Affiliate Marketing. This is definitely something they should consider.

I say clean up the mess and the good marketers will win.

Thanks for calling attention to this vitally important issue.

As government regulation and “the will of the people” catch up to the explosive growth of the Internet and those who have unscrupulously taken advantage of it, we will be seeing even more stories and court cases like this. Nevertheless, it’s still far too easy to get caught up in the “easy money” frenzy, and in the process, forget things like The Golden Rule and integrity.

One thing that I’m about 99% convinced is the right way to go is to only promote stuff that I personally use and find to be useful. I don’t like the copy and paste emails, carbon copy web sites, and all that, so I tend to listen to people who don’t do it when they do recommend something based on their own experience. I’ll be leaving a lot of money on the table — but there’s still more than enough to be made this way.

Best regards,
Tom

P.S. — Only recommending stuff that we’ve personally reviewed can also help separate the legitimate supplements and etc. from the scam products. If it worked for you, then you can just tell your story and recommend the product; otherwise, leave it alone. Just an idea…!

“companies lure customers with free trial offers – through aggressive Internet marketing techniques – and then charge customers’ credit cards prematurely, do not always supply the product and make it nearly impossible to cancel.”

I think that if you don’t abuse people’s cards and actually deliver product, then you should be fine.

Oh, and don’t f*** with Oprah:

“The Attorney General’s office and representatives from Chicago-based Harpo, Inc., coordinated an investigation of consumer complaints – many provided to the Attorney General’s office by Harpo – revealing the deceptive practices of these companies. Neither Ms. Winfrey nor Dr. Oz has ever sponsored or endorsed any acai berry or dietary supplement product.”

I do have several problems with the article, however. Is the undocumented colon cleanse product that is manufactured in a state of the art facility and sold through direct sales by a respected company like ____ (Shaklee, Nutrilite, etc.) and sells for $40 bottle as much of a scam as the shady company with unknown origins which sells the same “colon cleansing” prodcut for $40, but was manufactured in a dingy warehouse in the middle of nowhere for $1? Remember there is minimal FDA oversight of supplements.

That’s why I say avoid them. But, I do cringe when people look at ALL supplements and direct sales companies as scams.

Ok, here’s my other issue. How about a high quality product in an industry that has some scamminess to it – like online dating, payday loans, mortgage refinancing? Where do you draw the line. Is a Making Up info. product a scam because it preys on emotional people trying to get their spouse back and are willing to pay $100 to do it?

I just get concerned if we start labeling everything a scam.

I guess as an affiliate I ought to be scared or something but I welcome the advance of legal process into Internet Marketing.

Some of the crap I get every day in my inbox seems every bit as bad and I would welcome it if the dolts that send it were busted.

You know what – one of my trainings is in Nutrition and I have not looked into Acai berries but all the hoo haa (on both sides) makes it hard to promote the product.It is probably good – just about all berries are.

Your Colon Cleansing product is probably OK too.

It all depends how it’s done – we’ve all seen what I refer to as “fake” reviews of products but I will continue writing real reviews and I guess you will too.

Maybe the take home on this is to presell stuff you know about and um, treat your readers (as you do) like adults.

Integrity is a biggie – ask affiliates how they choose what to promote and they’ll often cite the % commission and not the quality of the product.

I’ll stop now I’m beginning to ramble!

🙂

I’ve also dipped into the acai pool, but only until Squidoo decided to ban such topics. I was frustrated over that, but clearly, if everybody and their dog is into it, then maybe that’s a warning sign in itself.

“Ok, here’s my other issue. How about a high quality product in an industry that has some scamminess to it – like online dating, payday loans, mortgage refinancing? Where do you draw the line. Is a Making Up info. product a scam because it preys on emotional people trying to get their spouse back and are willing to pay $100 to do it?
I just get concerned if we start labeling everything a scam.”

A “product” is only a scam if it doesn’t deliver the promised quality and value. All marketing relies on people’s emotions to some extent; again, it’s only predatory if the purchase fails to deliver enough quality and value to justify the price.

When whole industries become suspect, marketers of high-quality products within those categories are then faced with 2 huge challenges:

1. Proving their product’s integrity.
2. Overcoming “guilt by association” with a questionable industry.

My personal preference is to stay away from questionable industries in order to keep my own reputation healthy.

Sounds like you have a pretty clear cut plan to grow your business.

I am still struggling to adequately define my business model and plan a long-term strategy. Like you I am trying to create something that is not built on just trying to make the next buck. Rather I want a sustainable, long-term business that will give a steady stream of income, while providing my readers/customers/ followers with a high level of integrity.

Enjoying following what you have to say.
Omar