Monday Question: How Can We Clean Up Internet Marketing?
by Antone Roundy | 6 Comments | Ethics, Monday Question
Internet marketers don't have the best reputation. And if you look at some of the techniques that are not only prevalent, but openly taught and recommended, it's no wonder.
Many of the big-name "gurus" are either consciously raking unsuspecting customers over the coals, or are so caught up in their own inner-circle echo chambers that they no longer realize that their sales techniques are dishonest.
Newbies are forming opinions of which promotional practices are acceptable, and which are unethical, based on the altered reality of the wild west environment that dominates much of our industry.
This week's Monday Question: how can we clean up internet marketing?
Last year, the FTC stepped in with new rules aimed at eliminating some dishonest practices. Lots of honest marketers, who were using similar marketing techniques in ethical ways, got caught up in the sweep and had to overhaul their businesses or exit the market. If we don't clean things up ourselves, we can expect more honest marketers to have their businesses wiped out by additional government regulation.
Some people have tried a "name and shame" approach, turning the spotlight on those who are using unethical or illegal techniques. This may have made a positive difference, but by and large, the targets of these attacks are still in business and still respected by the majority of the market. And the negativity often stirred up by those who've built their brand around tearing others down isn't exactly a credit to internet marketing itself.
Others, like Sylvie Fortin, have attacked the unethical practices without naming names. Has this had much effect? Or did it make a splash when published, only to disappear, overshadowed by the juggernaut of product launches and training materials that constantly give fresh life to the wild west approach?
Can we only ever hope to influence those in our own small spheres of influence? Or can honest marketers join together and create a group whose voice is loud enough to dominate -- to become the first place newbies go to get their ethical orientation?
We can't clean it up. There are too many opportunist in here and scammers.The Monday Question has been asked. What's your answer?
January 17th, 2011 at 4:07 pm
My solution is quite simple, and it's only a three step thing:
1. never sell anything that has not yet been fully produced, accomplished, etc. That means ABSOLUTELY NO pre-launch sales, no early-bird stuff, no hype about new and upcoming, zit, nada, NEVER! Only existent, proven, efficient, money producing systems, methods, products would get to be sold.
2. FORBID absolutely, without a doubt ANY and ALL MLM systems. ALL of them. There are NO MLM systems that are not based on theft, on misguiding, and ponzi schemes. ALL of them can only exist until new members are brought in , hence, they are all based on falsehood, they are ponzi schemes.
3. Make punishable by incarceration, NO BAIL, all the sick s.o.ob's who sell Viagra, via hype sites, links, spam, whatever, and all related products.
Implementing these simple 3 steps, would clean the internet marketing sphere of all the discrediting crap out there.
January 17th, 2011 at 6:09 pm
These guys are getting desperate. They have milked the Internet dry with promotion after promotion and finally, everyone is getting heartily sick of these big name and not buying.
Same old, same old, Gussie it up a bit with a new name and website and push it out again at $37 (for the newbies) with up-sells of a further $400 before the program will work.
You aren't going to stop them because there are too many new entries to the Internet every day and these guys, having blown their money are desperate to maintain their lifestyles and will stop at nothing to retain their mansions and fast cars.
Its not new, two thousand years ago a lowly prophet wrote, "The love of money is the root of all evil." It's never changed throughout the centuries. A whole religious order, the Templars, were wiped out because of it.
Joel Comm, Neil Shearing, Graham Hamer (and of course, you) are making a stand but too few are coming on board.
No-one will be getting any money from me this year. Time to rebuild my credit card.
January 17th, 2011 at 10:35 pm
It is past time for Exit Splash to be banned. Sites that use this invasive technique should be deindexed, virus programs should warn of the presence on a web site, and software that monitors for safe sites needs to block these pages. It will happen, but not soon enough.
Any program that forces a user to click to leave a page, can be modified to install malware using the click as permission to install. Any marketer who doesn't have the ability to construct a proper sales funnel or squeeze page, who relies on traps to make money, is not just a failure at marketing; They are a disgrace to the industry.
January 18th, 2011 at 12:42 pm
@LIz:
sorry to see what you wrote about the templars; not only they were not extinguished, they are at the root of 99% of today's society's troubles, and they are the ones who promote it;
stop brainwashing people, do your homework, the templars are not extinct
January 18th, 2011 at 12:43 pm
@Ken Stack: I'm with you on this, 100% agreed
May 17th, 2011 at 8:10 am
We can't clean it up. There are too many opportunist in here and scammers.