Breaking News – FTC Finds Paid Reviews Defy “Truth In Advertising”

FTC Finds Paid Reviews:

Another source:

FTC Link:

This was not an affiliate per say AND it goes with-out saying.

If, The FTC will fine and go after companies doing this practice

Small Business needs to be aware.

Playing the game of “they wont come after me” or ” Im too small” or “I host out of the country” is russian roullete NOT a business model. IMHO

I have commented on this enough times.

So, I wont go back over it.

IMV

SES, ASE and the way it REALLY is !

OK,

So,  it has been a few weeks since my last post.

I am not lacking in new insights, new dirt and new shenanigans on all levels of the industry and connections to it.

While many went to ASE (affiliate summit east).

I did not see the benefit THIS time vs. the cost with 2 major projects going on (automation of mobile marketing and SERP compliant game sites) and the desire to save all my capital for the REAL earnings season and traffic.

Yes, you can make money in the summer months, but why make 10%-20% on less traffic or smaller niches. When you can save up and make 50%-500% on larger traffic flows and niches.  (If, you ask nicely I will reveal the MASSIVE waves of buyers that are coming online for buying season.)

SES (SES Conference & Expo) was very interesting.

1. There was very little affiliate action there (not to be surprised), BUT the attendees there are looking for a larger dollar than many affiliates ever see. The corporate and enterprise ad dollar.

2. Large companies doing marketing are having some of the same issues that I have seen in affiliate marketing. At one meeting. Ebay’s head of marketing admitted that they were JUST figuring out what cost their display ads should be.

3. Some of the most basic concepts in affiliate marketing are foreign or brand new to major companies and agencies

Over the next few days. I will post more detail.

It was very, very interesting to see online marketing and money from the top down vs. the bottom up. (according to SES)

The experiance and data confirmed many theories and strategies I have discovered or learned about surviving and thriving on the internet.

More to be posted… so, please come back.

Remember,

Trust No One, including Me.

IMV

Did I call it ? or did I CALL it !!!

Well ppc.bz broke the news.

“FTC to Announce Action Against Internet Marketers of Acai Berry Weight-Loss Pills and “Colon Cleansers”

BUT!

I told you days ago and months ago. What to do.

Know the TOS of your network, traffic & offers, know the Laws of Trade in your country and the ones you deal with, sell a real product with real value and know the history of your industry and others with regards to the gov.

Since, If the gov. slap you.

A Google slap will be the least of your worries.

Funny thing is (or not so funny) I remember last year before ASE is when Google did their big slap and their #1 targets besides ringtones was ACAI and COLON CLEANSE!

History repeats itself.

Now, go read some Claude Hopkins and start telling the truth.

You may not get the customers at first since everyone seems to like the “shinies”

BUT!

You will get the smart ones 1st and the ones who got burned. And that is a big piece of the pie.

Who wants the idiots that keep buying into scams again and again?

Oh!

Right !

The parasites that feed off of them for their income.

(sad how many of them their are)

I warned you before and I will post as the new laws unfold.

This is NOT new and The President even warned earlier this year.

“Sell crap and and we are gunning for you. Sell valid products and services. We are behind you”

It will only get worse for the criminals.

For the public. A new day is dawning on consumer law.

Lets hope this time they read the disclaimers.

IMV

Do network owners want you to get banned ?

Interesting title, huh ?

Well, it is because for quite awhile I have gotten “tip” emails from various networks sometimes owners that make me wonder if?!

a. They actually run any campaigns?

b. Is the only way they know how to run them black-hat?

c. Are they delusional and just that out of touch with reality?

The latest email from someone that usually has good information is soooo general that if a affiliate blindly follows it I am sure they will be banned with-in 24hrs from Google.

No mention of what kind of offers or sites Google accepts vs. not.

and I can guarantee that if you direct-link to a game offer that has  a down-loadable or a toolbar.

Your campaign and offer will be short lived, as well as, anything else connected to google (want to do content or mobile in the future… forget it [unless you jump through serious hoops] once banned)

then they go on to tell you to do CPV and how great that is.

Again, with-out even mentioning that many of them WILL NOT allow download-ables,  .exe, tool-bars, pop-ups and sound.

Which most if not all game offers have in them.

Oh, and any mention of cost of traffic vs. payout. Nope!

Hey, I have run and am running game offers on CPV, FB and have on google in the past.

Yes, they are HOT!

BUT and that’s a BIG BUT!

If you do not follow the TOS of the ad plat-form AND network.

You can expect to…

1. Get banned or Have your account frozen and money kept.

or

2. Not get paid on offers from traffic you HAVE paid for.

So, honestly.

I don’t know why a network let, alone a decent one, is giving half-truths in a field that if you p*ss of the wrong traffic source.

YOU ARE DONE FOR!

I guess getting new identities and VM accounts are the “in-thing” now in IM?!

and networks wonder why affiliates scam them with ‘cookie dropping’ ?

Seems to me you encourage it by sending ‘lambs to the slaughter’

Try telling them the down side and technical aspects of promoting an offer and not just the “why are you not making $10K a day.. ya loser” mentality that I see many networks have.

Oh, and general information that can cost people their accounts.

Maybe better that you don’t share the ‘knowledge’ or at least do them the service of telling them the down-side.

Just IMHO.

Trust No One

IMV

The Ultimate Power – Predicting the Future!

Well,

It is nice to be ahead of the curve and if you read my Blog.

You have been.

By months !!!

The lastest one I called correct was the EPIC level of guru’s and courses coming out that are selling the ‘dream’ at high ticket prices.

To my surpise.

One of their own, Joel Comm. Has actually called the whole IM guru crew on it AGAIN!

He talked about it back in Feb 2010 and Then again yesterday 08-08-2010.

My only comment.

Besides, how spot on he is.

Is…

“Didn’t you have something to do with this ? or At least the ‘guru/teachers’ that you and others in your circle look up to?”

I doubt my comment will get posted.

After spending some time with the grand-father of IM and info-product marketing Mark Joyner and finding out that he too. Is sick and tired of seeing the deception and lack of ‘real value’ being brought to the internet by the current group of info-product (frauducts) pushers.

All I can say is…

A LITTLE TO LATE ON THE NOTICE !!!

So, what do I think will happen next ?

Well, I already called it on the Google slap, FB slap, CPV saturation, Mobile money myth. (Oh, wait… I only JUST mentioned that one )

I guess you are already seeing it.

Expect mobile to be the next ‘holy-grail’ as people get burned out on CPV.

Wait tell you see how many budgets get burned on this one and accounts banned when people find out you can NOT just txt anyone

My prediction ?

Watch the FTC and Merchant Accounts.

With new rules and money things are going to change more with those than with traffic sources.

Already I am seeing offers getting pulled that had the FTC take notice of months ago and I expect to see more.

Fake scholarships companies are getting busted.

Which resulted in Offers being pulled since some of them are from the same company’s

I am being very careful with what I run and who I run it with and how.

I would advise you to be too.  Especially with new laws and the money to enforce them.

Read the TOS of all that are involved in.

Read the FTC rulings.

Follow the FTC laws on IM

Watch the Laws being passed, just as much, as the offer trends.

Do not play fast and loose now only to have the FTC slap you later.

Remember, they can reach back and take your revenue from previous years and put you in prison.

Waaaaay, worse than a GOOGLE slap!

Be careful out there and Trust No One!

IMV

Smart Phones + Credit Cards for the USA

Just out !

80% of 18-34yr olds would make purchases on their smart phones with a credit card !!!

(source:bloomberg)

This is huge !!!

Now that credit cards are going to marry easily with phones in the US like they are in ASIA.

The new rush will be on.

Do NOT believe the gurus !

Read the industry journals since this is a highly regulated industry (They learned from fax and email advertising mess and you DO NOT want to piss them off!!!)

Here is the guidebook from the MMA (Mobile Marketing Association)

Know the rules before you charge in and get worse than Google-slapped

IMV

Re-Hash, Hype or True Value

Well,

If someone can show me a real question. I will give a real answer.

Right now, the bots are doing the most commenting.

Just ask your self this when you look at a new info-product.

Is it…

Re-Hash, Hype or True Value ?

and if you can not get $10 back for every $1 spent after the learning and implementation curve ?

Why are you doing that process/strategy/tactic/ business model ?

Have you really checked out and seen what is free ?

What has been tested ?

Are you willing to test ?

Are you waiting for someone to hand it to you ?

Does that REALLY ever happen ?

Too many people jump on the internet to make money and unfortunatly it seems it is easier to make money selling the dream and the ‘tools’ for the dreamers. Than anything with any real substance.

I see many courses talking about the latest traffic or technique. All of them saying the up-side. None of them saying the down side and alot of people making traffic sources richer not knowing what they are doing and have un-realstic expectations.

Think of  affiliate marketing as a real business.

As,  a leader of SCORE (a service for entrepreneurs from SBA) mentioned in a recent article.

“Few who start a business ever look at the skills sets and knowledge that are necessary to make it. Skills such as planning, financial management, record keeping, time and project management, understanding of taxes and many more. There are essential, as well as, the passion for what you do. PASSION IS NOT ENOUGH!!!”

This harkins to what I have quoted many times from JFK. “Hope is NOT a strategy”

So, what to do ?

Honestly, read a book !

The “Dummies guide to small business” is a good template to see what pieces you are missing. Talking to a CPA is another step in the right direction.

Now, SCORE & SBA maybe behind the times in knowing what you are doing, but basic business practices and topics such as getting & managing credit, planning & business office set-up  will always be there. You just may grow faster and deal with more risks then many business’s and just like in martial arts. The basics are still the basics.

Like most things in life.

Treat it like a hobby and that’s all it will ever amount to.

Plan it, build it and run it like a successful business and that’s likely to occur.

IMV