What is “Ethical Internet Marketing” Anyway?
September 14th, 2009 | 47 comments
I’m sure you’ve noticed that the subtitle of this blog is “Making Money Through Ethical Marketing.” And I’ve gotten alot of comments and questions about that over the years. I’ve even gotten criticism about it.
For instance, a while back I received an email from a very angry customer who had just downloaded one of my free reports. This person had opted-in to receive the report and then, just like everyone else, he was offered a special discount on one of my products. At the end of that page there is a link to bypass the special offer and download the free report. (The free report was also sent to his inbox.)
Apparently he didn’t think I had the “right” to display a one-time offer after a free download. I’m giving him a an extremely valuable report for free and on top of that I’m offering another highly valuable product to him for half price. To me that sounds like a favor, but apparently not to him.
This is one of many examples that ANY long-time Internet Marketer can give you in regards to customers, or “leads” in this case, who feel they have been “wronged” in some way.
Now lets get into some of the things that people seem to dislike in the Internet Marketing niche particularly.
OTO’s (One-Time Offers) – Offering some kind of special offer directly after a purchase or opt-in.
Pop-ups - Those annoying things that pop up out of nowhere when you open a page.
Promotional emails – Emails from a list you are subscribed to promoting a related product.
Hype – Making a product sound AMAZING… like you can’t do without it.
Forced continuity – You order an ebook (for example) which you believe is a one-time payment, but in reality, since you didn’t read the fine print, you are also starting a monthly subscription, which will be taken out of your account automatically.
I personally have no problem with the first four and I execute all four in various campaigns. But I have a MAJOR problem with #5 because it’s deceitful!
So why don’t have I have a problem with the first four, when so many others do? Because I use these marketing techniques for the right reasons. It’s a win/win situation! I make more money and my clients get better deals! When someone sets up a pop-up that is trying to get you to buy some crappy product that he or she has never used… he or she just wants money, that’s a pop-up I don’t agree with.
If someone serves an OTO to you and they don’t believe in the product they’re offering, they just know it will increase their profits, that’s an OTO I don’t believe in.
If someone sends you promotional email after promotional email for products they don’t believe in, those are promotional emails I don’t believe in.
If someone uses hype to try to get you to buy a crappy product, that is hype I don’t believe in! You NEED to use at least a little hype. If not you don’t believe in your product nearly enough!
These things are part of marketing. Marketing drives the economy and it drives the World really!
So what do I consider to be “Ethical” Internet Marketing
I got carried away with my examples and got a little off track of the title, but if you really think about it all ties together. The topic of ethics is a sensitive one. It’s almost as sensitive as religion and politics. I mean, both religious and political views are a matter of ethics in one way or another, right? It’s all about what you believe in and what you believe is right and wrong.
I believe helping people is right. But I also NEED to make money at the same time. Luckily my “job” allows me to make money BY helping people.
To make a long story short my idea of “Ethical Internet Marketing” is making money by sincerely helping people. Will some people disagree with some of my marketing techniques? Yes, absolutely. But I’m perfectly fine with that because I know that NOTHING I do is done with the wrong intentions. I know that the guy who was mad because I use OTO’s will be just fine and if he would have taken me up on that OTO he would be a smarter marketer with a better shot at success. I know that to be true, whether he does or not.
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14th September, 2009 at 5:04 pm
I’m fine with OTOs, too, but some “gurus”
have found a way to even abuse that. I’m talking about the OTOs that have different levels of one-time offers.
“Oh, so if you’re not interested in this deal, perhaps you’ll like THIS one” and it goes on for another one or two offers after that. Just give me the darn thing I signed up for, already! Aaargh! That’s someone who is more interested in helping themselves than helping me.
14th September, 2009 at 5:05 pm
I agree, Mark! Like GoDaddy
I don’t agree with any more than one OTO.
14th September, 2009 at 5:07 pm
Excellent post, Josh – and definitely some food for thought.
The term “ethical” is wide open to individual interpretation, isn’t it?
What Joe-Bob feels comfortable doing, may be totally unacceptable to me… and vice-versa.
Thing is, all those techniques you listed work. HOW they are used determines if they are profitable for you in the long-run.
Deceptive techniques might make you a dollar today – but that’s it.
“It’s not how fast you get there, it’s how long you stay”.
Thanks for the post, Josh!
Jennifer
~PotPieGirl
14th September, 2009 at 5:08 pm
“Like GoDaddy
”
Oh YES… drives me crazy! I know it works for them, but I am SOOOOO glad I learned what to check to get thru all that mess quickly!
14th September, 2009 at 5:11 pm
The first time I got a OTO, I thought I had been tricked, so I can see why some people feel that way. As I read more of the page, I realized what was being offered to me was not “in place of” the report I had requested and that put my mind at ease.
I think as long as you don’t hide how they get the free report and send it to their inbox like you do, the only crime is sending them a bad or worthless report in order to give them the OTO.
14th September, 2009 at 5:11 pm
I think OTO offers should be restricted to one only and not more unless the second and third ones offer substantial discount as compared to the first one. When i say substantial it should really be substantial
14th September, 2009 at 5:11 pm
LOL Oh yes, I think they have that down to a science. Hehe.
14th September, 2009 at 5:12 pm
I’m with Mark. I signed up for a free report a few days ago and got hit with 3 OTOs in a row before I could even download my report. I don’t think I ever found it.
I think there’s a place for OTOs and upsells and its “after” you deliver on your promise, not before.
I gotta say that I think Ewen Chia pushes the line a bit too (and I respect him a lot). I just got one of his products (bought the product) and my download links were buried haflway down the page after lots of text exhorting me to become an affiliate – before I even saw the product.
I’ve bought from you and have always found the process very straightforward and a really good value.
That’s all I can shoot for. And let people feel how they will.
14th September, 2009 at 5:25 pm
If OTOs and upsells are unethical, then McDonald’s is the most unethical company on the planet.
“Want fries with that?”
“Want to supersize that?”
“Want a hot apple pie with that?”
14th September, 2009 at 5:25 pm
Hi Josh,
I think I own every one of your ebooks, so obviously I think you’re an ethical marketer. The one potential problem with having it as you slogan though …
To some people, it might seem like you’re trying too hard to convince them. For instance, I’m currently stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. Every time you come though the gate, the guards are required to greet you with the phrase “Hi, welcome to the Great Place” … most of the time, even they have a hard time keeping a straight face. Another example that may be a little more contentious (depending your political views) is Fox News proclaiming themselves to be “Fair and Balanced”.
Basically, what I’m saying is that Actions speak louder than words.
… but even if your actions scream “ethical”, if you feel the need to point it out to people, their natural reaction may be to be on the lookout for what your “real angle” is.
Sorry, I got a bit off point myself. As far as your examples go, I think with all of them (even #5), as a consumer, we just need to go into things with our eyes open. Anybody who really thinks that “free” is synonymous with “absolutely no strings attached”, is naive at best.
Todd
14th September, 2009 at 5:48 pm
Utilizing a download page for a OTO is really just smart marketing. When I’m in a supermarket and they have the free samples I do not get offended by the stack of coupons next to the samples, I expect it. In fact its a nice gesture, if I like the sample I get a discount on my next purchase as well. Its not really surprising though, there are a lot of folks who don’t realize that people actually make money with websites. I can only imagine the emails some of the other internet marketers get, the ones who take the hype a bit too far, or have the endless stream of OTO and the daily assault of promotional emails.
14th September, 2009 at 5:50 pm
Nice post. Marketers have to make some money, that’s the whole point. Personally I find pop ups annoying but appreciate that guys who use them need to make some money, so I can accept them. Forced continuity however is just theft in my book. I wouldn’t trust any marketer who tried this technique.
The struggle with ethical marketing is the same as running any business in an ethical and honest way. The first thing that we need to define is “ethical” Is it ethical for superstores like Walmart to place products at checkouts to encourage people to impulse buy?
To place products designed to catch children’s attention so they will hassle their parents to buy them things. It’s a minefield, but I know what you mean.
Thanks
Paul
14th September, 2009 at 6:13 pm
I don’t have a problem with being sold to; that’s to be expected in the world of Internet marketing. It is *marketing*, after all. So if someone wants to offer a one time offer, I can live with that.
I do have a problem with dishonest sales tactics though, like automated scripts that say the sale will end in 30 minutes. Then two days later, you see the same 30 minute countdown.
Also false scarcity tactics bug me. If there really is a limit to the amount of products you have, fine. If you really do plan on raising the price, fine. But too often such lines are just psychological tactics to get the sale, because in reality there is in fact no scarcity, and the price will not be raised any time in the foreseeable future.
I’ve lost a great deal of respect for some big name marketers because of the dishonest tactics they use.
14th September, 2009 at 6:14 pm
And I thought GoDaddy just got on my nerves cos I’m South African!….
14th September, 2009 at 6:32 pm
I agree, Josh: I can’t stand the strings attached to some products and offers.
I love your recommendations. I’ve purchased several things you’ve recommended. You’ve never burned me.
So, I thank you for that.
14th September, 2009 at 6:35 pm
I use a similar slogan on one of my websites, and have dealt with similar comments.
I see it as a continuum. At the one extreme you have fraudsters who flat out lie to get peoples’ money and deliver nothing at all, or at least less than they promised.
Then there are those who “technically” aren’t lying, but intentionally trick people into misinterpreting their marketing messages.
Next are people who’ll deliver on their promises, but try to confuse you into buying more from them along with way.
Next are those who use annoying marketing techniques, but aren’t trying to trick you.
Then there are minimally disruptive techniques that to go so far as to be annoying.
Eventually you get to just-the-facts and only if you want to come look at them type marketing.
Some people will object to anything but the last category. Personally, I avoid annoying people (and am much less inclined to buy from people who annoy me), but even that, I wouldn’t call “unethical”.
Of course, that only covers one axis. There are also questions of what’s ethical in SEO, social media sites, etc. In those areas, I consider any technique that wastes someone else’s resources while making it more difficult for them to accomplish their goals in making those resources available to be unethical. For example, generating thousands of junk webpages in hopes of grabbing top search spots is an abusive waste of the search engines’ resources.
14th September, 2009 at 7:04 pm
No matter what you do, there will be a certain portion of the people who will dislike you or your actions.
We can’t please everyone. So, if we think what we are doing right and ethical, just go ahead and do it!
14th September, 2009 at 7:26 pm
The internet is global. I think rules of ethics are local at best. What we consider ethical or unethical marketing in America could be irrelevant in China or North Korea for example.
Sometimes, even cultural differences can be the basis for ethical incongruities.
Personally, I try to gauge who I’m dealing with and what they are pitching. So, Josh I give you a lot of credit because you seem sincere and honest, and what you have to offer is transparent and fair.
Most other internet marketers have that too good to be true or get-rich-quick thing going, which anyone ought to be able to detect from a mile away.
14th September, 2009 at 7:30 pm
We live in a society that lives by marketing. Marketing depends on emotions primarily, not on truth. The idea is to persuade, not inform. In marrketing and sales, information serves the process of persuasion; it is subordinate to it. A sales page is not an impartial presentation. For that, we have Consumer Reports. We really need a Consumer Reports for internet products, but since they depend on carrying out a process that takes time, such a service is unlikely.
Ethical marketing is aware that it manipulates emotions: the ethics comes in by not presenting false information or withholding facts that negate the benefits being presented. Above all it consists in presenting a good product with real value. If you could recommend what you are marketing or selling to your mom, dad, brother, sister, wife, husband, best friend, it is probably ethical marketing, because you have their best interests in mind, and not merely your interest. You are engaged in telling them about something you think will really help them in some way they need, and urging them to get it for their own good, and since they would be better off for having or knowing it than not.
14th September, 2009 at 8:19 pm
Josh, over the last few months I’ve unsubscribed from most of the other IM newsletters and lists I used to belong too because so many send nothing but junk or blatant sales pitches. I respect their right to make money, but they are more likely (and I’m not sure most of them understand this) to get it my money if they give me some reason to keep reading their messages.
14th September, 2009 at 8:33 pm
My number one gripe is hype. Inexperienced marketers hire top copywriters to help them write squeezepages only to find out their b.s. ebook or service is usually a re-hashed version or crappy service(s).
Number 2 is pop-ups. Hated them from the get-go. Intrusive and annoying. Forced Continunity is another big no-no! OTO are in my opinion ok.
Of course these are my opinons others may have a different view…
14th September, 2009 at 8:52 pm
As per normal, Josh, your comments were spot on, with one exception.
The OTO’s, email marketing and pop-ups are all right done with taste and circumstances (sent every once in a while for a good purpose).
But I take exception to Hype, as it allows me to ferret out the ner do wells and blood suckers, quickly and keep my trash bucket filled to over-flowing.
This is not to say all hype is bad, however, it does suggest that the copywriter, doesn’t have enough information on THAT particular product and without that good information MUST SUBSTITUTE, tripe, inuendo and fluff.
If someone can make an affirmative argument for those three characteristics, I would be amazed.
Finally, as to the merchants of deceit (continuity peddlers) should all be put up the closest wall and immediately shot.
Even though I don’t approve of hype, for the stated reasons, Hype can and often is written and done for innocent reasons. Continuity peddling, is ONLY done for deceitful reasons.
The two most common reasons for continuity sales is greed and ambivalance to your main point of this blog, ETHICS, of which a continuity peddler, has none!
I do not know at which decade it left the planet, but ethics used to be universal thuths, doing the right thing was just the right thing to do, there was no middle ground, it was either RIGHT or WRONG to do.
Now in the past few decades, ethics have become ethereal, like smoke, rather than knowing the RIGHT things to do, marketers, even people in general make up their own version(s) of “the RIGHT THING(S) to do” (given the proper set of circumstances, and just the right justification)!
Sorry for the RANT!
Ray
14th September, 2009 at 9:08 pm
I know the oto works, but personally I find it annoying, I have more respect for the ones who don’t try to flog me everything on the first encounter,
The pop ups also, drive me mad, but hey that’s me! after a while you see through the hype, well most of the time, I still fall for some but if the product does not live up to the Hype I ask for a refund….
14th September, 2009 at 9:38 pm
Good Day Josh,
My quick thoughts on this.
OTO’s I have no problems with one or two. After that they really annoy me.
Pop-ups – This only bother me when I keep seeing them. Like every time I visit this site. ( I will put up with them for I really enjoy your thoughts and ideas.)
Promotional emails – I love theses. It the best way to keep me inform on the lastest things.
Hype – It is over exaggerating for some and info for others. It is always a judgment call. But I rather have interesting hype then boring details.
14th September, 2009 at 9:43 pm
Whilst your post is to be applauded, there is a lot more to “ethical marketing” than this.
Ethics can be defined as moral laws that are above and beyond legislation. As such, they vary between people. And because they are not set in concrete, to criticize others is to force your values on them. This in itself is the cause of most conflict in our world today.
Whilst I agree with some of your comments, particularly in the area of forced continuity where it can be plain deceitful, the rest of the issues can most often be solved by clicking the red X at the top right of screen.
The nitty gritty of ethics in marketing go a lot deeper than the examples you have given above in my opinion. The most annoying thing I personally find on the internet are sales pages that lack a Privacy Policy, a Terms of Service, a Contact address and a Support page. I feel that these things are crucial to being ethical in marketing.
Of course, it is only my opinion and I don’t expect anyone to rush off and do so because I said so. That would be forcing my values on others..
Cheers,
Ric
15th September, 2009 at 12:10 am
I don’t mind being marketed to, and I learned to read the fine print a long time ago. The only thing that really irritates me is when the sales letter promises the world (and despite the hype I purchase the product), only to be hit with an OTO that suggests that the product I just paid for is inferior, and now I need to fork out twice as much for the full benefit. I don’t think so – - that’s a bad stategy, makes you want to get a refund before you’ve even looked at the product.
I do like the fact that your little popup thingy has a link that says “close this stupid thing” – - it feels good to click that!
15th September, 2009 at 12:26 am
Well done. I never doubted that you were ethical. Some of the other people though!
I’ve lost count of the number of Internet Marketing gurus out there. It seems like if you tell someone often enough and loud enough, you’ll catch some suckers.
I go by the old adage ‘If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.’
15th September, 2009 at 1:08 am
An excellent post Josh as my thinking is much the same. I wrote a post a while back in the same vein and I believe it is complimentary to your discussion so I hope you have no objections to my leaving a link to it here.
http://www.ademartin.com/online-biz-and-views/down-and-dirty-internet-marketing-basics-in-2009-part-1/
If anybody believes the ‘gurus’ are their friends it may be worth taking a look at the post.
Present day Internet marketing uses almost the exact same tactics as a used car salesman
The effectiveness is obvious, the morals are certainly questionable. The results for just about everybody is being caught in a never ending loop of “mind control c**p” with a product, (actually a system), that they continually have to throw money at.
It may be argued that the gurus have a vested interest in keeping people ignorant and in a state of anxiety about losing out on the ‘free’ dvd shipped right to their door for only $5.
This was the start of the system which lured people in and then blasted them with multiple OTO’s and ended up with a forced continuity product. It is so devious that people are actually exhausted at the end of the process and are not fully aware of what they have just done.
The system was designed and perfected by everybody’s lovable gurus who profess to help people and change lives. We all have to make judgments as to how we wish to treat our customers and what tactics we use to build our business.
Anyhow Josh, thanks for a great post.
Ade Martin
15th September, 2009 at 1:57 am
I was deceived by a very well-known internet marketer into signing up for a forced continuity program after opting in for a “free” CD. It was extremely sneaky.
The CD was crap, the marketer ended up getting a lot of bad press, and I opted out of his lists, and would never buy or recommend anything he sells to anyone anywhere.
This is not the type of marketer I aspire to be…
15th September, 2009 at 2:25 am
What sucks is getting into a list of a person you trust, then to have them recommend crap from their friends to you.
I also bookmark all those OTO’s just incase
It works sometimes and doesn’t others, just looking for a sham.
Ethics seems to have a hold on me when it comes to my business. I may try to scam people, but in the end I genuinely love to help people and making them happy makes me feel excellent. I think ethical marketing is the way to go, even though you can make money any way, I find the way that has the most longevity also is the path that allows you to put in less effort than a quick-rich spammy system that you have to work hard to produce over and over to get results.
15th September, 2009 at 3:42 am
Ray,
I’ll agree with your if you’re only talking about insufficiently disclosed forced continuity. But if the continuity program is clearly disclosed upfront, if unsubscribe requests are handled promptly, and if perhaps refunds are given when requested after the first continuity payment (since there’s always going to be someone who doesn’t read the big red blinking text that says “YOU’LL BE BILLED $27 EACH MONTH”), then I see no problem.
Surely, you can’t be saying ALL continuity programs are bad. There’s nothing wrong with my server co-location provider charging me monthly to have my server hooked up at their facility, DNS registrars charging me annually for domain registration services, apartment owners charging monthly rent, the phone company charging monthly for their service,etc. All of these are continuity programs.
If someone provides ongoing training and people want it enough to pay them for it monthly, there’s nothing inherently wrong with that. It’s only a problem if they extract money from people deceitfully or make them jump through hoops to cancel.
15th September, 2009 at 7:30 am
Yes Mark McD’s are the most unethical company on the planet (Maybe!)….. I have not eaten there by choice in quite a few years (someone grabbed me a snack from a few months ago and I ate it! Tasted pretty good).
I hate fake time sensitive offers that PROMISE they will never be shown again. Then when you go back just to see if they were lying….. turns out they were!
15th September, 2009 at 10:18 am
I agree completely with everything in this post.
I think the problem for many of us who do online marketing for a living is that we see things like OTO’s, upsells, downsells and other tricks so often that we feel we have ‘just about had it with them’, forgetting that the average Joe may even be genuinely surprised by something like an OTO.
As long as you don’t deliberately deceive people (like forced continuity, hidden unsubscribe buttons, blatantly lying about your product etc.) you are marketing ethically.
As for the the customer complaint you got I guess that is just something that goes with the territory. Some people always want to complain about something, no matter what you do. I know of a marketer who “deals” with these people by never ever allowing them to do business with him again. That seems to work for him, but I don’t think it is a good strategy in general.
15th September, 2009 at 11:00 am
I agree Josh. I believe a marketer becomes non-ethical when they deliberately do something (or don’t do something) that they know, in their heart of hearts, is likely to mislead someone in some way.
As long as you genuinely feel that what you are doing is likely to help your searcher, prospect or customer, and you present it clearly and transparently without trying to cover up, trick, or wear them down in some way, then in my view, and I believe most people’s view, that’s ethical, moral & honest.
No matter how ethical you are, though, you’ll still get the occasional ‘oddball’ who’ll find something to complain about whatever you do, but that’s just part of running a business!
15th September, 2009 at 12:17 pm
Life is about choices and as far as I know it is still a democracy so if people don’t like the marketing aspect of this business then get out!
Some of it is annoying and absolutely not ethical but that is what the delete button is for. People waste too much time bitching about stuff instead of actually working on their business and growing their income.
Trust your instincts, make sure not to fall into any scams and take control of your business and forget about all the other crap.
Thanks Josh, great post as always!
Jimmy Adames
15th September, 2009 at 12:49 pm
I agree with you for the most part (especially about forced continuity – yes, people should take responsibility & read the small print, but trying to hide the terms in the hope that they won’t notice what they’re committing to is still very unethical IMO). However, I don’t like hype, or at least not the really OTT variety – it just doesn’t sound believable to me, and unless the product is truly amazing (and let’s face it, even good products are rarely perfect), the customer is likely to feel some degree of let down afterwards, which will reflect badly on the marketer. I prefer to emphasise a product’s good points, but not to try to make it sound too good to be true. I guess that ‘hype’ is one of those things that means different things to different people though.
I also agree with Abdul’s point about false scarcity – if the customer comes back and discovers that they’ve been lied to (which is quite likely, since many people don’t buy on impulse, & will return to buy at a later date), that creates a terrible impression. After all, if a merchant is willing to lie about the product’s price or availability, what’s to say they’re not also lying about its content or quality? I hate this tactic, especially as its used by some merchants whose products I promote, and they’re excellent products too (I know because I’ve bought them) – it’s a shame to see otherwise apparently ethical people, who are providing a great product at a great price, use such a deceptive tactic.
Anyhow, this post is some good food for thought. I do affiliate marketing & don’t have any products of my own at this point, but if I ever do, I’m going to have to think carefully about my promotional strategies – I agree that most methods can be used for good or evil, but there are some lines I won’t cross, even if it means losing out on some extra sales.
15th September, 2009 at 5:20 pm
As most folks have said already, I’m very okay with OTOS after signing up for a free report BUT it pisses me off to see one after having paid for a product. Makes me wonder if the marketer isn’t satisfied with the hard earned dollars he just managed to squeeze out of me.
A downside to OTO are refunds. Some folks are talented in the art of punsihing internet marketers who use OTO.;) They sign up for every offer you send their way, download the products as fast as they can and then turn around and ask for a refund.
15th September, 2009 at 7:54 pm
Josh,
Thanks for publishing what all of us are thinking. I am a newbie & have just come out of my analysis paralysis phase. I only accept info from two IMarketers. The other commented above. I noticed that most of the offerings that I read were made by people that would have been involved with used cars or multi-level marketing a decade ago. It appears that moderation is still the key in your concerns.
15th September, 2009 at 11:54 pm
I must admit that there are some marketing techniques that really get my goat. I don’t think though that anyone who complains a lot about legitimate techniques will ever succeed at internet marketing. The four techniques you mentioned are just a part of how marketing online works. Marketers have to earn so how else do people expect them to?
In my book, you are one of the most honest and ethical marketers I have ever known. If I ever take off in the online world, I will have no qualms promoting your work for free. I’ve told a couple of people about you already because your free report alone has already helped me earn a little online.
16th September, 2009 at 4:50 pm
@Mark Mason: LMAO. That’s one bitter truth to swallow and I totally get where you’re coming from but then I still beg to differ. My purchasing a Big MAC, with 2 Large Pepsis and fries on the side, offers me immediate satisfaction. My hunger pang is taken care of and I’m able to kill the depression that might have triggered my desire for that amount of junk food in the first place. With MMO products, it can take as long as 3 – 6 months, to see return on my investment and you’re then bombarding me with every mmo product you have. Who hasn’t heard of information overload? That’s what OTOs cause on the long run.
P.S: This is just a newbies opinion
16th September, 2009 at 9:14 pm
@John Clokie: LMAO. Godaddy’s $1.99 domains adverts ALWAYS come with a load of side offers. It’s not about your country of residence. I’d recommend you try Hostgator for webhosting and Netfirms for $7.95 domain names. You won’t be bugged with OTOs.
@Kris: I got rid of them all just 3 weeks ago. Their useless emails land in my spam folder and get deleted every 4 days. This 4 days limit gives me plenty of time to check the spam folder for any legit mail that may have been tagged as spam.
@Paul: I hope you ain’t one of those who gets a crappy/re-hashed product and doesn’t ask for a refund.
@Antone Roundy: I agree with you that continuity ain’t a bad thing and can even help automate prompt bill payments etc.Forced continuity doesn’t bother me just yet as I make sure not to have enough money on my debit card after ordering a trial product so that in the event that I forget to cancel, I won’t be billed due to “insufficient funds’.;)
P.S: I’ve never seen any marketer who displays a bright red blinking text that says “YOU’LL BE BILLED $27 EACH MONTH”. This is ALWAYS in small font. The sneaky devils.
19th September, 2009 at 7:13 am
Proves once again that anger does you more harm than good.
I mean, valuable free information and an offer you CAN refuse. Why get angry ?
I always read OTOs, even MTOs.
@Mark Mason: I’m still chuckling about your comment. So funny!
But those are not OTOs, they are offered to you on each visit.
@Josh: Well, well, well. Do you really have the famous PotPieGirl on your list ?
30th September, 2009 at 8:21 am
#’s 2, 4, and 5 irk me to no end! I’ve completely given up on purchasing eBook and other “hyped” products because that’s all that they are…hype.
I’m all for making money by helping others do the same, but I’m also a firm believer in giving information without seeking any personal gain because for the most part, that’s how I got started — with the help of free information provided by more experienced marketers and of course good ‘ole trial and error.
As far as pop-ups go, well let’s just say I tend to stay away from places that have pop-ups that are nearly impossible to remove from my screen without scrolling through lines upon lines of text searching for a hidden “close” button.
16th October, 2009 at 3:46 pm
There are a lot of people that just like to complain for the sake of complaining.
My views on the matter: If there is something being offered for free… then the person that is giving away this free product or service has every right to include an advertisement for a paid product. This is not only ethical, but standard practice. Even offline, if a promotional product is given away for free, there is usually some form of advertising included with the promotional item that was just received for free — including a company logo/contact info.
As long as there is some way to by-pass the paid product or service offering I see no problem with these being offered with “free” giveaways.
18th October, 2009 at 12:21 pm
People can be uneducated in the field of Internet Marketing. It’s easy to simply pass it off as another “scam”, when in reality it’s provided many with a very helpful avenue of extra income.
Through my own IM experiences, I’ve also questioned myself regarding the ethics of Internet Marketing and have banned myself from doing certain things that might be considered sort of stupid:
1. I don’t use Digg to get pages on my websites/blogs ranked quickly. Digg is used to get up interesting and quirky news seen, not to get your squidoo lens indexed ASAP.
2. I’m not into article spinners. Article submission automators are also sort of iffy to me as well. If they’re really so effective, then why doesn’t everyone use them? I also get the vibe that Google’s got them figured out.
I see myself as an Internet Marketer with integrity. Is that important to anyone else either? Or does anyone else do what I do concerning social bookmarking/article marketing? I’m interested on your thoughts.
2nd November, 2009 at 2:22 am
[...] to help people and spends his free time doing just that. Josh wrote a great post titled, “What is Ethical Internet Marketing. In it, he details some of the key concepts and ideas that I want to build my new business [...]
2nd November, 2009 at 1:37 pm
We can’t please everyone. So, if we think what we are doing right and ethical, just go ahead and do it!