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New FTC guideline, the death of affiliate marketing?

by NicholasX
21 replies
Fellow Warriors.

I am totally freaked out about the new FTC guideline for affiliate. DX
Is it the death of affiliate marketing?

Please tell me how to deal with the new FTC guideline.
I would love to know.
#affiliate #death #ftc #guideline #marketing
  • Profile picture of the author tpw
    Not the death of Affiliate Marketing.

    There is nothing to fear unless you are lying, cheating and stealing. ;-)

    Watch the video interview with a FTC Lawyer here: FTC (Federal Trade Commission) Clarifies New Internet Marketing, Blogging & Affiliate Advertising Guidelines With Jim Edwards |
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    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
      Banned
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      • Profile picture of the author Tony Dean
        Affiliate marketing is not dead. The FTC are after the scammers on the internet who give false promises and false hopes.
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  • Profile picture of the author grumpyjacksa
    after the ftc has cleared out all the rubbish, the rest of us should find it easier to do business....

    i think

    and i also hope it's not just a fiery start and no follow-through....


    just my 0.02c

    pj
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    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
      Banned
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      • Profile picture of the author Jeremy Kelsall
        Yes, affiliate marketing is dead.
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        • Profile picture of the author grumpyjacksa
          Originally Posted by Jeremy Kelsall View Post

          Yes, affiliate marketing is dead.
          now that you put it that way....

          you may find this veeeery interesting....

          there is a blog host locally (nice wp platform...)

          whose owner believes that ALL of the products sold on Clickbank are rubbish.

          he also seems to think that affiliate marketing = network marketing = mlm = pyramid schemes... = SCAM

          had some pretty interesting emails exchanged form him.....

          after he locked a PR 3 blog because one of the articles (from eza) linked to a page that included a banner for a network marketing company....

          he would be sooo happy to hear you say that....

          but i guess since what we do here is all just scams in his eyes, he does not really visit often....

          mmm.....

          pj
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          • Profile picture of the author Kevin Riley
            Oh please, tell me we aren't returning to the "Death Of ...." days. They were annoying and stupid the first time around.
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            Kevin Riley, long-time Warrior living in Osaka, Japan

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            • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
              You know what?

              This whole topic is starting to make me sick to my stomach.

              Affiliate marketing is not dead.

              This is a chance for the hungry affiliates to rise above the rest of the rat
              pack.

              Take advantage of the FTC BS.

              Offer bonuses for buying from your link.

              Don't have an actual physical bonus?

              No problem.

              Offer your time, support, whatever. Offer something that nobody else can
              offer (you) and wait until you see how many more sales you make.

              I do this all the time and rake it in like gangbusters.

              And the few blogs I had where I didn't do this, I just updated them and
              now will make even more money.

              When people feel that they are getting more value than just the product
              itself, they are going to buy from you.

              That's what separates the lazy affiliates from those of us who don't mind
              putting in a little bit of work.

              Not only am I not concerned about this new ruling, I welcome it.

              It means more money in my pocket.
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              • Profile picture of the author Ram
                Offer a freebie, build a list, build relationships, recommend products. You don't have to make outrageous claims, use dicey testimonials, etc. Affiliate marketing is alive and well.
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  • Profile picture of the author Major_Lazer
    Hey, I'm just wondering. Is it written somewhere? Or do I have to watch the interview?
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  • Profile picture of the author David McKee
    The FTC regulations are mainly for those they do not like, which means if you become wildly successful and then do not support the causes they endorse they will probably come after you, however their definition of wildly successful is probably more than most on this website are thinking about making - they are looking for big fish. As I have almost no confidence in the government actually going after scammers per-se', I suspect that will not change much either, because that is not the real intent of those in power - it's just the words they use to make you think so. In other words, if they were to apply the "standards" they expound in these new "regulations" to themselves, they would have to throw themselves in jail for violating those standards - but of course those in government never mean for the regulations they expound to apply to them.

    We may hope, perhaps, that snake-oil salesmen such as Kevin Trudeau stop appearing on late night TV...

    -DTM
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    Are you an affiliate marketer? My site has tons of free stuff and 14,000 pages of Clickbank research. www.affiliatesledgehammer.com
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  • Profile picture of the author rapidscc
    We'll see in a couple of days the real effect of the new guidelines of the FTC.

    I just hope that it will not have a negative effect on the Internet marketing industry. After all, a lot of people are making their living off of the internet.

    By the way, the new guidelines were just against false review I believe. However, one of the things required of Internet marketers selling make money products is for them to also give a proof of the average result. I think it's this one that's hard to produce.

    I've seen several top marketers bid farewell already and one of them mentioned that it was due to the new FTC guidelines. It makes me wonder what the real effects of the new guidelines will be..I guess we'll know in a few more days..

    Still hoping for the best, especially that Christmas is coming.

    Omar
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  • Profile picture of the author MarkAse
    If anything, I think these new regulations help those of us on this forum that are doing things the right way and not trying to cheat people out of their money. Less competition= more sales.
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  • Profile picture of the author dadvocate
    Originally Posted by NicholasX View Post

    Fellow Warriors.
    Please tell me how to deal with the new FTC guideline.
    I would love to know.
    Launch your own product.
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    "If you don't build your dream, someone will hire you to help build theirs." ~Tony Gaskins

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  • Profile picture of the author jabnamedia
    I just hope they spend just as much time and energy enforcing these new rules on other forms of media like TV, Radio and Print.
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  • Profile picture of the author TelegramSam
    I hope it puts out of business anyone who lies, cheats, scams or just exaggerates.

    For example, I see Courses and E-books for sale or recommended on the Warrior Forum that talk about making up stories to sell products etc.

    Some of these marketers are well known and yet they basically advise people to lie when creating review sites or blogs to promote the product.

    I think and I hope that the rules scare off the people that try to take shortcuts and mislead people.

    Then the cream will rise to the top and their hard working, ethical efforts will be rewarded.

    I am no fan of governemnt intervention, bureaucracy, or the FTC.

    But there are so many people trying to fake it online and take people's hard earned money in cruel ways that I hope they make some serious examples of people that do this.

    Realise that ultimately jail awaits you if you con people.

    If your mom or grandma read your sales copy or blogs, would they believe what you had written?

    Sam
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  • Profile picture of the author sellingonline
    Although I understand what you are referring to, story-telling is not equal to being a liar

    It's an effective copywriting technique to craft a story around an offer, but you never say that these are facts, usually there are many occurences of "imagine" in those stories.

    All can be pushed too far though, it's common sense really. If you don't feel you would feel good about it, don't do it.
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  • Profile picture of the author armadillo
    I personally am sick to death of seeing the headline, "The Death of This," and "The Death of That."
    I've been actively trying to kill Disco since 1978, and you can see how that has been going....
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  • Profile picture of the author Davion Wong
    There are generally 2 new rules that affect affiliates. By complying with them, it should be safe. I am not a lawyer, so please just take this as a personal opinion.

    1. Product Endorsements - If you are endorsing a product, state clearly that you are compensated with a commission.

    2. Testimonials - If you use testimonials, then state the "actual average result". This is hard to quantify since more people won't know what is the average result. Best way to avoid the dilemma is "Don't use testimonials". Anyway, testimonials are not necessary to make sales.

    Also, I don't think they are going to come after testimonials that say "I really like your product. It is easy to use", "I love your packaging. It is nice, blah blah blah" kind of comments.

    Strictly avoid those that state "I made $99999 in 1 hour using your program..."

    Frankly, the testimonial part is going to kill all the "big boys" and the scammers since they are using so many fake testimonials. LOL!
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    • Profile picture of the author David McKee
      Originally Posted by Davion Wong View Post

      There are generally 2 new rules that affect affiliates. By complying with them, it should be safe. I am not a lawyer, so please just take this as a personal opinion.

      1. Product Endorsements - If you are endorsing a product, state clearly that you are compensated with a commission.

      2. Testimonials - If you use testimonials, then state the "actual average result". This is hard to quantify since more people won't know what is the average result. Best way to avoid the dilemma is "Don't use testimonials". Anyway, testimonials are not necessary to make sales.
      Frankly I don't think the FTC has much of a case against affiliates anyway based on the fact that the affiliate has no real stake in the product and in most cases copies the testimonials from other sites or from the product site. Lots of people are "compensated with a commission" and it is generally understood but not explicitly stated. The salesgirl at the mall pushing perfume is compensated with a commission but does not have a sign on her that says so. I see a lot of legal wrangling where first amendment rights and other such things rear up and smack back at these rulings.

      I look at affiliate marketing as "middle man" marketing: Just a person who wants to make a buck by connecting ready buyers with ready sellers. As such the burden still lies with the buyer and seller - the commission is based solely on if a sale is made, which is a contract only between those two parties - the affiliate simply provides a service to that end. Therefore liability does not lie with the affiliate.

      -DTM
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      Are you an affiliate marketer? My site has tons of free stuff and 14,000 pages of Clickbank research. www.affiliatesledgehammer.com
      Buy a Freedom Bulb! Don't let the government tell you what kind of light bulb you can use!
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