Do You Have To Lie? Being Genuine When Promoting Products Online
MLM and Internet marketing have a bad name. Talk to anybody who does not run an Internet business and you will hear the same old complaints - you can't trust it, you can't make money online, it's a scam, it's full of lies.
Despite the criticisms, trying to earn money online is popular. A recent survey claimed that about 40 million people worldwide will try to enter this business during the next three to five years.
Yet there is still this stigma attached to something you and I know can be a legitimate business.
It was my wife's comment that prompted me to write this article. She knows about Amway and some other marketing methods and asked me - do you have to lie?
With my background in journalism and an ingrained feeling that I have to tell the truth and present the facts, I tried to explain to her how Internet marketing ought to work and how I would never lie to make a buck.
As I explained to her, the Internet marketing and MLM waters have been muddied by the hucksters who do lie and make outrageous claims to make a buck - or many thousands. Not all the claims you see bandied about of being able to make a six-figure income or more are lies. Many can be backed up. But things have got to the point where it is hard to know what to trust and what to delete as spam.
I argued that I don't need to lie with the products and companies I am involved in because I know they are good ones and that the opportunity and the results people are having speak for themselves. No need for me to make outrageous claims. Show people what I and others are doing so that they can make a decision.
But it is troubling that this "making money online" field is so dogged by criticism. It is a pity that people have to hype things up so much that it is hard to know whether it is fact or fiction.
It is also a problem because so many companies that provide Internet or related services have been clamping down on anything that smacks of spam or exaggerated claims. Google AdWords, for example, has got super strict in what it allows to be advertised, in some cases blocking affiliate ads that marketers would claim are legitimate. You've probably heard of at least one payments company that has closed down accounts without notice because they did not favor the method of marketing. Controls of some sort are probably necessary but it makes it hard for what could be termed legitimate marketers to operate effectively.
Is there a way to deal with all the lies and hype? I am not sure if there is. But it is certainly damaging the image of the Internet marketing business.
Despite the criticisms, trying to earn money online is popular. A recent survey claimed that about 40 million people worldwide will try to enter this business during the next three to five years.
Yet there is still this stigma attached to something you and I know can be a legitimate business.
It was my wife's comment that prompted me to write this article. She knows about Amway and some other marketing methods and asked me - do you have to lie?
With my background in journalism and an ingrained feeling that I have to tell the truth and present the facts, I tried to explain to her how Internet marketing ought to work and how I would never lie to make a buck.
As I explained to her, the Internet marketing and MLM waters have been muddied by the hucksters who do lie and make outrageous claims to make a buck - or many thousands. Not all the claims you see bandied about of being able to make a six-figure income or more are lies. Many can be backed up. But things have got to the point where it is hard to know what to trust and what to delete as spam.
I argued that I don't need to lie with the products and companies I am involved in because I know they are good ones and that the opportunity and the results people are having speak for themselves. No need for me to make outrageous claims. Show people what I and others are doing so that they can make a decision.
But it is troubling that this "making money online" field is so dogged by criticism. It is a pity that people have to hype things up so much that it is hard to know whether it is fact or fiction.
It is also a problem because so many companies that provide Internet or related services have been clamping down on anything that smacks of spam or exaggerated claims. Google AdWords, for example, has got super strict in what it allows to be advertised, in some cases blocking affiliate ads that marketers would claim are legitimate. You've probably heard of at least one payments company that has closed down accounts without notice because they did not favor the method of marketing. Controls of some sort are probably necessary but it makes it hard for what could be termed legitimate marketers to operate effectively.
Is there a way to deal with all the lies and hype? I am not sure if there is. But it is certainly damaging the image of the Internet marketing business.
Julian Gearing is a web entrepreneur, media expert, trainer and journalist. He is working on material to help people make the most of working online and web creativity. His personal website can be found here - http://juliangearing.com His main affiliate program can be found here - http://effective-marketing-online.com
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