Get Rich Quick Scams
All the latest Scams Revealed!
|
Want to learn about legitimate ways to make extra
money? Get the facts in the free guide to
|
|
Misleading Marketing Methods Exposed
By Shelley Lockwood
When I first started out online.....you know when I was a "newbie", I fell for so many misleading marketing tactics.
Took a while before it started to sink in.
All I wanted to do was start my own online business. I knew nothing about it. So I had to research it, right? Oh my goodness I ran into some of the most carefully crafted marketing traps around.
I'm not talking about actual scams (that's for other articles), I'm talking about sneaky tactics like one day only sales that don't really expire at midnight or get a bonus by referring others but hidden down way deep in the fine print are all kinds of hoops that need to be jumped through first.
What makes it particularly confusing is that these are legitimate marketing tactics BUT they're taken to the extreme.
Any effective sales letter or ad copy contains calls to action (buy now, sign up today, hurry before) after all that's why it exists, to present benefits and get you to make a purchase. I have no problem with that. It's a fantastic technique offering a discount (creating a sense of urgency) to boost sales. That's great as long as I am truly saving money.
That's business, period. Using sales & marketing techniques that produce sales and generate leads.
Referral fees can be a win-win. You try something you like it, you tell others about it. Why not say thanks or encourage happy customers to spread the word by sharing a portion of the profit.? Word of mouth has been and always will be one of the most effective forms of marketing on the planet.
But what these people do is stretch the truth to the limit or outright lie. When the sale expiration date changes every 24 hours and the so called "discount or sale price" is never ending it's not really a sale at all. Implying it is, is just outright dishonest.
Psyching people up to spread the word by quoting outrageous earning potential; implying it's as simple as getting people to open a new account (all the while knowing there's a lot more involved) is just plain deceitful.
As with scam artists I believe these people are the minority. That the majority of businesses offering a discounted price truly are discounting their price to boost sales over a set period of time. When offering an introductory price with the possibility of increase really are testing the market value of their product. Not just selling at what's always been their regular price and calling it something else to stimulate business.
Unless it's an outright scam, as a consumer it doesn't really impact me financially; I paid the price I chose to pay. If I recommend something I do it primarily because I truly believe in the product; a referral fee is just a bonus.
I prefer to do business with and refer people to honest individuals and businesses. What is affected is my ability to trust.
It's legitimate businesses who are hurt most by these tactics. A lot of effort goes into creating genuine but effective marketing campaigns. They have to keep finding ways to compete with a bunch of hype. Reality is a much harder sell.
Check out what others are saying Feedback.
Other Articles:
Misleading Marketing Methods Exposed
misleading marketing tactics exposed at last
Have you ever been mouse-trapped?
My SFI experience
A sneaky spamming method revealed.
Free Gifts that are promised after the sale are a thing to watch out for
Here's a dishonest marketing method.
An article explaining internet spam and how to escape it
ebay scam alert beware of fake escrow services
Telephone bill cramming scams explained
Look out for the "local singles" 800 cramming scam
Watch out for this order scam!
Look out for these prepaid subscription or free magazine scams.
Beware this misleading method called domain slamming commonly used by many domain registrars.
How a small rebate check in the mail turned out to be an ISP scam.
Ever entered a sweepstakes draw and ended up with a monthly bill?
Don't be "crammed" by this website trial scam.
Scam Articles:
Home assembly scams revealed
The truth about medical billing scams.
Envelope stuffing scams revealed
My own personal story about how I was scammed into buying a franchise.
Avoid online and work from home scams
Beware scam artists posing as drop shippers
Misleading campaign and the $5 solution.
Work at home scam alert Fake suppliers exposed!
A chainletter by any other name is still a chainletter. Chain letter scams revealed
Beware this so called lawyer approved biz op
Avoid online and work from home scams.
Those e-mails you get promoting foreign lotteries are scams
Spam revealed how scams arriving by bulk e-mail hurt everyone.
The do not spam registry scam exposed
Some suggested techniques for dramatically reducing the amount of spam you receive from your website e-mail addresses.
The 12 scams most likely to arrive via spam e-mail
Beware ecards may be delivering more than you bargained for
Find out just some of the ways spammers harvest email addresses
email scam revealed beware ebay second chancers
Beware the cable descrambler spam scam.
Unless you are protected your digital products can easily be downloaded for free.
Beware domain registry scam artists
Our domain name and website were held hostage. Read all about it so you can make sure it doesn't happen to you.
2004 fraud trends FTC report
According to the FTC these were the top 10 consumer complaint categories in 2003
Some interesting numbers about e-consumer complaint trends from April 2001 to June 2002.
Do you know how well you are protected when using your credit card to make online payments?
Credit card scams explained
A brief outline of the consumer fraud complaint trends for 2001, 2002 & 2003
What is online phishing? Learn the warning signs
Beware when posting your resume online.
Spoofing or Phishing scams are on the rise. Read about them and learn how not to be scammed by them.
Article about an AOL e-mail hoax that floated around.
Self defense tips for seniors to avoid investment scams
Learn how to spot internet investment scams versus real investment opportunities
Links to all kinds of articles about scammers being busted
Are you a safe cyber surfer? Read these important pointers and make sure.
Attention to All Scamsters
This section is dedicated to spreading the awareness of computer viruses and how to stop them.
It's not bad enough we have to worry about viruses, we also have to try and figure out which ones are real viruses and which ones are only hoaxes.
Federal Trade Commission Consumer Feature
MLM Articles
The opinions on MLM ops vary. Here are just a few!
MLM opinions vary, some love it, some hate it, some think it's an outright scam. Check out some of our MLM poll results.
A person's views on MLM
Commentary: The Truth About MLM Programs
Checklist to use before joining an MLM op
How Ponzi Schemes and Pyramid Frauds Work
Editorial Reviews: Amway Motivational Organizations: Behind the Smoke and Mirrors
Discover the dirty little marketing tricks online home business opportunities are using to take your money!
Federal Trade Commission Consumer Alert
Discover the dirty little marketing tricks online home business opportunities are using to take your money!
Read William's personal struggle promoting Imagine 2020 only to never receive his commissions.
People share their Imagine2020 experiences
Robert L. Fitzpatrick discusses Multi-level marketing
|