Transparent Internet Marketing

I got an email today from a fairly well known internet marketer offering 12 private label products. There’s nothing special in that, except the marketer gave a discount code which effectively reduced the price to zero.

“Cool” you might think…

I’m somewhat sceptical, so I was in no hurry to blindly follow the sales process to it’s conclusion. Good thing too, the sales page led to an Amember signup page (which immediately got my radar going on overdrive) and here’s the “small print”:

Total $97 then $97monthly

Ouch!

I class that as deceptive marketing, and I’m pretty sure you feel the same way and would much rather purchase from transparent internet marketers (your subscribers will feel the same way).

So if you run a paid membership site and feel the need to offer a one month discount on the paid subscription to your subscribers, tell them it’s a one month discount… Don’t let anybody think they are getting some free products and then hit them with a paid subscription in the small print.

In fact if you are going to give away free products, give them away with no strings attached. Sure you can ask for an email address, but make it known that the products are not normally free, and you’re doing this one time as a special for your subscribers.

If the products are part of a monthly paid membership, don’t give them away. Offer the first month at a discount, but make your new members pay something because it sets the tone for future payments, and gets them into the routine of paying for each month.

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