Internet Marketing- Exposing the Myths, Lies, and Half Truths of Internet Marketing Campaigns
Discover the truth behind the claims of Brighter Teeth, Slimmer Bodies and Fat Paychecks toted by popular internet marketing campaigns. In this short review, we expose 3 of the internets most successful internet marketing campaigns, and why they work.
Number 1: Brighter Teeth- The Myth
If you’ve been searching for a teeth whitening system you may have come across a very official looking web page toting claims that a single mother “accidently” found a whitening system for free.
The web page resembles a Newspaper complete with pictures of ABC, CBS and NBC logos stating “As Seen on TV” just above the “News Story” of the lovely single mom, and her terrific story of finding the “Secret” to a Brighter Smile.
Within her story, she reveals the names of the two tooth-pastes she accidently combined to achieve her beautiful white smile, and even gives you the web addresses because the companies are giving away free samples, you only need to pay for shipping.
Sounds innocent enough.
Why is it a Myth?
When you come upon this ad, scroll to the bottom of the page. There you will find, in small letters, a disclaimer that reads, “This story is fictional and meant for entertainment purposes only”
Why Does it Work?:
You only get the two “Free” samples of tooth paste after you give them your credit card information. They say you’re card will not be charged for 30 days, knowing most people forget to bother with cancelling a 5.00 future credit card commitment, so the recipient will continue to receive their toothpaste via the mail until they cancel.
Number 2: Slimmer Bodies- The Lie
This story runs almost verbatim to the story of the mom with the white smile. It goes something like this, “Overweight Girl Accidently Discovers Fat Loss Secret and Loses 60 Pounds in 2 Months!”
The web page looks just as official as the teeth whitening page, it even has the same ABC, CBS and NBC “As Seen On TV” Marketing ads just above the overweight girls story. (It’s probably even written by the same internet marketing campaign company)
This time the story is about two vitamin supplements, that when combined, equal super fast weight loss results. She even gives personal photos of her results!
I had to laugh out loud at that one.
When you come across this ad, take a good look at the before and after pictures. If you look closely you’ll see they are not even the same person. Unless she was also selling a Fat Tattoo Removal System!
Why is this one a lie?
First, losing 60 pounds in 2 months is not only unhealthy, it’s practically impossible, unless you’ve just given birth and we’re talking about baby weight.
Why Does it Work?:
Internet Marketers prey on peoples desires and hopes, and when they offer a 30 day money back guarantee, the people who are frustrated with their weight will usually jump right on board.
Again, the internet Marketer knows he will get 2 to 3 months of commissions based on his referral before the “mark” discovers the magical vitamins don’t really work as well as described in the marketing campaign.
Number 3: Fat Paychecks Online
I hate to admit it, but this one even sucked us in.
The program is called Maverick Money Makers and promised we could “Make $4,725.00 In One Month”. It came with a 30 day money back guarantee, so we figured with this one we would give it a shot and if it was full of bull, we’d dump it on day 29.
Once we downloaded the program, admittedly, we were pretty amazed at the amount of information contained within. It had something like 500 hours of audio from a “Guru” named Mack Michaels explaining the techniques he has used to amass fortunes for himself, and his loyal followers.
He even dressed up a few hours of the audio with Tony Robbins and other inspirational speakers.
So, now being totally inspired, (More by Tony than Mack) we followed the Maverick Money Making system to the letter, and of course fell short of the aforementioned $4,725.00 a month.
Our first month was more like (Exactly) $937.32. That amount still sounds like a decent paycheck, but let me tell you how many hours we put in to make $937.32.
We devoted 10 hours a week over a 4 week period for a combined total of 40 hours.
Why is this one a 1/2 Truth?
Actually, it’s a 1/3 truth if you do the math. We would have to work a complete 40 hour week to achieve the results Mack describes.
Also, most of the information in Maverick Money Makers can be found through research on the internet. Yes, Mack put it all in one place and added some inspirational speeches, but all the same, someone with a bit of internet marketing savvy could also pull up the info in time on their own.
Although I am sure Mack would argue that we could also build our own cars, but buying one is faster and easier.
Why Does it Work?
People want a quick fix to their financial worries, so knocking down a few bucks on a credit card they can cancel in 30 days is a risk they are willing to take.
The catch is it will take 90 days to completely go through the Maverick Money Making system because the volume of information is enormous and takes time to study.
So, Mack knows he gets at least 3 months pay, but again I will concede, if you have no internet marketing experience, his program would probably be worth your initial investment.
In closing, be wary of Internet Marketing campaigns and always read the fine print, and if you do decide to try one of the 30 day money back guarantees, remember to cancel on day 29!
Tom Palmieri is a Senior Writer and Editor of the Green Business Opportunity where he shares Secret Internet Marketing Strategies with new Internet Marketers. Please visit: http://tinyurl.com/ya494fn
