Today's Blog - Ethics in Affiliate Marketing

[positivecarry]

I actually do tend to think twice about products that I promote and do ethical research(efficacy of the product, and social consequences of a sale.)

I believe that affiliates can make a large social change in the world, if they start to demand reputable programs. The first market that comes to mind when I talk about this is debt repair. Two extremely popular debt programs, that are endorsed by two wealthy, very well known affiliates, are horrible programs, that do not help the buyer at all. These programs just prolong the suffering associated with debt.

When I was looking to promote these products, I simply searched their names(the company names) in Google, followed by scam, lawsuit, etc, and there were 100s, if not thousands, of results discussing just how duplicitous and incompetent these organizations were. Obviously, a very large percentage of affiliate marketing sales are funded by debt, and this is not going to change anytime soon. But, what should change, if you truly believe that their is a place for ethics in this business, is who you hold in high esteem, praise, and promote. If we collectively applaud people who are shrewd business people who promote junk, then that is what the industry will become, shrewd business people who promote junk.

Getting more ethical programs to convert is going to be harder in some markets, like debt, because an ethical program in this market is going to be more expensive for the consumer. However, these programs should also pay a higher commission, and engender positive word of mouth, resulting in easier conversions. If we have no alternatives, then we will promote the garbage; we need money to live, and if we don't get it, most people will just put you down. So, if anyone is in a position to approach reputable companies and people, about introducing ethical affiliate programs the industry would obviously benefit. Ebay's recent move to make it more difficult to sell e-books may be analogous to what is going to happen if affiliate marketing as an industry continues to promote one hit wonders that produce customer outrage, and regulatory back lash.

People blame networks, then they blame products, and then they blame people.

We need some more ethical role models.

 

[Linda Buquet]

Hi positivecarry,

So nice to know someone reads my blog and starts the conversation over here at the forum. Normally I copy most blog entries over here for discussion, but had stuff come up today and never got time. So this is a little backward, but I'm so glad you weighed in on ethics. I think it's really important to think about the long term effects that can come from not marketing with integrity.

TODAY's BLOG

Affiliates are you Funding Virtual Blight?

This is a great article and a really good analogy that illustrates the point that dishonest marketing tactics accumulate to negatively impact all of us. It goes beyond the notion of "polluting the pond" to show the effects that this pollution can have on all of our businesses.

I see this article relating to affiliate marketing on both sides of the equation. Both affiliates and merchants need to be diligent about cleaning up or not contributing to the garbage that is lowering the value of our online neighborhoods. See below the quote for my thoughts...
<blockquote><strong><a href="http://searchengineland.com/080324-083038.php">Online Marketers: Stop Funding Virtual Blight</a></strong> - "Urban blight is easy to recognize: seedy liquor stores and payday lenders on alternating corners, trash-strewn lots and front yards, graffitti-covered buildings, crumbling sidewalks, broken glass, and billboards everywhere you look. Websites afflicted with virtual blight are just as easy to spot: banners promising hot sexy singles and cheating spouses, pornography and Viagra, payday loans and OEM prices on Adobe's Creative Suite 3, all bombarding us with offers that are ethically suspect and often illegal.

The devastation of urban blight is well documented. Residents flee, businesses move out, and property values plummet; the only people left are the ones who cannot afford to live anywhere else. The damage done by Virtual Blight goes well beyond the devaluation suffered by the site owner. The real damage is in the perception of the Internet as a trustworthy medium, a safe place to do business and promote your brand...

The public is bombarded with sensational stories of scams and hackers, the allegation that the web is full of disinformation, scams, viruses, and criminals. These messages are reinforced by the evidence of blight we are presented with every day." </blockquote>
So how does this all relate to affiliate marketing? Both affiliates and merchants need to be diligent about cleaning up our industry up, starting right in their own backyard.

<strong>Affiliates need to self police the offers they run. Are they honest? Would you want your Mom to see what you are promoting or sign up for that free trial that is going to keep hitting her credit card every month? Would you encourage your best friend to click and take advantage of that payday loan or install that spyware/malware that you know will muck up his computer, but pays you per install? If you are running offers that you don't think are ethical, you are not only polluting the web, but encouraging more banner blindness, banner blocking software, consumer distrust and lowering everyone's clickthrough and conversion rates.</strong>

Merchants and advertisers need to be sure your marketing dollars aren't going to scrapers, scammers or spammers.

<strong>Market with integrity and everyone wins!</strong>