How many internet marketing ebooks and courses have you purchased in the past six months? If the answer is more than 2 then honestly evaluate how many of those courses offered truly unique content or a fresh perspective that you had never heard or considered before watching the course or reading the ebook. Probably very few of them. Some internet marketers sell you methods that they haven’t made a profit from. Do you want to know how many of them made their money? They made money online by selling you a product on how to make money online.
Please don’t get me wrong, I’m certainly not discouraging anyone from buying or creating a genuinely helpful, well written ebook about making money online.
So what’s my issue? My issue, and boy are there many, is when the author knowingly has had nominal, if any success implementing the methods they are teaching. Here are the top 5 things wrong in internet marketing today and how you can avoid them:
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Rehash, Rinse, Repeat
Many of these internet marketing experts simply take information found in one successful ebook and market it as something new and glamorous they discovered and are now so eager to share it with you, for a price. It rarely happens that a “new” discovery is made online.
How to avoid the trap: It’s really difficult. Fortunately for you if you find the product to be substandard, Clickbank (where most internet marketing products are sold) is very good about issuing refunds.
Fake Reviews
One of the most upsetting things in internet marking are the false reviews.
What is a false review?
A false review is a review written by someone who has never actually used the product but writes articles on how amazing/powerful/insightful they find the product and why you will too if you buy through their affiliate link. That person also almost never discloses their affiliate connection to the product. It’s in that persons best financial interest to present the product in a good light because if you purchase it through their affiliate link, they get a commission.
How to avoid the trap:
What these reviewers fail to understand is that even bad reviews sell! Believe me, I know. I can’t count how many times I have given a product a negative review only for someone to purchase the item through my affiliate link anyway. So maintain your integrity and give an honest review.
If the site doesn’t have a disclosure or disclaimer page present, yet you recognize the link to be an affiliate link (most links on review sites are) then you should skip that site and buy the product directly through the merchant (and again, you can always return it if you don’t like.)
Never Ending Sales Copy
You’ve seen the never ending sales copy. It usually begins, “Dear Friends” or something like that even though you don’t know the site owner from the stranger at the next table in Starbucks.
It goes on until your scrolling finger begins to cramp and is riddled with images of successful account summaries courtesy of Photoshop. Maybe it has that traditional internet marketing guru site: unsightly big red headlines, yellow highlighted text, and promises that if you buy this product, you will be Rich! Rich! Rich! It’s obnoxious.
How to avoid the trap:
When you see yellow highlighting and big red or black letters run away. Click the x box or back button. You might get trapped by the “But wait… don’t go… order now and receive my bonuses!” pop-up. Then you’re confused because you don’t know if you should hit “okay” or “cancel.” Hit “okay” to get out of there fast.
False Scarcity
Everything, and I mean Everything is wrong with false scarcity. Some people even begin their product launch with false scarcity claiming that only 250 copies are available so you better act fast! The they continue to update the list through the week while their product is still hot yet in 6 or 7 months when you go back to visit that site, the product is still available.
How to avoid the trap:
Unless it’s a tangible good (something you can physically hold in your hands), avoid buying a product with scarcity claims. How can a digital product have limited availability? Does that make sense to you?
Your Lack of Action
The biggest problem, the most prevalent problem in internet marketing, is your lack of action. Your consumption and lack of action is making other people rich. Put some of the stuff you’ve read and watched into action.
How to avoid the trap:
Find an hour or two a week to read or watch one of the products you’ve downloaded. Have a pen and paper handy to write detailed notes. Now go implement what you’ve learned.
Now that you’ve learned how to avoid falling into the things that are wrong in internet marketing, you can go forth with your new found knowledge and prosper in internet marketing.
I’ve studied internet marketing for over three years. I’ve made a decent profit, nothing to write an ebook about, but it’s been a decent living. I’ve reviewed many internet marketing products in my time. I’ve watched a few great ones, some pretty good ones, and many not worth the price paid, which is more than monetary (you can never get back the time spent watching horrible and uninformative marketing videos.)
On May 12th, I will post a compilation of the best and worst Deadbeat Millionaire Reviews. The Deadbeat Millionaire Review sources are some of the most reputable reviewers of internet marketing products.
