If you’ve spent more than ten seconds online in the past five years, you’ve probably noticed an internet marketing strategy we’ll call the “blogging scam.” It’s basically a translation of direct marketing tactics to the internet, where the hard copy sales letter is replaced by a one-page website with the sole purpose of getting you to buy an electronic product, often an ebook, or sign up for a mailing list, where you can be marketed to over and over.
Nothing illegal or heinous about it – except that there are so many people out there pushing information of dubious quality. If you happen to stumble across one of these sales blogs, they’re easy to spot. Here’s how.
1. The text occupies one column in the center of the page. This is an old direct mail trick designed to keep your eyes and mind free from distractions. Normally, you’ll be given a pop-up box offering the riches of the world in return for your email address. You know what happens next.
2. A super-sized headline at the top of the page containing such a ridiculous claim you have to read more. Something like, “Iowa Farmer Uncovers Secret Google Backdoor Code Etched In Cowpie. Make THOU$ANDS Daily Doing Absolutely Nothing!” Sound good? Of course it does. Factual? Not so much.
3. There will always be bullet points – often seven of them. This is supposed to add credibility to the outrageous headline.
4. A picture of an attractive young man lounging on a beach in sunglasses. Included throughout the letter will also be pictures of expensive sports cars, ostentatious houses, and palm trees. And don’t forget the pretty sunsets. All of this is designed to make you think that these wonderful things could all be yours if only you would order the $47 ebook.
Have you seen one or a million of these websites on the internet? Getting rich is good. At Creating Wealth, we’re all for it. But getting wealthy using shiny baubles and slippery English as an internet marketing technique is…great if you can get away with it!
The Creating Wealth Team
Flickr / ToastyKen
