If you have been a reader of this blog recently you would know that I have been promoting The Aweber Code.
Recently Jack from Create A Successful Blog posed the following in regards to The Aweber Code’s squeeze page:
Firstly who would sign up to that? How did people back in 600 B.C know about the internet, email lists and emails? Sounds like a lame attempt to get readers.
Although people may think “Wow, and awesome document from the past” when you actually think about it, it just doesn’t make sense.
And Jake makes a really interesting point.
We can get so desensitized to the ‘marketing hype’ that internet marketers throw our way to try and make us buy their products and sign up for their email lists – but do these internet marketers sometimes take it to far?
But When Is It Too Far?
Now I am not saying that there is anything wrong with The Aweber Code as a product, but as Jack added in an addition comment:
I just find The Aweber Code just unrealistic. And since it provides false information on the marketing campaign (which I think may work a little following of The Da Vinci Code), it also makes me believe the product in question isn’t really good.
We are putting our reputation on the firing line if we are not promoting our products or email list with integrity and honesty. All the marketing hype may help with your conversion, but what is more important – sales or your credibility?
Now I am going to continue promoting The Aweber Code because Tim Bekker has a great track record, I am always intrigued by the whole product launch process and the fact that Tim’s last product did over $100k in sales in the first 48hours of launch – and that is something we would all like to do.
But Where Is The Line For You?
So, where do internet marketers cross the line for you? What is it that really turns you off a sales or squeeze page? Or what are the things that internet marketers do that leaves a bad taste in your mouth?
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Sales Vs Credibility – an issue that can make or break a company. One bad marketing campaign, and you can lose so much.
As I said in my comments in the previous post, the marketing campaign for The Aweber Code just doesn’t work for me simple because the campaign lies to you. Although, like Tom said its probably a really good product, and a lot of people may signup to it, but we are living in the age where we have to carefully analyse things to see if they are true or false, real or fake. This marketing campaign to me, at first read, I think it’s a scam. So I would never enter my details in there. Others may signup to it, others may agree with me.
But you have to be careful what you do on the internet – if its to good to be true, it probably isnt.
Back to marketing campaigns, GoDaddy superbowl commercials – one question “Is this the best you could think of for a 3 minute ad?” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YWHtGU6zhA You spent so much money on this ad campaign, you simple make me not want to buy any of your products.
As to drawing the line, I will signup if:
*the are honest
*prove to me that they know what they are talking about
*write for people, not for SEO
*have a reputation
I believe you have to be creditable first, with a small amount of sales pitch. But it is really up to the organisation on how much they want a good reputation.
Jack Cola@CreateASuccessfulBlog´s last blog ..Make The “No One Is Reading My Blog” Feelings Vanish
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Tom Reply:
March 7th, 2010 at 8:41 pm
That is a really well grounded response Jack! I agree with you completely. We do need to hold ourselves as internet marketers with honesty and integrity and I am definitely moving over to your side with The Aweber Code. While I will still be interested cause I want to see the whole launch process, I do not think I will continue to promote it until I see their launch sales page (and hopefully by then they will have changed their tactic to something not so misleading.
That GoDaddy ad seemed like a waste of money to me. I may be the wrong target but it just seemed more about the women than the product and when the product was introduced it just sounded like a sales pitch.
“I believe you have to be creditable first, with a small amount of sales pitch” <–That is gold, and something that I have been working on with my upcoming e-course.
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I’m a little fuzzy on the whole thing myself. It’s great that they want to build a pre-launch buzz around the product, but what is it? Are they just looking to gauge interest in such a product? Maybe it’s too premature to get excited about something that doesn’t exist yet, I don’t know.
I am adopting a wait-and-see approach.
Karen
Karen´s last blog ..Friday’s Links
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Tom Reply:
March 7th, 2010 at 8:46 pm
And I think that is what a lot of people will do. At the moment their focus is building a group of people who will promote their product but they would get a lot more if they told us a little bit about the product. And funny thing is that they are now calling it The Autoresponder Code when they earlier said they were working with Aweber…
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Jack Cola from CreateASuccessfulBlog Reply:
March 7th, 2010 at 10:06 pm
They could also be using the tactic of “Enter your details to find out what this actually is and more ” Ie. They will give you a little bit of information, and make it sound good, but if you want to find out more about it, then enter your details.
Look at advertisements for new TV shows. If you are in Australia, Channel 9′s launch of the TV show V. All they told you got from the ad was that aliens are coming. However, when you watch the show, for me, I think the hype was better then the actual show – but I will still watch it again.
Another example is The Spearman Experiment on Channel 10. For ages, you didn’t know what it was about – but when you watch it, it was 10′s version of 20 to 1.
Sorry for the people who don’t live in Australia and don’t know what I am talking about.
Also, that brings me to another point. If people don’t know anything about The Da Vinci Code, this marketing campaign will not make sense to them. So your audience has to have some background information on it. (There’s a word for it, just cant remember it)
Jack Cola@CreateASuccessfulBlog´s last blog ..Make The “No One Is Reading My Blog” Feelings Vanish
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Tom Reply:
March 7th, 2010 at 10:13 pm
I honestly did not get the attraction of the Spearman Experiment (maybe it is because I am not a fan of Magda), but I get your point. Both of those were over hyped and under delivered – but people still watched them.
And yea, that is problem with associating your marketing to another product. Not everyone is familiar with the things that we are, and your marketing may confuse them.
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I thought it was a bit odd as well. It would have made a whole lot more sense if it said “1999″ instead of 600 BC.
The graphics are beautiful – no problems there. But the copy could use an update.
Tim Bourquin – MemberCon.com´s last blog ..Selling Individual Content vs. Membership Content: It’s Settled
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Tom Reply:
March 7th, 2010 at 8:47 pm
I agree! I wouldn’t even care if they said ‘In early 2010′ as long as they were honest. If he has the figures to back it up then the date shouldn’t really matter.
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I guess it all comes down to building that trust with the blogger right? There are so many variables in determining if a product “works” or not, and often times it’s the end user.
Many people are looking for a get rich quick product and when it doesn’t work to plan, they just give up.
Jack@Online Marketing Blog´s last blog ..How to Tweet Your Stumbled Link and Promote It Easily!
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Tom Reply:
March 7th, 2010 at 8:49 pm
That is true too, but I guess the focus here is whether the marketer has crossed the line from ‘marketing’ to ‘misleading’.
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What drives me nuts is the “This guy made $1,907 in his first day” or “Make $177.67 everyday” pitches – the so-called rule of “7.” And these are guys promoting Internet Marketing products – so they are pitching to other people who have heard of the “magic power of 7.” It’s just so blatant.
Not to mention that I’m not convinced at all of the power of 7. I’m not saying it isn’t true, I’m just not convinced. It feels like one of those old-wives tales that’s perpetuated the marketing business so long that nobody questions it.
Lee@Search Engine Viking´s last blog ..Why You Should Market Like Nine Inch Nails
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Tom Reply:
March 7th, 2010 at 8:51 pm
I haven’t heard too much about the ‘rule of 7′ but isn’t it how the number 7 in a price makes people want to buy more? I think people will pay however much you ask if you have built trust with your list and ‘the rule of 7′ is only for marketers who are focused on product instead of people!
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Lee from Search Engine Viking Reply:
March 10th, 2010 at 3:49 pm
I agree with you 100%, Tom (as always)
Trust, value, honesty… all those things make for a more compelling sale than a magic number. Therefore, in my mind, anyone who uses a magic bullet isn’t interested in these qualities.
I was just saying that all of the numbers that these guys throw around with 7′s in them drives me absolutely crazy.
Lee@Search Engine Viking´s last blog ..Alexa 3,598,486 And Counting
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I was confused by the pre-launch also. It reminded me of a sell-the-sizzle promo infomercial. On the other hand, I haven’t built a list yet so the product wouldn’t benefit me now anyway.
Jim´s last blog ..Affiliate Marketers Shut Down by Tax-Hungry Politicians
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Another is to initiate and stimulate creative ideas for and from everyone involved in the creative process. Creative directors normally oversee creative service agencies or departments within a corporation. In advertising agencies, this consists of copywriters and art directors. In media design firms, the team can include graphic designers and computer programmers.
Chad@National Association of Professional Women´s last blog ..napwinc: Sacramento continues to successfully have bi-monthly meetings for NAPW members. http://tinyurl.com/ykz4zge
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