Today I’m not going to continue with my Blogging series or Home-based Business Ideas series, but to express my disappointment with what I found on the internet, or rather what I could not find on the internet - a truly, honest internet marketing product review!
I have to admit again that I am an e-book junkie; I have many IM related e-books stored in my computer, some purchased and some downloaded free of charge. Some of them were insightful and provided practical steps on doing internet marketing, while some were just rehashed content. Not forgetting to mention that some actually came from the same source but put on a different author’s name (I figured those were originally PLR content).
Eventually, I realized the importance of doing research of a product or program I intended to purchase before filling in my credit card number. Naturally, I would do a search for reviews on the product, checking feedback from users of the particular product.
Sad to say, there is very little REALLY, TRULY HONEST product reviews on internet marketing products. Not to say there is totally none, but the majority of the so-called ’shocking review’ or ‘honest review’ of what I found were crap, crap, crap!
Reviews are not reviews. They are merely text copied and modified from the template given by the author through their affiliate program. It’s not wrong to use the text, but I reckoned the people ‘reviewing’ the products didn’t even own a copy of the product, and that’s why they were not able to provide their own opinion about the e-book or program! And most of the time you’ll find that the ‘reviews’ are just a list of features and benefits taken from the sales page! I don’t see how ’shocking’ that review is…
When it comes to affiliate marketing, one does not require one to actually own a copy of the e-book to promote it. This is the game of affiliate marketing. I understand that. But I do not agree to how people use the word ‘review’ in their title as it is misleading. Yeah, I know, it’s all about getting ranked in the first page of Google search results. But it does not provide any value to the reader who is looking for information that will help him or her to decide whether or not the product is worth investing.
If you want to write a ‘review’ without having the product, please at least do some research first - go around on the internet and see what people are talking about that product. Gather the comments and summarize them on your website. Although it is not your personal experience of the product, at least you make effort to bring value to your website visitors. I will be more willing to click on an affiliate link if the site has provided the information I needed.
If no positive (or even negative) user feedback can be found, perhaps the product is new, I rather see an honest post that just introduces about the e-book, and what are the bonuses one will receive if it is ordered through the affiliate link.
Well, the above is just my personal opinion. It’s just me. May be it doesn’t bother other people at all, as long as it makes money. I tried to play this kind of game before, when I first learned about affiliate marketing, when I tried to follow just whatever the Gurus said or the rest are doing. But now, I know it’s not the way to go. Or, not the way I want to go.
Of course, there are still many reliable, honest internet marketers (not necessarily Gurus) around who run their internet business successfully and with credibility. There some that I like and whom their blogs I have been following. May be I should write a post about them and introduce them to the readers of this blog…
