When working online, sometimes success depends on being able to read "between the lines" as the saying goes.
In fact, online marketing has developed its rather poor reputation because of some slick advertising that deliberately allows the reader to become confused. A case in point is the classic: "Join Now and Start Earning Your Income Online." My, but that's misleading. Because, what it appears to say is that, by joining now, you'll begin to RECEIVE an income today. But what it really says is, "join now and start the long, slow process of building up an online business."
However, to be fair, which line do you think receives more responses? The first, of course. Okay. Now, which receives more real, viable, responses? If you said the second, you're wrong. The second receives zero responses, so logically the first one, though it receives MANY poor responses, also receives SOME warm responses.
The really evil part about this line is that, technically, it's accurate. If you do start now and work it and build it up, you WILL earn money online-- eventually. The marketer just left out all the less attractive parts in between. He jumped directly from point "A" to "Z".
Now, this isn't an ethics column but a semantics column that involves ethics-- and a dose of reality. Most marketers spend some time working their business before they achieve any real success. But the same can be said of any business.
My question is, when are marketers going to start realizing not only that they don't have to create these false promises, but that they are actually driving away as many prospects as including?
Here's a suggestion. Instead of saying either of the above lines, try something like, "Join now and start building your own online business today."
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