Is Expecting Benefit for Help deceitful?
What Is Deceitful & What Is Not?
Just to get your thoughts on this as I find people are very quick to judge so I'd like to know what is deceptive and what is not deceptive?
Getting Benefit from Offerings
I just recently wrote a post about copywriting introducing the idea of presenting an irresistible offer to convert your readers into buyers. Someone posted the very same link on the thread which I removed because I wanted to encourage engagement on this post
With this I offered the ebook at the end of the post for free. All you had to do is say Yes please and I would then forward the link onto that person.
With this I benefited in two ways
- Post engagement
- Points towards my WA rank
However I was email to be told that this is not the way things should be done on WA as it was deceitful.
First of all I see no benefit at all in the WA rank, perhaps it helps with exposure but that's about it. If I were to reach ambassador status I would not be going to Vegas, that's for sure so apart from competitiveness from my own self I do not see or know of any other benefit.
Second of all we are all learning as we go so what works on here I can apply to my own site right? Or am I wrong?
I do not want to be deceitful and I find it hard to be told I'm doing wrong to others but at the same time I feel this is not wrong, please tell me otherwise
What Is Affiliate Marketing?
Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't affiliate marketing about getting paid? Offering something then hoping for some kind of commission?
So where do we draw line? Can we help, hoping to gain and still be credible as a helper?
I'm interested to hear your thoughts, please be respectful and expressive but not aggressive.
many thanks
Recent Comments
22
Didn't see anything wrong with your offer, your not collecting emails only comments on your post.
You could have done it another way and posted the link for people to download themselves. The comments would probably come from people saying thanks and after reading the e-book. That may have been safer but as I say I think its fine.
I have just asked for it too by the way. :)
I was thankful to have an opportunity to get the e-book. I didn't feel that you were looking to get anything in return for it and I certainly don't think you were being deceitful!
Some people are just going to complain no mater what you do!
When we solicite sales or try and get WA members to receive a free PDF file...which goes on to sell more... Then I feel we are doing what WA outlines as taking advantage of the program with its many members. Even in a small way it is wrong.
To ask for a comment is okay because we are bringing our SEO up. Not ourselves directly. So Indirectly if that makes since, can be justified.
For me to say I'm a palm reader here and ask to read your palm would be soliciting. But I can ask you to comment on my palm reading sight.
There is a very narrow difference.
My guidelines tell me that if members say I'm soliciting. I stop and try a different approach. I don't get into a contravercy about it because I didn't make the rules. I just try to abide by them.
Certain types of engagement here is not allowed. And instead of questioning members who may not know exactly, I go directly to Kyle.
Regardless if you are not getting any sales or not...if you have the potential to profit in anyway shape or form, today, tomorrow, or later, then it is solicitation. Like I said, I don't know exactly what you are involved in or why members are trying to tell you anything. All I know is members have a way of smelling something off. And when I saw the replies to your blog, I was interested in trying to help is all. I would not question me, or them, before I submitted my plan to Kyle, as to what he feels is fine, and what he feels is not fine.
Okay? I am not saying you are doing anything wrong. Merely using this window to tell you if you have a concern or question, or even members if they have a concern about what another member is doing here, to go to him in a pm or call him.
No matter what you do here, it probably does not effect me, so I could care less, really.
I had one member trying to engage me through a pm and instead of worrying about it, or being concerned, I set his pm to Kyle and let him take care of it.
I hope this helps.
I disagree, If I post on here and would like to benefit from that posy by way of rank points just to be competitive I see nothing wrong it's certainly not solicitation
If your religious, the bible will tell you to give in charity in secret in the hope of reward from your lord, you would not need to tell that orphan, I'm giving this to you, to gain reward from my Lord. You give it hand hope for the benefit
So you are asking people or members to give something? That is solicitation, no matter if you profit or not. And I think it is not allowed here. But why don't you stop wasting your time and mine, and just ask Kyle? :) I would.
I know the philosophy, as my life changed completely once I started donating a tenth of my pay check to the lord each week. Sure, it is a principle that works well. My other 90 percent goes so much further then the 100 percent would have ever.
rick
I understand. When I don't know something I send Kyle a PM is all. If you do that it will help you I think, and you can continue, maybe as you are. :)
I will hope for the best!
I'm not promoting anything from me or my site but wanted engagement on this post and perhaps points towards my rank
There should be no problem with that?
Hi.
You can't post links simply to promote your site here - it's supposed to be a "safe haven" where we can all learn.
If you do solicit anyone's details, that goes against the rules, which you can find here: https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/training/wealthy-affiliate-the-open-education-project/spam-is-a-no-no/
I won't repeat all of the rules here - as the link above is from Kyle/Carson, and makes them all very clear.
You are free to openly promote and solicit emails from people outwith the WA community, and try to get them to sign up for your giveaways, affiliate products etc - you are correct, that that is what we are taught here. Just not within the community itself.
If we were allowed to do that - unscrupulous marketers would quickly sign up for accounts, and spam us with their affiliate links - which would bring the reputation of WA down.
Your rank here is just a reflection of your activity (helper, trainer, engagement etc) - it has no relevance to your search engine results for your website.
All the best, Mark
yes your right, please note I am not looking for any benefot for my site simply for the WA post and rank
Hi - if it's just your rank you want to change (even although there's no benefit to it presently), just keep answering questions, writing blog posts, and possibly creating training when you're permitted to do so (I think after 3 months).
I got really into answering questions when I first started, and my rank went to 20 or 21 without me really noticing what I was doing.
Now I have a balance of trying to help, asking my own questions, and working on my site (and balancing 9-5 and a young family) - so it's settled down to 60 or so.
All the best, Mark
Me too I do enjoy it. So I enjoy it and I like the competitiveness.
So I like helping and I also like gaining benefit for helping
And that's what I did with this post. Wrote a post hoping to gain points to rank
That's fine - just posting and commenting will get your ranking climbing - you don't need engagement on your own site to affect it.
Click on the Rank blue button at the top right - and you'll see where you're getting points, and where you could do more within WA (helper, creator, activity) if that's your aim.
Cheers, Mark
I did take up the offer of your e book and it looks very good
I think the point people are making however is valid for the following reasons
This is a place where we learn to market but we do not market to each other, otherwise this website would be full of people trying to sell to each other
Your job and mine is to learn to market to people out there on the internet and not on WA
Lots of people ask for comments on their site from WA members but WA members always write something like this "Nice site" or "great love your site" the trouble is its not real, we need to ask out readers what they think not WA members our job is to learn to go out there and create real business with customers that are not from WA
I could share so many things and get people to go to certain site to buy or engage in the sites but that's not what we do on WA.
Its easy to market on here, you already have a captive audience but your job is to go out there and get your audience
WA is not a place to market your site to, you need to go out there online to do that, and that's what we have to learn on WA
We are here to learn affiliate marketing, but not to each other
Barry
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I think your right tommo1968.
Both are the same thing but my way seems more dodgy although there's nothing dodgy about it
Also I realize that one word makes a big difference. Check this out:
1 - Expecting benefit for help
2 - help and hope for benefit
I now understand that small things make huge differences in peoples perceptions although they may all be the same
here's the link
http://www.muslimahwebdesign.co.uk/wordpresstutorials/free-download-irrisistible-offer/
password = wealthyaffiliates