Lessons Learned

byMr_Michael_G

382 followers

2 weeks ago

Today I learned a valuable lesson. One that will affect what and how I promote products from here on out. I have a medicinal/well being niche that I market to. Sit back and listen up this will probably help someone, and if it doesn't, at least I got it off my chest.

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate Marketing is defined as a marketing arrangement by which an online retailer pays commission to an external website for traffic or sales generated from its referrals. We all know this because that is why we are here. If you are new to the game or a seasoned veteran you may benefit from the following words in this post.

Trust

I decided when I began to chose something I believe in or can stand behind. Never to promote something I could not back, or something that I would not use myself. I believe this is or should be a standard practice for any business.

Where I am from and how I was raised, trust is earned. Trust is not something to be taken lightly. If you trust someone or in something, it means you can and will stand behind it or in front of it if it is in danger. If I trust in you, there is no limit to the support I will give you. Today that trust was damaged.

Partnerships

When you align yourself with a brand to support and send them traffic, you do so believing in them or what they are selling to the public. This is where trust has a key role. You trust in them to deliver exactly what they are selling to the public and this is where it took a turn for the worst possible thing imaginable.

Given the laws and regulations in the niche I am in, you need trust to honestly and carefully thread the needle on how you promote the products I recommend. Trust is key, without it there are risk and legal consequences that could be faced. It is already a dangerous game I play supporting these products, but I support them wholeheartedly because I actually use some of them in my daily life for pain relief. I have no doubt in the products I represent because I know for a fact that they work and how they work. It is my goal to educate the public so they can make an informed decision before purchasing these products. I may as well come on out and say it, I market THC/CBD products. My suggestion is before you enter into a partnership with a brand, do your research.

A Bit About Me

I am currently the Operations Manager at a prominent Towing Service in Central Texas. I have worked here for the past 33 years. In my time here, I started at the bottom and worked my way up as high as I care to go. The next steps for me is to start my own company, but after 33 years, I know better. It is not worth the headache.

The towing service is among the most dangerous professions. In the towing service, at least one tow operator is killed every six days while loading a vehicle on the roadside or highway. In my 33 years, I have personally be struck while loading 3 times. 2 times was very minor but enough to knock me off my feet, and once sent me to the hospital for a couple of weeks. I have lived in constant and agonizing daily pain because of this injury. I used the word agonizing instead of annoying. Needless to say, it hurt daily. I have found the means to combat the pain. THC/CBD is how I accomplish it.

Once upon a time, I thought Cannabis and Hemp was so very taboo. That only "BAD" people took that "awful" drug. True, like any drug or medicine out there, someone will always find a way to abuse it, but that is not the point of this article. If you want to learn more, visit my website! I could use the traffic!

A few of years ago, I went to Las Vegas with a couple of friends to host a bachelors party for someone I have know for years. One stop on his bucket list was to visit a dispensary. While they looked around, I did what I always do. I read everything I could to keep myself occupied. A conversation with a lady behind the counter started and we began to talk about pain. I mentioned reading earlier to qualify this statement. Never judge a book by its cover, but she did not look like a very reputable source of information, she had a nose ring and blue hair for heavens sake.

Within our conversation, she mentioned the benefits of CBD. I am not sure if I had just enough to drink that day to believe what she was feeding me or what she was saying actually made sense to me. Either way, I left that day with a bottle of gummies and oil. I gave it a shot, I was in Vegas after all and What happens there stays there. Unless you are formally charged, then it will follow you around for a while. When In Rome....

I began the regiment that evening, I noticed nothing. Day 2 took another round and you guessed it, nothing. Day 3 pretty much the same thing but I spent forty dollars on these things I was not about to waste them. Day 4 we went to Fremont Street. Casinos and attractions are very close together which means load of walking. I made it through the entire day. Day 5, We walked the strip for fun and it occurred to me, my hip and knees was not bothering me as much as they normally do when walking. It was then when I figured out what I once found taboo actually served a purpose.

Safe Products

Today THC/CBD products go through very strict testing both for content and safety. Labs certify the compounds contained within. When a product is lab certified, you can trust in it. There is that word again. "TRUST". I personally recommend that if you use these products, get them from reputable sources either at dispensary or trusted retailer. Don't buy things in gas stations or from the dirty guy in a trench coat on the corner that is selling the good stuff. Cannabis can be harmful. In Texas, we border Mexico. The cartels invent new ways to sell drugs. One methods is called lacing. Lacing is when cannabis is soaked or coated with another substance to increase potency. Fentanyl is a major concern around here when buying street cannabis. Fentanyl is deadly, stay away from it! Buy only from trusted sources.

Events of Today

Today, my inbox presented me with an email I read and reread again. A customer did some research. Something I should have done before promoting a product. Turns out that something I was promoting was not what it seemed to be. It took a reader that made a purchase through my affiliate link to bring it to my attention. A brand I was promoting was touting lab results. After a few minutes of searching, it was revealed the products I was promoting had not been tested. As the email pointed out, the lab did not even exist.

I ended this partnership with this brand today. I cannot nor will not promote something I do not believe in or that I cannot trust. This was a serious lesson for me to learn today.

So here it is, the finale, conclusion, summing it all up

If you enter a partnership with a brand, I implore you to do your research. Please do not be foolish and or greedy and look merely at the commission offerings you could possibly earn by promoting their brand. I made this mistake. and very lucky for me no one got hurt. Only my trust that took the beating today. From this point forward, I will research every partnership agreement and research products and services more acutely. Like I stated earlier, I cannot nor will not promote something I can not back up or will use myself.

This was my lesson learned today. Please be careful before you trust in a brand you promote.

DISCLOSURE- This article was composed entirely by me. Statements contained herein are true and correct to the best of my knowledge and ability.