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Affiliate Marketers Become Mobile Marketers
Affiliate marketers are getting hot under the collar about mobile marketing profits. And I’m becoming concerned about Internet marketers affiliates moving into ”mobile marketing without proper training.
In many cases, those promoting courses and the “secrets” of the practice fall victim to lack of best practices and, sometimes, breaking the law.
The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 forbids sending text messages to a cell phone without the owner’s permission. I wonder how many affiliate marketers ever heard of the legislation let alone understand the restrictions.
Some might argue that the carriers have too much control over SMS text marketing, short codes and other money-making opportunities. Recently, T-Mobile shut down a texting company whose client was sending messages about the legal use of marijuana in California.
Affiliate Marketers Big and Small
Large companies, like Google and Apple, have entered the mobile marketing and advertising industries. It’s no wonder that Internet marketers and their affiliates would jump at the potential profits.
“Mobile marketing” and “mobile advertising” e-Books abound on ClickBank, the home for many Internet and affiliate marketers. Here are a few of the enticing offers online:
- PostMobileAds – Make Money with Cell Phones and Mobile Marketing! The Mobile Marketing Industry is Revolutionizing the Way of Doing Business! Learn How to Promote Hundreds of Mobile Optimized Products on Cell Phone Banner Ads Reaching 5 Billion Users.
- Mobile Traffic Domination. Mobile Traffic Domination is a course on how to get floods of dirt cheap traffic, text message marketing, mobile with CPA offers. A 60% Commission on a $77 product attracts many sales candidates.
- Mobile Banner Creator – The Easiest Money Ever! Mobile Marketing Is The Hottest Trend In Internet Marketing & This Is A Tool All Mobile Marketers Need. Give Away Free Memberships & Earn Commissions On Multiple Upsells – Making Sales Couldn’t be Any Easier!
- Mobile Monopoly – The Biggest Opportunity For Affiliates Ever. Jump On The Hottest Untapped Marketing Trend! There Is No Other Product Like This! Super Fresh Content With Upsells, Downsells, Recurring Commissions, Phone And Email Customer Support And More!
- Mobile Applications that run Native for Any Model of Mobile, all with No Programming Needed! Learn how to make Apps for Any Wedding, Business, Groups, or Content. The Mobile Business is Huge! You can even make a Great Income Making, Selling Apps.
- The Only Mobile Spy Software at CB Market Place. A Hungry Crowd That Is Desperate For Help Makes You A Lot Of Easy Sales. Conversions From 1:15 – 1:40. Works with Most of the Smart Phones. Huge Affiliate Resources.
- Mobile Website Profits – Brand New Product! The First Product On Cb! Mobile Website Profits Is A Course On How To Make Money With Mobile, Make Money with CPA, Mobile Ads and Apps
- Make a Splash with Mobile Ads. Get your business seen by the millions of mobile users worldwide. Easy to set up, change any time. Every ad includes mobile web features such as Click-To-Call, Text-to-Email Messaging, and Link-To-URL.
Fueled by the exploding mobile industry and, particularly, Apple with its iPhone and iPad, the tidal wave of interest in mobile profits by affiliate marketers grows daily. If Apple, Microsoft, Google and others can do it, why not affiliate marketers?
However, along with profit potential comes responsibility. And affiliate marketers have yet to prove their understanding of laws and industry best practices.
About Brian Prows
James, mobile carriers, the MMA (Mobile Marketing Association), the DMA (Direct Marketing Association) and the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 specifically prohibit mobile text spam. The opt-in requirement is very clear. You can’t use or borrow an email or other list to mount an SMS campaign. You must have direct permission from the phone owners to send text messages.
When I reviewed Clickbank sales letters for this post, I didn’t find any sales letters that mentioned the opt-in requirement. Internet marketers only pushed for the sale of their courses and e-Books.
It’s easy to get excited about mobile. But I’d wager few potential buyers know anything about mobile marketing requirements and probably believe they can use other lists and make a ton of money in this business. They won’t.
Thanks for your comments.
Brian
Brian,
This is an interesting, timely and somewhat controversial post you got going on here as it relates to how and when affiliate marketers will contest for market share in the nascent and fast growing mobile sms marketing space.
I’ve only been active in the mobile media space for a few months and like you, I’ve seen more than a few “mobile monopoly” type offers that encourage affiliate marketers to get in the game.
To date, I’ve rolled up my sleeve with Trumpia and the iZigg Mobile Media platforms. Both have similar SMS capabilities and both offer an Affiliate to not only use the service for personal/business consumption but enable an individual to create a recurring revenue stream via affiliate promo or in the case of iZigg, a more robust and aggressive MLM compensation model.
What got me excited about the iZigg mobile media offering was the guy who owns the rights to Text LIMO to 90210. Since he’s in 90+ markets and since the 90210 zip code is so universally “known” the iZigg 90210 Branding model seems to be a natural fit for SMB’s, F2000 and even us Affiliate Marketing guys alike. But its early in the game, and all is fair in love and war, so let the games begine