Being on the so called ‘producing‘ side of this business, you get to see some really strange things, strange marketing tactics that sort of, well, feels just wrong. Now I know, people do this to make money, but I wonder, has our industry forgotten that you can make more money, by being honest.
I am talking about cross sells, that some companies have added to their join pages. It is the pre checked boxes, that say you agree to the free trial for a site, other than the one you are signing up for. Worse is that it usually is more than just one check box, and to add further insult, the boxes are hidden below the submit button or next button.
As a consumer, it ticks me off no end. I really do believe that a site needs to prove it is trustworthy, that what it offers is for real, not just some marketing hype. So when I see those check boxes, or hear about them, it makes me NOT want to promote the site, or join it.
So a bit of friendly advice, always and I mean always, scroll all the way down any join page you are thinking of subscribing to. Make sure there are no ‘pre checked boxes’ that you aren’t sure of. Read the terms carefully before leaving them checked or your credit card could be dinged with a few extra charges you didn’t count on.
For the record, to the best of my knowledge, the sponsors I promote DO NOT use this tactic, BUT CHECK ANYWAYS TO BE SAFE & SURE.