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Articles and Internet Branding: 5 Steps to Success
Are you ready to become an internet marketing expert? Are you ready for a massive conversion rate plus unlimited residual streams of income for your web-based business? Excellent! I'm here to focus your mind on the job at hand. Today you will learn how ...
Effective Internet Marketing Strategy Writing And Submitting Original Articles
Copyright 2005 Dean Shainin Writing articles and submitting them to directories with the idea of marketing your internet business site can be a very effective way to grow your online business. Using the right keywords and phrases in original articles ...
Home Internet Business...How Do I Start?
Working from home and especially on the internet is fast becoming the preferred choice for many people worldwide, no longer are we tied down to our office desks and facing that daily Monday to Friday routine of rising early to beat the early morning ...
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The Federal Trade Commission Act allows the FTC to act in the interest of all consumers to prevent deceptive and unfair acts or practices. The FTC has determined that a representation, omission or practice is deceptive if it is likely to:
1. Mislead consumers and
2. Affect consumers' behavior or decisions about the product or service.
In addition, an act or practice is unfair if the injury it causes is:
1. Substantial
2. Not outweighed by other benefits and
3. Not reasonably avoidable.
The FTC prohibits unfair or deceptive advertising in any medium. That is, advertising must tell the truth and not mislead consumers. A claim can be misleading if relevant information is left out or if the claim implies something that's not true. For example, a lease advertisement for an automobile that promotes "$0 Down" may be misleading if significant and undisclosed charges are due at lease signing.
In addition, claims must be substantiated, especially when they concern health, safety, or performance. The type of evidence may depend on the product, the claims, and what experts believe necessary. If your ad specifies a certain
level of support for a claim - "tests show X" - you must have at least that level of support.
Other points to consider:
Disclaimers and disclosures must be clear and conspicuous. That is, consumers must be able to notice, read or hear, and understand the information. Still, a disclaimer or disclosure alone usually is not enough to remedy a false or deceptive claim.
Testimonials and endorsements must reflect the typical experiences of consumers, unless the ad clearly and conspicuously states otherwise. A statement that not all consumers will get the same results is not enough to qualify a claim. Testimonials and endorsements can't be used to make a claim that the advertiser itself cannot substantiate.
If your ad uses phrases like "satisfaction guaranteed" or "money-back guarantee," you must be willing to give full refunds for any reason. You also must tell the consumer the terms of the offer.
Non-Compliance
If you fail to follow these rules, you run the risk of being prosecuted by the FTC. Successful prosecutions typically result in injunctions against your site and damages awarded in the amount of $11,000 PER VIOLATION.
About the Author
Richard Chapo is with SanDiegoBusinessLawFirm.com - Go to our article section to read more business law articles.
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Internet marketing news roundup, May 25Braftonby Joe Meloni For most of the last two years, Yahoo has struggled to find much in the way of good news. The company's main product, search, has seen its market share fall rapidly, while three different CEOs have been atop Yahoo in the last nine months.and more » |
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Recently Launched WebsiteSan Francisco Chronicle (press release)The recently launched website www.skintagshelp.com from Internet Marketing Services has just included two new sections dedicated to skin tag removal and the most common causes of this skin problem. Internet Marketing Services is a well known company ... |
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