The new FTC guidelines take effecton December 1 2009. These new guidelines from the Federal Trade Commission will affect practically all marketing, but especially affiliate marketing.
One important change is that affiliates cannot use testimonials the same way they used to.
Another big change is that affiliates must disclose “material” connections. This means you as an affiliate must make it clear to your readers that you make money from promoting something. This disclosure runs in stark contrast to the strategy many affiliates take of keeping hidden the fact that they are affiliates.
Those are just two of the many impacts these new FTC guidelines will have. Affiliates should know all the major implications of these new FTC guidelines. You can do so by reading through FTC Toolkit, which is available at https://www.sitecompliant.com/.
Lawyers and FTC professionals wrote this course to educate affiliates on the recent FTC guidelines. This is a couse that you pay for but It’s is well worth the investment to protect your business.
The FTC is an American Federal Authority and as such it cannot exercise it power of my business as I’m based in Australia. However, I think it would be good prectice for all legimitate marketerers to take head of what the FTC is trying to achieve and apply it to your business.
I may seem hard, and if you have a lot of web site out there it may take some time to get things right, but I think it will clean up the industry ans make it more legimitate in the eyes of the people that matter, our current and future customers. Without them, we don’t have a business.
Please note that I am not a lawyer, I am an accountant. You should get information from lawyers on legal matters.
Make sure to go out and start researching today about these FTC guidelines.
