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3. Truth in Advertising
The FTC requires that your marketing messages not mislead consumers. This includes ALL messages, not just sales letters.
Unfair or deceptive advertising is obviously prohibited. You must not only tell the truth, but also tell the whole truth. That is, you cannot leave out relevant information that might affect a buying decision.
For example, if you are teaching people how to make money in the Florida Keys and a boat is needed to do this, you better tell them they need a boat.
Be very careful when you compare your product to other products. If you’ re not being fair and transparent, you are breaching advertising standards.
Make sure descriptions are 100 % true, that descriptions are completely accurate, and that you state facts and not fantasy.
If you are making income claims, you’ ve got to be twice as careful. This is an extremely important topic if you’ re in the online marketing niche, which is why next month we are going to cover how to make income claims that DON’ T land you in hot water with the FTC, along with how to gather and use testimonials.
We will also be covering the Anti-Spam Law, also called the CAN-SPAM law. Most marketers take for granted that they know this law and are already compliant. But surprisingly, this isn’ t true for the majority of marketers. We will cover these things in depth next month to help your growing business stay safe on the right side of the law.
One last thing – here’ s the FTC Guide for Selling Internationally. It provides a helpful checklist for determining if your business is‘ consumer-friendly.’ https:// www. ftc. gov / tips-advice / business-center / guidance / electronic-commerce-sellinginternationally-guide-businesses