Although an Internet lawyer, I’m a bit old-fashioned because I like to read the dead tree (print) edition of the Wall Street Journal in the morning while having a cup of coffee.
So I wasn’t surprised as a subscriber to get an “Urgent Account Status” notice in the mail today. I figured that the subscription must be coming up for renewal.
Unfortunately, that was not the case. The “urgent” problem was a cross-sell pitch for the online edition of the newspaper.
In addition, the cross-sell pitch was a low-ball introductory offer. In fine print at the bottom (about half the size of the smallest print in the pitch itself) was the disclosure that this was a continuity program where I’d be paying more automatically for online subscription renewals.
Good marketing does not require lying about urgency or account status. Good marketing does not include fine print hiding Internet continuity programs either.
Don’t make the same mistake as the no-talent @ss clowns marketing the Wall Street Journal Online Edition. Treat your prospects and your existing customers with respect.
To your success!
-Mike the Internet Lawyer
P.S. Speaking of fine print, when I created Website Legal Forms Generator software, I made sure that website owners who used it were able to create easy-to-read website legal documents. Transparency and ethics is a must for your long-term business success online or offline.
Some Facebook users have filed suit in a California state court claiming that Facebook violates state privacy laws. Since at least 2005, California has been on the cutting edge for protecting consumer data online. From an Internet law standpoint, state laws create a mass of confusion that really should be trumped by federal law. Why should a website owner based in New York, for example, be required to keep up to date on online privacy laws in 49 other states? That’s about as ridiculous as making the site owner collect state and local taxes wherever a purchaser happens to be located and remit it to the taxing authority.