Shameful Multiple Accounts
Oct 5th, 2009 | By Alex | Category: A Raving Lunatic, Featured
Way back in the stone ages of Internet marketing, one of the “must do’s” for every marketer was to set up multiple accounts, one for every niche they were going to promote. The most widely quoted reason for this was to not water down one’s authority on a single topic, because the belief was that no one would buy a marketing e-book from the same guy who was selling dog collars.
I have seen other reasons for multiple accounts given, such as protecting original content, but I think that all reasons for multiple accounts add up to one sum; bullshit.
What do I believe is the real reason? The marketers felt slimy about what they were promoting. Aching to make money quickly so they could have statistics to quote in their own get rich quick e-books, some marketers would push and promote any product that preyed on the weak and desperate.
Maybe they really didn’t feel slimy about what they were promoting, but the multiple accounts allowed for the marketer to be ingenuine about his efforts and spammy about his tactics. If a campaign failed or was flagged as mildly fraudulent, the marketer could walk away unscathed, because no one really knew who he was.
Personally, I think that tactic is bogus and is being seen as more dishonest than writing about a wide variety of products. In fact, I’d be willing to bet that you (the reader) really has no problem buying a television this week from the same person you bought car insurance from two months ago. Why? because you trust the writer’s opinion and experience. He is not hiding, and with the amount of information at our fingertips, products do a lot of their own selling.
Think about shopping at Wal-Mart for a second. The reason Wal-Mart is successful is because a shopper can make a purchases of respected brand name products for not only lower prices than most other places, but all at one stop. We trust Wal-Mart to deliver what they are offering and we keep going back.
When Wal-Mart decides it wants to build on a certain site, the company spares no expense to secure that site AND deliver a store that the community will accept as asthetic. You’ll find many different styles of Wal-Mart stores, but they all say Wal-Mart.
Personal branding is tantamount today, because it is easier to see all on the Internet. We can surf from one site to another quicker and scan so much more information that we could even two years ago. This is how we build a reputation, because we are exposed, and this is how it should be. We should be honest about who we are and then attach products to our personal brand.
Although some still practice the art of multiple accounts and attach false personal brands to products, the tide is changing and we can be proud of who we are and allow ourselves to promote any and all products we choose.
Let the buyers trust us or expose us.
What can I say… Hear, hear!
Hurrah! Jahoo! Woot! You said it fellah, better than I could have said. I can never get past the first word: “Bullshit!” and then I get so het up about it all that I cant think straight!.
Now whenever anyone asks me what I think about it, I can say:
“Er, what Drifter said!”
“Let the buyer trust us or expose us” – what a great line!!
Excellent post Alex and one that sums up nicely how I feel about the multiple accounts. As AJsaid you said it so much better than I could
Take care
Paul
I agree totally
I have another account on Squidoo but used it for adult stuff; now it’s surplus to requirements, obviously, and I no longer log in to it. I don’t trust those with multiple accounts and will always lean towards those who let me know who they are 
Amen and I say Amen again! And to join the chorus…I couldn’t have said it better myself.
What is the saddest part? All the work people go through to hide their shame could have been put towards an honest approach. In the long run, they would have won the fight.
Awesome blog!
I thought about starting my own blog too but I’m just too lazy so, I guess I‘ll just have to keep checking yours out.
LOL,
One thing has become clearer and clearer to me, lately: Although we’re a community of like-minded online entrepreneurs, we all have different styles and attitudes about our approaches. Just like it is in regard to religious or political views, it’s difficult to change other folks. Sometimes, the best way to handle these fake branding and marketing efforts is to move ahead with authenticity and integrity and let the annoying stuff run its course. We know that in the end, honesty and real authority will always win.
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Just here doing some research for my next great blog post…. LMAO!! You will love it, I’m sure.
And forgot to say that yes, I’ll be happy to quote you several times. You will get full credit for everything.
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