A lot has been written about the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and its new guidelines governing endorsements and testimonials. These guidelines affect how we must conduct our sales and marketing. We all need to understand how we will do business going forward for our affiliate marketing as well as our business internet money online opportunity.

I will summarize three aspects below. However, like anything that is written by the government, the devil is in the details. I will provide a very high level view and you must dig deeper into each aspect to get the details and learn how you will deal with them.

1. Advertisers, such as you and I as affiliate and article marketers, who promote a product or service must clearly disclose our results so other potential consumers can understand what they can expect. This clearly means that affiliate marketers and sales people must provide their potential consumers proof that using their product or doing their program will provide specific identifiable results. Making statements such as you will make $150,000 the first month you start this program will require proof that the people paying for and doing the program can expect these results. I think that we will see a huge reduction in a lot of websites that make false and wildly untrue claims. This is fantastic and will help reduce our marketplace of false information. The 1980 guideline provided an "out" for the truly dishonest by simply providing a disclaimer to testimonials that the "results (are) not typical". The new guidelines have removed this "out" and will not protect the deceptive or give them safe harbor.

2. The new guidelines qualify "material connections" such as payments or free products must be disclosed. This applies to anyone who gets a service or product for free and then promotes that product. They will be required to be forthright and identify this fact. This is of particular concern for the rich and famous who are paid great sums of money to endorse a product. I could give hundreds of examples about how abused this marketing technique has been. You and I need to be aware that if we are paid or receive a product or service for free, this information must be disclosed. This applies to bloggers, affiliate marketers and anyone selling or promoting a product or service online.

3. The endorsements by celebrities is identified in the new guidelines. Although you and I likely do not have to worry about this for our affiliate and article marketing, celebrity endorsers will be held accountable for statements they make in their endorsements. Both advertisers and endorsers can be held liable for false or unsubstantiated claims and failing to apply items 1 and 2 above.

Make sure you learn about the FTC guidelines and if you have any questions get the official document from the Government, FTC 16 CFR Part 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising, effective December 1st, 2009.