Bloggers have amazing pull and power with advertisers but you are about to read in this post that an abuse of that power will result in a public relations nightmare, pulled sponsorships, loss of advertisers and a perception of low integrity. Recently in an article posted on Adweek it stated that “Rogue writers for the site ( SheKnows.com) encouraged disingenuous ad clicking and cost it a key sponsor.” Take a minute to tweet this out to help your fellow bloggersEverything In One Mom Blog Post Coupons, Creepy Guy & Monetizing Oh My. Read more … » just click on Tweet This
“If you don’t want your Advertisers To Pull The plug on you read this post” TWEET THIS
Let me say first that I like She Knows and in their defense they have addressed the problem and tried to correct it. But check this out.
Basically they had a huge sponsorship and by allowing a person or persons to inflate click rates they lost the account. This is a lesson to every bloggerAn Interview And Advice From Ladonna Dennis CEO Of Mom Blog Society. Read more … » and unfortunetly one that we live vicariously through SheKnows. But the reality is when an advertiser comes to your site they want the most value for their moneyWho Wants To Make Money Blogging. Read more … ». So be careful how you treat them and always make sure it’s with the highest integrity, the most value. and the greatest respect. This was the email they sent out and I’m sharing this because it should never be done-
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“In an email sent to as many as 19 staff writers on June 7, Segall wrote that the site wanted to improve clickthrough rates for its ads. Later in the note, she said, “But we can help everyone out a bit if we get in the habit of clicking on any ads you see alongside your articles, on the site, in your section, ANYWHERE. Our advertisers are the reason we all have paychecks each month, so it’s important that they’re happy. Literally all you have to do is click on the ad—you don’t have to stay on their site for a certain amount of time and don’t have to buy a thing. Just click! Click 100 times if you want to!”
I am thankful that I have amazing advertisers and a great repoir. My consultant clients are equally valuable as are each and every one of you. The good news is as bloggers we run our own businessHow To Survive Bumps In The Road Get Your Business Back On Track. Read more … ». The bad news is we run our own business. So the user experience is subject to how we run that business. Together let’s make our businesses change the world and provide superior value for our customers.
Below you can read the response on Adweek and I’ve included the link to the post.
According to a letter issued by Kyle Cox, president of SheKnows, a division of AtomicOnline, Segall and French have been suspended while threatening “immediate termination” if any other employees engage in the disingenuous ad clicking suggested by the editors.
SheKnows.com spokesperson Whitney Ashley in an email yesterday characterized the situation as internal communications gone awry. “This was an isolated incident carried out by well-meaning, yet overzealous [editors who have] been disciplined appropriately,” she said. “Requesting that people click on advertisements is not only against our stated company policy, but it is contrary to how we operate our site and work with our advertisers.”
You can read the AdWeek article here.
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That’s too bad, really. It’s such a basic basic rule though in advertising, but people will do whatever it takes to make a buck or two.
It is sad but they have tried to remedy the situation and it’s just such a valuable lesson.
Yes, it is horrible and it affects us all.
WOW! Really??? What in the heck were they thinking AND they put it in an email? Now that is fricking amazing. Sheesh.!
Susan Cooper recently posted..Evenus Zinfandel Port Wine 2007: Wine
I don’t do ads, but this was a very interesting ad…Thank you
Serene Motherhood recently posted..Pulling hair, biting, pushing kids over…all in a day of a toddler
That’s too bad. There’s so much competition out there for clicks. They should concentrate more on outreach to their bloggers and readers to promote content vs. clicking on ads. I guess they’re learning that the hard way.
another jennifer recently posted..A GrUVyWear Review, Plus a 15% Off Discount Code
I agree with the comment above. It’s bad enough that they did that, but then to put it in writing is even worse. Yes, ads are important, but the purpose of them is to generate purchases, not clicks. I’m pretty disappointed in the lack of integrity and/or knowledge.
Steph recently posted..Wordless Wednesday – June 27, 2012
Yea the email was not great for them- sad but like I said it’s a lesson that everyone can learn from so if some good comes from it then at least that is helpful.