Advertising Law

Good marketing is critical to the success of your business. Marketing has many dimensions, including market research, pricing, advertising, packaging and labeling, distribution and customer service. Investing in a good marketing plan will generate excellent returns.

But there's more to a winning marketing plan or advertising campaign than a profitable product or service. Unfair, untruthful or purposely deceptive advertising can result in costly penalties. The resources below provide information on how to legally advertise your small business:

• How to Comply with Truth-in-Advertising Laws
  Learn how to avoid making false and misleading statements.
• Product Labeling Requirements
  How to comply with labeling laws for consumer products.
• Online Advertising and Marketing
  Specific rules for advertising and selling products over the Internet.
• Advertising Specific Products
  Learn the rules for advertising specific products, from alcohol to 900 numbers.
• Telemarketing and Direct Marketing
  Rules for marketing and advertising over the telephone.
• Environmental Marketing Regulations
  Learn the rules for making environmental or "green" claims in advertising.

Affiliate Marketing Opportunities

Affiliate marketing is an internet based marketing practice that uses one website to drive traffic to another. Online businesses use affiliate marketing to boost traffic on their site and compensate affiliates for traffic they direct to their website. Affiliate marketers are generally paid based on performance making it a low-risk option for businesses. It often overlaps with traditional marketing practices because affiliate marketers often use traditional techniques, such as search engine optimization, paid search engine marketing, and display advertising, in their practices. In addition to these methods, affiliate marketers tend to use less orthodox advertising avenues such as publishing reviews of their affiliates products or services. The benefits of these unorthodox practices make affiliate marketing an important aspect of the marketing strategies for online businesses.

The affiliate marketing industry is new in establishing itself as separate from traditional internet marketing practices. Because of this, it lacks accepted industry standards for regulation, training, and certification. The acceptance of most standards and certifications are based on the reputation of the issuing organization or company. The following resources are provided by well known players in the affiliate marketing industry:

• Affiliate Summit
  Founded by affiliate marketing industry veterans and serves the professional community by providing educational sessions on the latest industry issues and fostering a productive networking environment for affiliate marketers.
• Affiliate Summit Blog
  Provides daily articles pertaining to the current issues facing the affiliate marketing industry.
• Commission Junction
  Global leader in the online advertising channels of affiliate marketing and managed search.
• Code of Conduct
  Established by affiliate network Commission Junction to guide practices and adherence to ethical standards for online advertising and foster the relationships between advertisers, publishers and consumers.

More Information

• Small Business Marketing
  Tools and resources to help you market and advertise your business
• Market Research Guide
  Resources to help your learn about customers and competitors.