Tue
Paying bloggers to say nice things
Posted by Marlow Harris under Advertising, Real Estate
[11] Comments
I got a call today from a salesperson at ePERKS. He wanted me to sign up for a program to receive leads off their website. If I bought one zip code, the fee would be $129.95 a month, plus an 18% referral fee back to them for every closed transaction.
Here’s the pitch from ePERKS:
ePERKS is a combination of search directory and search engine for major services. As a result there are directory membership fees as well as referral fees for when a deal is closed. Pricing is uniform across the United States and there are 3 simple programs that encompass the service.
This program provides complete exclusivity to the real estate professional, as members of this program are made the sole representatives for their selected areas of coverage. No other program listings are displayed, as the Exclusive Ownership Listing supersedes and eliminates all other listings.
100% Ownership of Selected Zip Codes (no other listings)
Supersedes and Eliminates All Other Listings
$129.95 a Zip Monthly
$150 Setup Fee
19% Referral Fee (80% given back to consumer)
No Extended Contract
Month to Month Billing
Cancel Anytime
Backed by ePERKS Guarantee
They also had other programs available where I’d share the zip code with other agents, for lower fees of $59 to $89 a month. Another black hole designed to swallow your dough, but a shallower one, I guess.
I wasn’t particularly interested, but I thought I’d just look it up to see what some other bloggers were writing about the company.
The funny thing is, all I could find were “sponsored” posts. Posts that were bought or placed for payment in the attempt to jumpstart some viral marketing. Apparently, their PR department has been busy paying bloggers to “write” stories, most identifical to the other, culled from a press release to collect a quick $10 or $20.
Paid review: ePERKS on RhythmsWithRight
Paid post: Real Estate Deals and Incentives at ePerks.com from Current World News
Paid Review on Shadowscope
Paid post: Rebate real estate brokers from Infektia
Does it work to pay bloggers to say nice things about your crappy lead-generation website? I would think a good PPC campaign would be a more effective way to reach customers, without losing credibility in the marketplace.
Disclosure: I wasn’t paid a dime for this glowing review.
11 Responses to “ Paying bloggers to say nice things ”
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ePerks requested a review from me several weeks ago through ReviewMe.com. Before I could hit the DECLINE button, ReviewMe pulled the request — something about a check not clearing….
At a previous incarnation, I also sold “zipcodes”. It was a lucrative job (for the owner of the biz): We took a map, carved it up into any configuration we wanted, developed some kind of a fee-based business opportunity that sounded like a project that has any substance it it, placed small classified ads in the paper (this was before the internet), and built a boiler room that fielded the calls. People would call from “Helena Montana” f. ex. and could buy the right for that “whole” area. One deal sold “exclusive snack routes” for $10K, $20K & $40K. Similar scams sold even less tangible programs.
Wowo
Their logo looks very much like the one used by GoDaddy. (a large internet name registrar).
See:
http://www.godaddy.com
These type of services are a big waste of money. I guess it should come as no surprise though that a number of Realtors continue to believe this will be a viable part of thier business if they sign up. NO THANKS!
I have never dealt with such incompetence and dishonesty! Don’t waste your money…trust me! 7 months not a single viable lead…
Tried to “cancel at anytime”…still being billed 2 months later…
What happened to the Super Bowl Ad? (and yes I was promised)
Oh and the “money back guarantee” that is forever changing…trust me you wont meet the requirements to qualify…
Paying bloggers for publicity may not have been the best way to promote themselves…
They will be ok as long as they provide good services. From what I read on the web, San Francisco agents rave about eperks.
I met all their “visable” requirements, even when I had the feeling they were taking me for a ride. I continued fulfilling my end of the deal. At one point they said they had emailed me, but I never got it. I gave them another address to email and still didnt get that. I emailed them and they said they didnt get. BULL!! They want to use that to say I didnt have a valid email for prospects to contact me. After 8 months of paying over $2000 to them and not one response, I wanted my 100% money back guarantee. Now there is no communication with them. Well, I dont give up that easy. Im not done yet, but they will soon be, if not already.
Amen to that. I signed up right in the beginning. Not one lead. So I asked for the money back and had to jump through a bunch of hoops. They did send me a certificate that said I am eligible to get my refund…that they will pay me in DECEMBER 2008!!!! WHAT??? They keep my money for as long as they please after they determine I should be eligible for a refund??? What the heck business is this? It’ll probably be bankrupt by then, and it won’t matter anyway. That’s what I figure.
Just say not to lead sellers like eperks, housevalues.com, homegain.com, and homes.com they are a waist of your time and money. The best leads you can get are the ones you generate yourself.