Have you ever wondered why some businesses refuse to release information about their products or fail to meet demands despite hyping a product for a couple of months? It’s simple; they sold you false promises. It’s unacceptable, but that doesn’t mean businesses don’t use shady business practices and lies to get you to buy their products. In addition to using underhanded tactics to get an advantage over their competitors, they’ll also buy good reviews and convince bloggers that their products are superior.
These aggressive marketing strategies rely on human psychology in order to make their product superior to others. Companies that use this type of marketing strategy are not only deluding their customers, they are also turning these customers into liars because they will spout nonsense that is sold by businesses to market their products for them. It’s a very evil and shady business practice, but it’s sadly one of the most common ways a business markets a subpar product.
But have you ever wondered why businesses don’t expose each other? It’s simple; there’s honour among these businesses and they will not compromise each other’s strategies. If a company did, then it’s very easy for people to spin those accusations on the company that is releasing those secrets, and that itself could be seen as an underhanded method in gaining some popularity.
Product Placements
It’s hard to tell a credible source from a fake source nowadays. Even if a publication announces to the public that they are a credible source with lots of reliable information and facts, that doesn’t mean anything unless those facts are verified. For instance, a blogger could lie and say they aren’t sponsored by a company to advertise a product. They could say they “genuinely love” a product and that they support it, but the truth is, they are actually sponsored and they are getting paid to say good things about the product.
If this was to ever get out then that person could be sued for criminal charges. Paid product placements and endorsements on the internet have become a shady subject due to many outrageous cases that have come to light over the past couple of months. For instance, two YouTube stars were caught advertising a video game oriented betting site to underage viewers. They pretended they came across a site and had no affiliation to it, but it was discovered that the two YouTube stars founded the company and used their YouTube fame to advertise it to millions around the world.
Separating Fact from Fiction
It’s very common to find product descriptions and blog posts about products that exaggerate the usefulness and technical specifications of a product to a point that it’s blatantly false. For instance, you might come across a product description that advertises something as having a lifespan of two months. However, it’s very unlikely that you could test this on the day you receive the product and by the time those two months are up and you’ve verified it indeed doesn’t have that long of a lifespan, you won’t be able to refund the product.
Fabricated reviews are also extremely common. Bloggers often receive deals from companies to give good reviews about a product in exchange for money or the product itself. Dishonest bloggers jump at the opportunity to get paid for reviewing a product and putting in a good word, but what does it say about their integrity? If you have ever wondered where fake news comes from, then you’ve probably arrived at the answer; by malicious individuals who seek personal gain.
Giving fake product reviews and endorsing products just for the payment is a terrible thing to do, but in the world of business, it’s sadly a common practice that is hard to stop due to the popularity of social media networks and how fast information spreads. In fact, many companies incorporate blogger reviews and video content on YouTube as part of their online marketing strategy. Some of them are completely shameless, and others are difficult to tell if they are paid reviews or honest ones. Thankfully, there are many people who are dedicated to maintaining truth within their chosen industries and constantly try to uncover the truth around reviewers and products.
Honesty is Important in Business
It’s unfortunate, but honesty and business are two things that don’t mix well. Businesses are constantly looking for a way to get the upper hand on their competition. This aggressive environment breeds questionable strategies and actions, but it’s part of how business works in the modern age. If you want to be a company that value honesty, then you have to practice what you preach.
Asking bloggers and YouTube content creators to review your product is a sound idea. However, you have to make sure that they are disclosing information about it being a paid endorsement or that you have offered to give them a review copy. If you manage to reach out to a popular content creator you’re going to get a lot of potential customers. However, if people discover that you and the content creator in question have concealed the fact it was a paid endorsement, then there is going to be a major backlash and you will both suffer as a result. Taking a few minutes to explain that a video is a paid endorsement and ensuring that the person you are paying knows this could save both of your businesses.
Honesty to Your Customers
You also need to be honest to your customers when you are advertising a product. If you don’t disclose all the information about something you’re selling, there’s a small chance that a zealous customer or loyal fan will point out what you’ve done and you’re going to have a hard time fixing the damage to your reputation.
For example, if you release a piece of software that isn’t completely finished, it has to be advertised as a beta version or early access. If you attempt to sell software that is half-baked and doesn’t meet the promises in your product description, then you’re falsely advertising and you’re lying to your fans. Not only will this ruin your reputation, but you might be sued on the grounds of false advertisement and your career could be forever tarnished. There are no excuses for this kind of act; you need to be honest with your customers and tell them the state of your product.
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