The currency of social communications is being threatened by the rise of dodgy reviews
The Beatles once sang, “All you need is love” and thanks to the rise of social media, it’s not just humans looking for it. Brands, once largely relegated to communicating with consumers through one-way mediums like television, print and radio, have flocked to services like Facebook, Pinerest and Twitter in search of relationships.
But the reign of authenticity as the currency of social communications is being threatened by the rise of dodgy reviews. According to a study by IT research firm Gartner, Inc. the number of fake reviews online, or those paid for by companies, will reach 10-15 percent in the near future.
With over half of the Internet’s population on social networks, organizations are scrambling for new ways to build bigger follower bases, generate more hits on videos, garner more positive reviews than their competitors and solicit ‘likes’ on their Facebook pages. Many marketers have turned to paying for positive reviews with cash, coupons and promotions including additional hits on YouTube videos in order to pique site visitors’ interests in the hope of increasing sales, customer loyalty and customer advocacy through social media ‘word of mouth’ campaigns.
This may seem like an insignificant range, but consider this:
Building “The Trusted Company”
If Gartner’s predictions are right, that trust may no longer be warranted. So where does this leave marketers debating whether or not to cook the books? It’s worth considering that the only ones fooled by online love-buying are the marketers engaging in the tactic.
Lots of followers and more “Likes” than you can count in a year are nice, but when it comes to earning an individual’s business and keeping it, trust, respect and satisfaction are far more important in the long run ……… And you can’t purchase those.
The only way forward: Start building “The Trusted Company”
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Dodgy reviews are on the rise — http://www.torbenrick.eu/t/r/oiw
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About The Author
Torben Rick
Experienced senior executive, both at a strategic and operational level, with strong track record in developing, driving and managing business improvement, development and change management. International experience from management positions in Denmark, Germany, Switzerland and United Kingdom