If your content marketing plan incorporates online reviews of your product or service, don’t fake them.

Last week on Content That Works, we talked about the growing value of online reviews to spreading the word about your company. But the Consumerist blog offers a cautionary tale to those who might try to pass off glowing, all-positive, everything-is-beautiful “fake” reviews of their products or services. Customers start to sniff out this kind of dishonesty–or oversell–quickly, and then start to distrust all content from that company.
Be honest and clear with your content, and you will be rewarded. Write directly to your audience, not in a marketing vacuum of catchphrases and insider lingo. If you suspect you’re writing in a way that no one actually speaks, ask a trusted colleague in a different department or a friend who has no stake in your company to read your copy with a very critical eye. Your customers will trust you more, and your reliability will grow, if you deliver honest content that honors the intelligence of your audience.