Liar, Liar, pants on fire….is how the saying goes! But you don’t want anyone saying that about you or your business…do you?
#fakenews
In a media era were #fakenews is always in the spotlight it is so important that you keep your brand on an ethnical path and avoid the temptation to manipulate the narrative. Be brave and stay open, transparent and honest in your communications to protect your reputation.
The public aren’t fools; they are savvier than ever when to comes to spotting fake news or identifying misleading communications. We are in an era of transparency; the public will be the first to call out a brand that is lying. If you are caught being generous with the truth be prepared to lose more than money in trying to limit the damage.
Words May Lie, But Action Tells The Truth
But telling the truth is a given. Right? No! Sadly, brands think it is ok to bend the truth, to influence reality and paint a different picture to that being actioned. Yet, in the words of Mr. Weasley in Harry Potter “the truth will out”.
Never has trust been more sought after. If your audience don’t trust you, they won’t buy from you or buy into you. So, focus on building that trust, and be honest as well as innovative in your marketing and communications efforts.
For instance, if we take the current communications from world leaders around the best approach to Covid-19, the majority of people do not trust what they are being told. Why? The damage has been done. Leaders are rarely forthcoming with transparent information – allowing doubt and mistrust to grow.
Honesty must be built into corporate culture. This takes more than the publication of a list of corporate values. Leaders must behave honestly and openly at all times. Walking the talk is essential.
Positive reviews and feedback is great but you cannot afford to ignore even a single negative review. Proactive action and strategic planning is much better than damage control, knee-jerk reactions and tactical approaches.
Remember to sell honestly, never sell your honesty.