Is there a lack of trust in social media marketing?

    A recent study conducted by the CIM has found that as few as 1 in 5 people trust what they see on social media, and more than half of those surveyed felt like there should be tighter regulations on advertising across social media platforms.

So why the lack of trust?  Probably because an unscrupulous few take advantage of the freedom of online marketing by advertising falsely or misleadingly in a forum where there are little or no rules about fair marketing practise. It is those few that taint the rest of the marketing community by reducing consumer trust.

The study found that the techniques consumers found most unethical were the creation of fake accounts for the purpose of leaving positive reviews for your own company, and employing tactics to hide negative online content.

This is an inevitable problem considering the popularity of sites such as Trip Advisor, but it presents a problem for ethical business owners – how can I demonstrate the honesty of my online presence?

The answer is to be as transparent and open as possible. If you get a bad write up online, don’t bury it, address it. Sites like Trip Advisor allow you to respond to reviews, so you can offer an explanation or compensation to disgruntled clients. If you want to know more about social media honesty, take a look at the ‘Ten Commandments’