How to Stay Truthful in Your Advertising

The Truth in Advertising and Nothing But The Truth

Your claims, offers, and propositions must be realistic and believable. Here's why.

In order for your small business to grow, you need to develop a loyal customer base that will not only give you repeat business, but also refer you to other customers via word-of-mouth. Today, more than ever, truthful advertising is very important to accomplish this.

If you are untruthful in your claims, offers, or propositions, you will soon experience how fast word-of-mouth, can work against you.

Marketing your products and services as anything beyond their true value will only backfire on your small business. Sure, you may experience growth in sales initially, but chances are, this increase will not last. Word travels fast on the Internet. Customers will soon find out that your products or services under-deliver. As a result, your business will suffer from returned goods, declining sales, and negative feedback, and ultimately fall into a downward spiral.

Practicing Truthful Advertising Makes for Better Business

Establishing a business means building a relationship with your customers. Trust plays an important role. If consumers feel that they can trust you, then you have a better chance of making sales.

In addition, "quick sales" are really just that: a one-time bump in your sales ledger. A consumer may be lured once by great ads but he will also be immediately disillusioned about your product once he realizes that your market claims are false.

For long-lasting business relationships, always practice truthful advertising. Pretty soon, your reputation itself will be your strongest marketing asset.

If your product or service does not live up to your claims, then either change the product or change your message!

• Evaluate your product/service and be truthful if it lives up to your marketing claims.
• Ask current customers for feedback. You can create a "blind group" (test group) and see what they have to say about your product vs. your claims.

• Honesty is still the best policy; keep your message accurate and truthful.
• Products and services that do not live up to their marketing claims will cost you business in the long-term.

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