Last
modified December
1,
2009
It’s
time for a breakthrough...
It's
the time of the year where we think about the holidays, yet we
still have the last month of the year to focus on sales and finalize
our marketing plans and budgets for next year.
Right
now, give yourself a change of perspective. A change in strategy
that produces results is fulfilling! Get everyone on your team
to contribute ideas and thoughts for what’s next – remember
nobody has the corner on ideas. Revolution/evolution can come
from anywhere. That's what breakthroughs are all about—finding
the right strategy at the right time, and to see a challenge
in a completely different light.
Mobilizing
ideas to make a grander plan can change the flow of any business,
big or small. What do we need to do to create a shift for the
better?
There
are simple, effective solutions that solve challenges. We just
need to dig deeper, talk to more people and find the solutions
to make a difference.
So as
you move forward, creating your marketing plan for 2010, I hope
that you take a moment to stop and think about your goals and
what steps you can take to make the most immediate impact for
success. Create breakthroughs that will take you where you want
to go with extraordinary results!
Good
luck! Call me if you need a pep talk.
Grassroots
vs. Astroturf
Five Reasons Not to Do It
The
word “astroturf,” propagated from the patented
synthetic AstroTurf grass created for sports stadiums, is a
derogatory verb meaning dishonesty expressed through marketing,
public relations or other messaging. Where genuine grassroots
championing of a company or product is a high goal, false grassroots
messaging — astroturfing — will undermine your
marketing, your product or service and your company. Don’t
do it. Here are five good reasons not to:
It will be exposed
The Internet has expanded our “world” but it has also brought us
all closer together. We can be found from the far reaches of the globe and
within the walls and cubicles of our offices…meaning we can be found
out, too. Your competitors, especially, will delight and capitalize on finding
deception on your behalf.
Your
brand will suffer
Unless obfuscation and deceit are part of your brand, you
will damage it with astroturfing. If you’re lucky enough to have fans, those who may like
what you offer will not be believed after you’ve paid someone to compliment
your company.
It
damages relationships
Today marketing is about giving value; it’s a conversation. I doubt most
of us would begin a conversation based on a lie; not for a relationship you’d
like to develop and hold on to, and astroturfing is indeed a lie.
It’s
a bad use of resources
Your marketing should be an exemplary expression of your good work and products
or services. Paying for distorting your message takes away from the real goodness
of what you offer. If your product or service needs astroturfing to succeed,
something is very wrong.
It
may cost you
A company was fined $300,000 for astroturfing, and this will occur more and
more often as these tactics are found out:
New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced yesterday that Lifestyle Lift,
a cosmetic surgery company who posted fake reviews of their services on various
websites, will have to pay $300,000 to the state of New York. Cuomo's office
says this is the first US case to specifically target astroturfing on the internet.
"Internal
emails discovered by Attorney General Cuomo's investigation
show that Lifestyle Lift employees were given specific instructions
to engage in this illegal activity. One e-mail to employees
said: 'Friday is going to be a slow day — I need you
to devote the day to doing more postings on the web as a satisfied
client.' Another internal email directed a Lifestyle Lift employee
to 'Put your wig and skirt on and tell them about the great
experience you had.' In addition to posting on various Internet
message board services, Lifestyle Lift also registered and
created stand-alone Web sites, such as MyFaceliftStory.com,
designed to appear as if they were created by independent and
satisfied customers of Lifestyle Lift. The sites offered positive
narratives about the Lifestyle Lift experience. Some of these
sites purported to offer forums for users to add their own
comments about Lifestyle Lift. In reality, however, Lifestyle
Lift either provided all the 'user comments' themselves, or
closely monitored and edited third-party comments to skew the
discussion in favor of Lifestyle Lift."
Story: http://news.slashdot.org/story/09/07/15/1351204/Internet-Astroturfer-Fined-300000?from=rss
