In Trouble Over "Astroturf" Marketing?
Fake Reviews Become Risky Business

"Astroturf" marketing is the practice of seeding the internet with supposed grass-roots testimonials, reviews, and comments that are more about certain kinds of compost than the real deal.  The web's ano

Despite a whole lotta testimonial hooey out there, a recent poll* revealed 84% of Americans say online customer evaluations influence their purchases.

As a result, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is getting more serious about putting a stop to it.  The FTC plans a vote this summer to update its 29-year-old guidelines on endorsements, making it clear they plan to ban phony online reviews.  As is, since 1980 the FTC requires consumer endorsements must be honest opinions from actual customers or clearly marked otherwise.

What's a web-savvy business to do?  Sure it's awkward to ask your customers for reviews, and they may not be glowing or articulate.  Yet only tooting your own horn lacks credibility and the "just the facts" approach often falls flat.

Consider treating testimonials much like a cross between a good public relations campaign and market research... planned, genuine, interesting, well-timed and perhaps even administered,  (collected and edited, but not written for pay!) by a third party.  Hiring a credible expert to develop a questionnaire and query your customers is a great way to not only collect truthful testimonials, but to honestly get a better sense of what you're doing right, and where there are unmet needs to consider addressing.  The end result is a mix of business intelligence and articulate reviews that are real. They will not only potentially win you customers, and keep you out of trouble, they will help run your business better.

*from Opinion Research Corp, released in April 2009 and based on a phone survey of of 1,004 adults