Online reviews have been front and center in the news the past few weeks…but not for a good reason! In an NBC news story, an editor at Fusion.net created a completely fake company and built it up with fake reviews. In another story, Amazon is suing over 1000 fake reviewers, mostly from Fiverr.com. So what does all this mean for entrepreneurs that are legitimately looking for reviews?
Never, Never, Ever Buy Reviews!
Have you received an email or message like this? The email subject line reads: “I’ll write you xx reviews for your product or service for $xx”. I once received an offer to receive 100 reviews for $100! Here is the picture!
Just hit delete on these offers and move on. Or maybe you are looking for some low-cost freelance help on fiverr.com and you run across an ad to write you a review for $5. Do not get tempted by these kinds of shortcuts to a great online reputation. You will likely get caught and penalized by that search engine or review website.
Build your business with a strong reputation and with strong integrity. If you were to win an award or otherwise become famous in your industry because of a load of purchased reviews, you will get caught, and the results could be very costly to your company and personal reputation. The media and public do not think kindly toward businesses that cheat the system. Just turn on the TV news. Every week it seems like there is another business getting caught for cheating at something. So don’t do it! It’s challenging enough to run a legitimate, ethical and honest business!
So, yes, continue to use legitimate strategies that I have outlined in previous posts, my online course and in my book, but don’t be tempted to go the dark side and buy reviews. For a free quick start guide to leveraging the power of legitimate online reviews and 12 free email, letter and web page templates, download it here.