They’re willing to pay for them, of course!

According to The New York Times, many companies have enlisted freelance writers to aid in their integrated marketing by posting rave reviews to sites such as google and yelp. It apparently has been used so often that writers have begun posting on craigslist to advertise their willingness to write the perfect review.

I can definitely see why some companies would be willing to pay for reviews because, for many people, when they are looking for a new place to dine out or whatnot, they ask around. Since sometimes no one they know personally has used the product or service before, they go online to check out what people have to say about them. Positive reviews online are the new word of mouth marketing, except now…companies may be able to control it a bit more.

So, what do you think? Is that ethical? It’s possible that the paid reviewer truly feels like the company is great, but the opposite could very well be a possibility.

If you want to see what a fake review looks like, check out this link. They’ve basically got faking down to a science.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/08/20/business/20110820-is-that-review-a-fake.html

Cristina

Mistake #1: Using your PR firm to smear the competition instead of actively promoting your own brand.

In May 2011, Facebook was outed for having hired PR Firm Burson-Marsteller to actively smear Google and its new social media effort, Google+ by planting stories and spreading dubious “facts” about Google invading the privacy of users, hoping that the media would pick up the story and effectively end Google’s social media effort. Once found out, many users were outraged at Facebook’s poor ethics in this matter.

Mistake #2: Not responding at all to consumers on social media outlets.

Starbucks, a hugely profitable company that prides itself on customer service and interaction with its consumers, hosts an official Facebook page (linked from its own website), on which thousands of comments, praises, and notably, complaints are posted to – none of which are responded to by the company.

Mistake #3: Responding to consumers, but doing so negatively.

Apple, another very popular and successful company known for its superior customer service, suffered a PR setback of its own when CEO Steve Jobs sent an email response to an inquiring college student, effectively telling her to “please leave us alone.”

Mistake #4: Acknowledging consumers’ concerns, then dismissing them.

After Groupon’s 2011 Super Bowl Ads were deemed highly insensitive to very serious social issues by many of their own consumers, Groupon pulled the ads and issued this statement on their blog, explaining the rationale behind their ads but offering no official apology.

Mistake #5: Failing to respond to a crisis immediately.

With no “worst case scenario” crisis plan in place for the failure of the brake systems in their cars in 2010, Toyota angered and disappointed many of its consumers and corporate partners by failing to immediately address this very serious issue. Though a successful PR campaign was eventually rolled out to combat the negative press they received as a result, many were already disenchanted with the brand.

So what’s the moral of this story? All brands, no matter how big or small, need to make sure that they are taking care of their customers at all times, in all arenas. Though all the companies listed in the examples above have maintained their success throughout these PR blunders, one has to wonder, if it’s happened once, will it happen again? And will their customers be as understanding next time?

-Stephanie G.

For all the times you’ve begrudgingly given a pushy sales associate your email address knowing full well you’ll delete whatever brand bombardment lands in your inbox, do you ever wonder why you conceded in the first place? It’s because somewhere during the transaction you felt you had something to gain.

So what if we’re interested in what brands have to say, but don’t have the time to sift through the clutter? Google cracked the code as it trialed Gmail Smart Labels, an innovative extension to its priority inbox feature that automatically organizes and classifies emails into customizable labels:

• Bulk: promotional mass mailings, daily offers
• Notifications: receipts, account statements
• Forums: mailing lists, group emails

Senior writer for CNET Stephen Shankland shares how Smart Labels appeals to a broad range of users, revealing a way to filter messages – out of sight, out of mind – until you have the time and patience to see what’s in it for you.

Key Takeaway – a win-win for both sides of the virtual tug-o-war. As a marketer, I have a fighting chance of avoiding the trash and surviving in the Bulk realm for later review; as a consumer, I choose when and where I want to be the target of your promotional pitch.

Too good to be true? You tell me…

-Stephanie C.

(Photo courtesy of googletutor.com)

• Circles enable you to select the group that can view a message. You can maintain your professional relationships and not burden them with dining and dog photos, yet still see the newborn updates from friends (LinkedIn + Facebook). Advice from the web-world: maintain a small number of circles at first.
• Hangouts are the Skype-like, video chat feature.
• As soon as Google has a dinner meeting with Apple (hopefully somewhere nice, they deserve it), I look forward to the option of the instant photo uploads with an app in the App Store.
• Sparks let Google+ have keyword content waiting for you (StumbleUpon).
• Huddles, a.k.a. group chat, may be useful but I am surprised that this is one of the top five features. However, I will admit that what I disregard at first, I end up loving the most.
• The +1 sharing feature adds additional value across the Google platform by enabling easy content sharing and endorsement.  This is Google’s own share button that I am guessing we will see everywhere.
• Pressing j or k lets you jump up and down each post.
• To direct message a person, simply select the person and post to your stream (only they can see it).
• Want your own vanity URL? Gplus.to will make it for you.
• Advice from the web-world: find some people to follow and see what they are doing, and who they follow (Twitter).
• Lastly, Deb Mourey must love the blog-style feeds and Google’s apparent promotion of the blog channel and content medium.

Based on the fact that I have no interest in turning this list into an official class post for a grade, the extra 100 words and my refusal to cut any, please love it, and keep it, in hopes of persuading you to join a circle of mine on Google+.  From your geeky in a good way friend, Kelly (gplus.to/kellymueller).

Photo source: techtin.com

“Google doesn’t get social and never will, they should give up.”

Facebook has shut down the “export contacts”  feature in order to deter people from exporting their contacts to Google+. I wrote that I thought this was awful. Facebook has shown us time and again that they don’t care what we think, need or want.

On the other side, Google just set up Google Transfer that allows users to remove their data from Google applications. Two different attitudes about user needs.

If you think that Facebook is ‘too big to fail’, I’d like to remind you of a little company called AOL who also tried to keep everything, in the corral. Hmmm. It’s going to be interesting?

If you’re looking for a good explanation and analysis of Google + – check out Chris Brogan. He’s doing a good job. Right now, Google has shut down any new invitations but it’s only a matter of time before it’s wide open.

Oh yeah, Michael Dell… (the owner of Dell computers) he held a ‘hangout’ with selected people and made it public so people could ‘listen in.’ I missed it but I’m looking forward to hearing more from all kinds of people. Including you…   Posted by Deborah Mourey