So, let’s talk about what’s on everybody’s mind: Impeachment.
Will Trump go down?
Is Pelosi going to go through with the procedure?
Do we really care to know the identity of the mysterious whistleblower?
Does Zelensky have any balls?
Nah, I’m just kidding.
Sort of.
But as I was desperately looking for a somewhat credible news source to get up to speed with the impeachment talk, I realized we are swamped with the notion of “fake news.” We’re so okay reading nonsense about celebrities and brands, but when we really care about a topic is when we face the scarcity of authentic, non-biased info.
While scouring the sea of contradictive news, Trump’s famous “Fake News” slogan really gave me a lightbulb moment —
Lies make you click and talk, but it’s not what makes you buy.
Sure, mass media thrives on clickbaits, but as consumers, we have become more vigilant about the things we buy.
Think about it, when you were looking for an apartment, did you just click on the flashy sponsored ad with ridiculously low prices, or did you spend hours digging into verified property listings?
If you’re looking for a good acne scar removal cream, isn’t the situation the same? You wouldn’t put just any creamy compound on your skin. You would research it well.
You can see where I’m going with this. Yes, as a digital marketing agency or an e-commerce business, you might be tempted to hire writers who are experts at creating clickable titles and sweet-talking people into booking, purchasing, or whatever. BUT,
- To profit, your relationship with clients should be longer than a click-while. Your digital marketing agency can and should do more than just get people to click.
- Your online store is not an entertaining news platform. It’s a business that has to sell.
Take millennials, for example.
Over 43% of them value authenticity over flashy content when consuming news. Add that on average, they spend a good 25 hours in the online world per week and that over 85% of them own a smartphone, and they suddenly become important to you.
Even if you are not marketing to them today, you will have to do so tomorrow. Why?
Because millennials are the largest group in the workforce. They are also the ones with the least amount of savings.
Only 8% of them have over $10,000 worth of savings, which means they wouldn’t just give their money away. In fact, 33% of them will read a blog and use the power of the Internet prior to making a purchasing decision. What does that tell us?
Low $ = High Vigilance
Millennials in the US alone amount to 83.1 million.
Do you really want to risk losing 83.1 million opportunities over “fake news?”
Good. Then make sure the article writers you are relying on for content are capable of doing the research and cutting the nonsense, so they don’t cut your client list instead.
If you are scoffing right now thinking “fake news” can’t hurt you much, let me give you a few examples.
#1 Uber
In 2017, after a 2-year investigation, Uber was forced to pay $20 million in settlement due to false promises made to drivers about how much they could earn.
#2 Activia
Remember that green-packaged yogurt that costs a bit too much but has the “real bacteria” thing in it? Turns out, it doesn’t. It cost the company $45 million in 2010 to settle the case, and they were forced to remove words like “clinically” and “scientifically proven” from their labels.
#3 Good Ol’ Volkswagen
Back in 2016, the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) sued Volkswagen for $61 billion because the car company was falsely advertising “Clean Diesel” vehicles. Just last year, they were caught cheating the emissions tests 7 years in a row and were sued for violating the Clean Air Act.
OF COURSE,
Those cases weren’t the fault of writers alone. They were the choice of the companies that hired them. My point here is: before you hire writers to lie to your clients with superlatives, think if that is the kind of message vigilant millennials (the adults of tomorrow) will want to buy.
And also, think about whether you will be able to pay for it.
Not all writers are created equal. Some are just superlatives and no substance. I won’t promote our team at 411Writers, our work speaks louder than words (lol).
What I am going to promote is saying No to “Fake News.” That is the cheap talk of today. How about we start a meaningful conversation tomorrow?
