There is an awful lot of “marketing noise” today, not just on the Web, but in TV and radio ads, print advertising and outdoor display adverts. Statements like “best deal ever” or “guaranteed low prices” or the “best deal right now” are just Marketing Noise. We’re not saying anything new when we mention marketing noise and these “memes” that people wash over. The Web gives organizations a whole new, if somewhat uncomfortable, way to build a reputation and attract customers - using the Straight Goods approach to the marketing message. How can you incorporate such a message into your marketing ethos?

Marketers, even most senior management, want to do their best to portray market leadership in their space and that everything is good. The product is good, you’ll be happy with the results and buy lots more. The Web has changed this dynamic. Consumers can find the truth out easier than ever before and it can spread like wildfire across Social Media platforms. Consumers know that there are problems, challenges and issues with all products. Still, they buy them. The question is, are enough people buying them at a reasonable price so you can make a profit?

I was intrigued and quite impressed doing client research, that a lead generation company, SalesGenie took an approach to not only educate potential buyers, but to lay out the realities of buying and using sales lead lists. It wasn’t necessarily pretty, but they are honest. They tell it like it is. A link on the main page pops up a window and gives you the “truth” and it’s not marketing noise.

The issue of Marketing Noise and truth in marketing (i.e. advertising) has been the subject of debates and discussions for many years. The Web is now forcing this reality. Your market is buying a message, but could they be buying a better message? We’re not advocating total brutal confrontation of the realities - people don’t buy the gritty realities, it’s not how products are sold and bought.

Educating a market and better managing expectations through more “realist” messaging can however, lead to a more positive customer and prospective customer experience. Your ability to “influence” the market as a whole increases and your Return on Influence is improved. Our strategies have advocated a healthy mix of setting realistic expectations with marketing messages that don’t sound like the rest of your competition. Stand apart, get sales, keep customers. Profit.