Honesty is a choice.
It may not always be an easy choice, but it is always a choice. One that you get to make many times a day, every day (and not just in your marketing).
When you choose honesty, it says something about your character. Honesty enhances credibility, gives you freedom, and is a direct path to fearlessness.
It doesn’t always keep you out of trouble and sometimes it might feel as if you’re being punished for it; however, even when it’s not convenient or popular, it’s still the only choice (in my opinion and hopefully yours too).
Honesty in marketing isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s what works best for building your business.
In his book, Word of Mouth Marketing, Andy Sernovitz shares a formula that makes staying honest easy. He calls it Honesty ROI.
Honesty of Relationship — You say who you are representing.
Honesty of Opinion — You only say what you really believe.
Honesty of Identity — Never lie about who you are.
Follow these rules and you’ll never have to worry about your marketing (or your actions) hurting your business.