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Internet Marketing for the Advancement of Ethics
With the advent of Internet marketing and the enormous opportunities for reaching so many consumers with our business message, there comes also the responsibility to balance the drive for profit with the upholding of ethics. It may sound corny to some, but the golden rule can and still does apply, as we witness the incredible advancement and seeming rule of technology.
The Internet is plastered with new terminology, newly coined business names, and new products and services, many relating to the Internet itself. But with so many messages clamoring for our attention, it’s easy to become influenced by flashy ads or cleverly concocted phrases some of which we may wish to adopt a version of as our own. With this as well we may forget the importance of adhering to only the highest ethical standards for our own conduct online.
Aware of it or not, truth telling or stretching in advertising will make or break a business sooner or later, especially now with an ability to attract and affect so many people through our websites, emails, social media marketing and the like. Today, because of the impact we can have using the tools of the web, practices and behaviors in accord with only the highest ethical standards are more critical than ever to the success and longevity of a business. In a very real sense we do eventually “reap what we sow.”
Hence, we need to withstand the temptation to exaggerate claims for our products or services in the interests of merely attracting more potential customers, a practice that in the longer term will most likely accrue to the detriment of our business as the truth of our claims is revealed.
It can be helpful to recognize the various disguises worn by certain less than ethical practices. Sometimes it’s a rationalized decision where the end justifies the means, perhaps involving a little truth stretching or a convenient omission of certain details, or seemingly small and harmless exaggerations. Either way as these practices are exposed sooner or later the effect on business will almost always be negative or even catastrophic.
As business owners and as merely members of the human race, each of us has the responsibility to temper enthusiasm with reality, exhibit honesty in our representations and uphold and protect the integrity of business conducted on the Internet. A business built upon the highest ethical standards will be seen by the masses as a beacon unto itself, if only for the reputation it has earned and enjoys. And quite frankly, there’s no way to buy that kind of advertising.
Tags: Internet Marketing, marketing, website marketing